By Doug Ferguson
The Associated Press

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Tiger Woods was just starting an overhaul of his swing. Mike "Fluff" Cowan was his caddie. David Duval was emerging as his chief rival.

That was 1998 at Torrey Pines, where Woods came within one stroke of getting into a playoff at the rain-shortened Buick Invitational.

Little did he know, it was the start of a streak that lasted 113 tournaments over 5 1/2 years and culminated Friday in the Funai Classic at Disney, when Woods tied Byron Nelson's record for most consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour.

Woods easily made the cut with a 5-under 67, leaving him four shots behind Vijay Singh going into the weekend and a cinch to break Nelson's record at the Tour Championship in two weeks, mainly because that tournament has no cut.

"I've very proud," Woods said. "It's certainly not something that's easy to do. There are times when I obviously should have missed. With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work, it pays off in the end."

Nelson set the record from 1941 to 1948. His career tapered off because he wanted to settle into his ranch, so he played only a few tournaments - the Masters and Colonial - toward the end of his streak.

It ended when he didn't turn in a card at Pebble Beach to start the '49 season.

In Nelson's day, making the cut meant making money, and some tournaments only paid out the top 20 positions. Nelson never finished lower than 17th during that time.

Then again, the fields weren't as strong or as deep as they are now.

The PGA Tour counts 23 tournaments in Woods' streak that didn't even have a cut, such as the Tour Championship.

Still, no one has come close to Woods' consistency in today's game. The second-best cut streak in the last 20 years belonged to Singh, who made 53 in a row from 1995 to 1998. On the current list, Ernie Els is second with 26.

Woods paid tribute to Nelson, calling his record "phenomenal."

"He's been a model of what all golfers should be," Woods said. "He's a better person than his playing record. That speaks volumes about what kind of person he is."

Woods' streak began after he withdrew from the 1998 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am by declining to return seven months later to finish the third round of the rain-plagued event.

There have been at least 10 close calls during his streak, but Friday wasn't among them.

If anything, Woods was perturbed at not being closer to the lead.

"You know what I've discovered about this game? It's all about consistency," Woods said, seemingly prepared to wax philosophical about his cut streak.

"And right now," he added, "I consistently can't make a ... putt!"

That wasn't a problem for Singh, who is determined to keep Woods from another record by denying him a fifth straight PGA Tour money title.

Singh, the hottest player in golf with seven top 10s in his last eight tournaments, overcame his first bogey of the tournament on No. 9 by playing his next seven holes in 7 under par, including an eagle on No. 7 on the Palm course.

Singh finished with a 65 and was at 15-under 129.

"I guess it's all momentum," Singh said. "If you have the momentum going on your side, then it flows and it's going to be good."

Singh had a one-stroke lead over Bob Estes (63), while John Rollins (65) and David Peoples (66) were another stroke back.

Davis Love III, who is still in the hunt for the money title, had a 65 and was in a large group at 12-under 132.

Singh is only $171,239 behind Woods on the money list. He has played eight more times than Woods, and plans to play next week in the $4.8 million Chrysler Championship; Woods is taking that week off.

"I'm in good position, so if I just keep doing what I'm doing and keep reducing the numbers, I think I have a very good chance," Singh said. "The last week (Tour Championship) will be big because it's only 30 players and it's a big purse.

"I think whoever wins that one will win the money title."

Woods still has a chance to build a big lead on the money list by winning at Disney, although he's not helping himself on the greens. His only birdies came on the four par-5s on the Magnolia course, and he added a 12-foot birdie on the final hole.

Along the way, he missed 10 putts inside 20 feet - one for an eagle.

"Right now, I'm a little perturbed at not making any putts," he said.

The cut streak never crossed his mind on another spectacular day across the street from the Magic Kingdom. The electronic scoreboards occasionally posted the projected cut, which wavered between 4 and 5 under, and finally settled on 5.

Woods was more concerned about winning, just like every other week.

"The name of the game is scoring," he said. "It doesn't matter how pretty it is or how ugly it is."

The only other streak on the line Friday at Disney belonged to Briny Baird, who tied the PGA Tour record with eight straight sub-par holes, matching Billy Mayfair's feat at the 2001 Buick Open. Baird wound up with a 62.

PAK MAKES HISTORY: Se Ri Pak became the first woman to make the cut in a men's tournament since Babe Zaharias in 1945. She is at 2-over 146 halfway through a Korean Tour event.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Jim Thorpe shot a 67 for a three-stroke lead over Tom Jenkins and two-day record of 14-under 130 total for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, the over-50 circuit's season-ending event.