American Chad Campbell, seeking his first major title, clung to a three-stroke lead during Friday's second round of the 73rd Masters after a pair of bogeys in windy Amen Corner set him back.
American Chad Campbell, seeking his first major title, clung to a three-stroke lead during Friday's second round of the 73rd Masters after a pair of bogeys in windy Amen Corner set him back. Campbell birdied two of the first four holes, added another at the par-5 eighth and yet another to open the back nine to stretch his lead to five strokes at one stage before Augusta National Golf Club began to take revenge. Breezes returned after vanishing during round one, changing perfect scoring conditions into the usual swirling trouble offered in the Georgia pines.
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Campbell had two birdies and a par in round one through Amen Corner, the difficult three-hole stretch starting at the 11th hole, but suffered bogeys at 11 and 12 to see his lead shrink to three strokes. The nearest rivals were two compatriots u2013 Jim Furyk, who tees off in the day's penultimate group, and 48-year-old Kenny Perry, who began with back-to-back bogeys to match Furyk on six-under par after eight holes.
Tiger Woods, seeking his 15th major title to pull within three of matching Jack Nicklaus' all-time record, opened with five pars before a birdie at the par-3 sixth put him in a share of 10th at three-under.
Top-ranked Woods, who has won all three prior times he began a Masters with a 70 and has never failed to shoot in the 60s on Friday and Saturday at Augusta after shooting a 70. Campbell set a Masters record Thursday by opening his first round with five birdies in a row on the way to a seven-under par 65 and a one-stroke lead, then jumped out quickly Friday with birdies at the par-5 second and par-3 fourth. Campbell, the 2003 PGA Championship runner-up, missed the cut in three of his five prior Masters but shared third in 2006. He has not won a PGA event since taking his fourth tour triumph at the 2007 Viking Classic.
American Todd Hamilton, the 2004 British Open winner, endured a roller coaster round to grab a share of fourth at five-under through 16 holes. Hamilton followed two early bogeys with three birdies in a row starting at the par-5 eighth. He answered a bogey at 11 with an eagle at the par-5 15th but gave one back with a bogey at 16. Also five back were Japan's Shingo Katayama, another late starter, and American Hunter Mahan, who began Friday with a birdie but followed by a bogey and a double bogey at the third but began the back nine with a birdie.
Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell was on four-under through 14. Those on four-under but yet to tee off included Argentina's Angel Cabrera and 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir of Canada. Irishman Padraig Harrington, trying to become only the third man to win a third major title in a row, opened with a 69. He goes off in the third-to-last group along with Weir. Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champion who at age 50 turned back the clock with an opening 67, was blown away by the gusts of Augusta even after answering a double-bogey at the first with birdies at two and three.
Mize made three bogeys in four holes starting at the 11th, the treacherous opening hole of Amen Corner, and had tumbled back to one-under after 17 holes. Greg Norman the 54-year-old Australian whose history of Masters heartbreak is legendary, was also among the late starters. South African legend Gary Player, playing in his record 52nd and final Masters, had started his final competitive round at Augusta National. So had Fuzzy Zoeller, who also makes his final Masters bow.u00a0
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