Woods, most others just trying to hang on; Westwood, Poulter surge up Augusta leaderboard

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Westwood surges to the lead at tougher Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ian Poulter of England is the clubhouse leader at the Masters after shooting his second straight 4-under 68.

Poulter birdied three of the par 5s and both of the tricky par 3s on the back side before his only stumble Friday — a bogey at the 18th hole that left him with a two-day total of 136.

Another Englishman, Lee Westwood, is at 8 under overall but still has eight holes to play. Tiger Woods is two strokes off the lead as he plays his final hole.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — With the sun shining bright and Augusta National showing its teeth, Tiger Woods and just about everyone else at the Masters played a game of survival Friday.

The tees were pushed back, the pin positions were toughened up and the greens began to firm up as the temperature climbed toward the 70s under a brilliant blue sky.

Woods remained right in the thick of things as others faded away, most notably first-round leader Fred Couples. Plodding along with a string of pars before he took advantage of both par 5s on the back side, Woods came down to his final two holes trailing only a pair of Englishmen, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, both three strokes ahead.

Woods, trying to put a sex scandal behind him, wore sunglasses between shots and was greeted with applause at nearly every hole. His mother, Kultida, followed him around the course, wearing a wide-brimmed floppy straw hat and was accompanied by Nike chairman Phil Knight, as well as the ever-present security officers.

There were no eagles for Woods, a day after he made two in a round for the first time in his Masters career. But he rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt at No. 13 and baled himself out for a poor chip with a 15-foot birdie at No. 15, pushing his overall score to 6 under. He was tied for third with Ryder Cup teammate Anthony Kim and playing partner K.J. Choi.

The English duo, each seeking their first major title, did better than anyone at defying the tougher conditions.

Poulter, as known for his daring fashion sense as much as his success on the course, pushed his score to 5 under for the day and 9 under for the tournament using a conventional means: three birdies on the four par 5s. But he also pulled off birdies at both of the tricky par 3s on the back side. Standing over the treacherous tee shot at No. 12, he went straight at the flag over Rae’s Creek, left himself with a 12-foot putt and rolled it right in.

Westwood got off a blistering start with an eagle at No. 2, followed by a birdie at the fourth, the shortest par-4 hole on the course. He made the turn with a 4-under 32.

The group at 5 under included two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, PGA champion Y.E. Yang and last year’s U.S. Open runner-up Ricky Barnes.

Sixteen players dipped into the 60s during the opening round, when a 20-mph wind that gusted up in the middle of the day provided about the only defense for the course.

Couples was out front Thursday with a 6-under 66, his lowest round ever in the Masters and making him, at age 50, the oldest player to hold the outright lead after the opening round of the Masters.

He looked more his age Friday, finishing his round with bogeys at the final three holes and four of the last five.

“Not a whole lot of fun at the moment. That’s just the way it is,” said Couples, who’s been bothered by persistent back problems in his career. “I woke up and, to be honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to play very good at all today.”

He knew his chances of becoming golf’s oldest major champion had taken a major blow.

“I needed to be at 5, 6 under to be realistic,” Couples said. “I’m not out of it, but 75 is not a great score.”

Another old-timer also was struggling. Sixty-year-old Tom Watson followed up his stirring run in last year’s British Open with a bogey-free 67 to open the Masters. But he had four bogeys on the front side Friday and made the turn with a 2-over 38, knocking him off the leaderboard.

Woods picked up his only birdie on the front side at the par-5 second, where he chipped up next to the flag for a short putt. But Woods gave the stroke back at No. 4, failing to get up and down after he flew his approach shot over a bunker behind the green.

The eighth hole provided a telling example of the tougher conditions. With the tee pushed back, Woods needed three shots just to reach the front edge of the green at the par-5 where he made an eagle the previous day. This time, he settled for par.

No one struggled more than Sandy Lyle, one of four 50-and-older players who broke par in the opening round. The 52-year-old Scotsman soared from a 69 to an 86, making four double-bogeys and a triple-bogey at the 12th.