FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tied for the lead is the 52-year-old who seems to play like he's 22 whenever he steps onto the hallowed grounds of Augusta National. And one shot back is the 22-year-old who has shown the maturity of a 52-year-old since losing his way on the back nine here a year ago.
Scattered throughout the rest of the 36-hole leaderboard at the Masters is a potpourri of notables -- some looking for their first major win or hoping to purge the ghosts of past near-misses (or both); others already with major credentials, seeking another sip of golf's most exquisite nectar.
There are 30 players within five shots of the lead heading into Saturday's pivotal third round, and they haven't all taken the same train to get here. In this most democratic of Masters, not one particular style of attack has emerged. Short hitters, long hitters, ball-strikers, hot putters, working a fade, working a draw, working out of trouble, working away from trouble -- in the mud and the chill and the wind of the first two days, you just needed to play to your own strengths and make sure you didn't unravel to the point of no return.
"You look at the names on the leaderboard, and there isn't like one style of golf," said Rory McIlroy, the aforementioned 22-year-old who find himself again in the thick of things. "There's a lot of different ways to get the ball around the golf course. ... That's Augusta in a nutshell."
Offering a delicious blend of storylines? That's also Augusta in a nutshell. At the forefront is Fred Couples, the 52-year-old who shot the low round of the day Friday, a 5-under 67, to gain a share of the one-stroke lead. Couples' only win here came 20 years ago, but he and Augusta National seem like twin brothers who know what the other is thinking at all times.
Couples has finished in the top 10 at the Masters three times since 2004, including a sixth-place finish two years ago. In fact, he had the same 36-hole total then that he does now. One big difference, though -- unlike 2010, he's not looking up at eight players ahead of him on the leaderboard. Tied with co-leader Jason Dufner at 5 under going into Saturday, Couples is in a much better spot to become the oldest winner of a major.
Couples, who won on the Champions Tour two weeks ago, called it "amazing" that he's in this position. He also used the words "very shocking." But if the weather warms up and his troublesome back stays loose, well ... Augusta National has a habit of producing storybook results. Consider this interesting tidbit: 63 players made the cut on Friday, the most since 1992, when Couples won.
"I'm certainly not Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson, but I do know this course pretty well," Couples said. "I've had a lot of success here. But I have to come out tomorrow and not be too edgy."
McIlroy said Couples still has the length to play well here and has a comfort zone that comes with playing 106 rounds in the Masters. "Glad to see him up there," McIlroy said. "Just adds a little more spice to the weekend."
Of course, McIlroy's place in the leaderboard -- tied for third after a solid 2-under 69 -- is no surprise. Any lingering demons from last year's Masters collapse have been replaced by confidence that this course suits his game. Had he avoided a double bogey to start his first round, McIlroy would have the solo lead.
Instead, he's ready to pounce.
"I wouldn't say I'm in a position to win yet, but we'll see what happens tomorrow," he said.
Indeed, Saturday could very well turn out to be the most interesting day of the entire week. Sure, the back nine on Sunday creates legends, but first, you've got to give yourself that opportunity. And given the names involved, it could be a legendary shootout.
Ten of the 30 players have already won majors -- Couples, McIlroy, Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Lawrie, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Y.E. Yang, Zach Johnson and Padraig Harrington. Others have come close, such as Dufner (who suffered his own hard luck at last year’s PGA Championship), Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson. Add in players such as current FedExCup points leader Hunter Mahan, unflappable European veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez and a bevy of other American and International notables, the term "Moving Day" doesn't seem to do it justice.
"Tomorrow will be a critical day," Mickelson said after shooting a 4-under 68. "It will be a critical day to get myself in a spot where I don't have to make you up too much ground from the leaders."
Added Harrington: "Five shots is not much in a major. Obviously there's a lot of players. Whoever is going to win this tournament is going to have to play well on the weekend. "
You might notice one name, though, that's not in the top 30 -- Tiger Woods. The four-time Masters champ shot a 3-over 75 on Friday, his worst second-round score at Augusta National since he turned pro. For just the third time in his Masters career, he went an entire round without managing at least one birdie on the four par-5 holes.
Woods, who will start the third round at 3 over and tied for 40th, displayed the kind of frustration Friday we don't expect to see from him here. It wasn't his day, and yet who's to say he can't turn things around this weekend?
"The tournament is not over," Woods said. "Last year I think on the final round I made up seven shots. I can do this. I've just got to be patient."
With so many players ahead of him, though, he can't afford to be too patient. Mistakes will be magnified this weekend, and with so many big-credentialed players in contention, one false move could be costly.
"That's a major championship," Garcia said. "It asks for everything you have, and if you are a little bit off, and you lose a little bit of confidence, it can cost you."
LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2x72)
Players from US unless stated
139 Fred Couples 72 67, Jason Dufner 69 70
140 Bubba Watson 69 71, Sergio Garcia (Spain) 72 68, Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 71 69, Louis Oosthuizen (S Africa) 68 72, Lee Westwood (England) 67 73.
141 Paul Lawrie (Scotland) 69 72, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 69 72, Matt Kuchar 71 70.
SELECTED SCORES
142 Phil Mickelson 74 68 (T11)
144 Justin Rose (England) 72 72, Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 71 73, Ian Poulter (England) 72 72 (T24).
147 Charl Schwartzel (S Africa) 72 75, Tiger Woods 72 75, Martin Kaymer (Germany) 72 75, Graeme McDowell (N Ireland) 75 72 (T40)
148 Luke Donald (England) 75 73, Ross Fisher (England) 71 77, Martin Laird (Scotland) 76 72 (T47)
MISSED THE CUT (149 or better qualified
151 Paul Casey (England) 76 75, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spaini) 75 76.
154 Darren Clarke (N Ireland) 73 81
155 Simon Dyson (England) 78 77
164 Sandy Lyle (Scotland) 86 78
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