Mike Weir builds 4-shot lead at Senior PGA Championship

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Mike Weir is best known for winning the 2003 Masters. Now the Canadian lefty is looking to update his mantle by winning his first major victory on the Champions Tour.

Weir rang up six birdies en route to a 5-under 65 to establish a 4four-shot lead at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship on Friday before the second round was suspended due to darkness.

Eighteen players still have to complete their rounds at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., before the cut line can be determined.

Weir (7-under) opened on the back nine and managed birdies on holes 10, 13, 14 and 17. He went on to birdie Nos. 4 and 5 before his only slip-up of the day, a bogey on the par-3 6th, tarnished his otherwise spotless card.

Weir’s approach game was working for him Friday; he said his longest birdie putt of the round was 8-9 feet on No. 10.

“It was a really fun round of golf,” Weir said. “Very demanding golf course, so when you have your opportunities and take advantage of them you feel good because you know you’re going to be fighting for some pars on some holes, which I was coming in and made a couple nice par putts to finish off the round nicely.

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“But all aspects of my game (were) a little bit sharper today. I drove it a little better than yesterday, putting was still solid, I probably hit some iron shots a little closer to the hole today than yesterday and that’s why I got 5-under.”

Weir, 51, won his first Champions Tour event earlier this month at the Insperity Invitational.

John Riegger was 1 under through 15 holes and 3 under for the championship when darkness halted action. He’ll have an opportunity on his final three holes early Saturday to move into solo second place.

But when play ended, Riegger was tied with Steve Stricker, Rocco Mediate and German Alex Cejka, all of whom completed their rounds. K.J. Choi of South Korea was alone in sixth at 2 under.

Stricker, who changed his putter on the eve of the major’s first round, followed a Thursday 69 with a second-round 68.

“I wasn’t getting my normal putter to really roll all that well,” he said. “It wasn’t heavy enough on some of these putts up the hill. So I went with this mallet-style putter (and) it’s actually been really good, I’ve hit a lot of nice putts, I’m rolling the ball nicely. Made some good ones, rolled some over the edge, it’s been a good change.”

Stricker made three birdies to go with an eagle on No. 10, a hole-out from about 107 yards that didn’t require the mallet.