PALM HARBOR, FLA. ? Steve Lowery and Bo Van Pelt, two guys who didn’t earn a dime the first few months of the season, played some of their best golf Friday at the Chrysler Championship on a tough day that sent Vijay Singh home early for the second straight week.

Lowery birdied three straight holes to start his back nine and finished with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot lead over Van Pelt, who played even better. Van Pelt never came close to a bogey in shooting 65, more than 71â2 shots better than the field average on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook.

Davis Love III and Bernhard Langer each shot 69 and were another shot behind with Tom Pernice Jr. (66).

Lowery started his year by missing eight straight cuts and 11 of the first 12, and he didn’t secure his card until a tie for eighth two weeks ago in Las Vegas. With that out of the way, he was at 8-under 134 and set his sights on winning.

“It’s been a lot more fun,” Lowery said. “I started to play a lot better toward the end of the year. I felt a lot more competitive, so it’s been nice the last six or seven weeks.”

The last two weeks have been disastrous for Singh, who started the year at No. 1 in the world ranking.

Steve Lowery smiles as he walks off the fifth green during the Chrysler Championship. Lowery, shown Friday in Palm Harbor, Fla., leads by two strokes.

He missed the cut last week at Disney, along with Tiger Woods, by taking a triple bogey on his 15th hole of the second round. Singh, the defending champion at Innisbrook, went 74-71 to miss the cut by one shot.

The cut looms large this time of the year for those trying to get into next week’s Tour Championship, and those with only two tournaments left to finish in the top 125 on the money list and keep their cards.

Joe Ogilvie was among those who closed strong.

He is 33rd on the money list and was on the cut line until saving par with a 10-footer on the 15th, then making a testy four-footer for par on the last hole for a 72 to finish at 2-over 144.

Charles Howell III is No. 30 on the money list, but continued to boost his bid to get back to East Lake with a 71 that put him in the group at 4-under 138 that included Retief Goosen and Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman.

Jason Bohn, 31st on the money list, was 5 over after his first 15 holes, but shot 68 Friday and was at 1 over.

After two weeks on tour where birdies were required just to keep pace, Innisbrook is a demanding test late in the year with thick rough that gobbles up stray tee shots and makes it tough to get close from around the green.