Tiger Woods grabbed the clubhouse lead in the second round of the Masters on Friday, but overnight leader Chris DiMarco would not go away.
Woods, in pursuit of an historic fourth straight major title birdied 17 and 18 hole to complete a six-under 66 for eight-under 136.
That vaulted him ahead of a pack of players on seven-under, which included two-time US Open champion Lee Janzen. Janzen closed birdie-birdie to post a 70 for 137. He joined Steve Stricker and Angel Cabrera, who both started the day six-under, got as low as nine-under and finally carded second-round 71s.
Still out on the course, unheralded DiMarco was nine-under through 12.
DiMarco, who came within a stroke of the lowest score by a Masters first-timer yesterday, opened with a bogey. But he steadied himself to put together back-to-back birdies at two and three, and picked up another shot at the par-three 12th.
Kirk Triplett started the day four-under and looked like joining the seven-under club birdies at six, 10 and 13, but he gave a stroke back to finish with a 70 for six-under 138, tied with two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain.
Olazabal posted a four-under 68, and said he hoped the wind promised for the weekend would materialize and dry out the unusually forgiving Augusta greens.
"Both times I've won here, the conditions have been very bad," said the 1994 and 1999 champion.
Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, who started the day even, nabbed five birdies before his first bogey of the day at 16, then birdied 17 to get into the clubhouse with a five-under 67 for 139.
"I had a lot of good shots," Clarke said. "Anytime you shoot 67 here, you have to be pleased.
"I hit it as well yesterday as today, but I had some good breaks today and I putted the ball better."
Defending champion Vijay Singh of Fiji bogeyed 18, carding a one-under 71 for 140. He was joined by Spain's Miguel Angel Cabrera (72).
Phil Mickelson, ranked second in the world behind Woods picked up a stroke to stand at six-under through five. David Duval and Japan's Toshi Izawa both launched second-round charges, picking up five strokes to lie six-under through 16.- AFP-
