ESPN Golf

8:00 p.m. ET: For a 23-year-old kid, Anthony Kim has withstood a lot of ailments in the past year.

Late last summer, in the midst of a breakout season on the PGA Tour, he injured his shoulder taking batting practice with the Boston Red Sox. He later hurt his jaw while riding a horse in New Zealand. (Can't make this stuff up.) Earlier this season, the shoulder was bothering him enough that he was forced to skip his hometown Bob Hope Classic. And just two weeks ago, he bailed on Bay Hill when he was suffering from the flu.

Through it all, the kid known as AK has shown flashes of brilliance intertwined with periods of mediocrity. He was a Ryder Cup hero at Valhalla, vanquishing Sergio Garcia in singles play. And he finished in a share of second place at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, punctuated by a 3-wood to within inches on the final hole.

Since then, however, he has been underwhelming while taking up dual residency on the PGA and European tours. He missed the cut in Phoenix, lost in the second round of the WGC-Match Play, finished 58th at Doral and was T-26 this past week in Houston.

Not exactly a precursor of great things to come.

In his first career round at the Masters on Thursday, Kim suffered a fate similar to that of many Augusta first-timers before him. On a course where experience matters so much, he shot a 3-over 75 and seemed destined for a fight to remain on the right side of the cut line come Friday afternoon.

Instead, he fought his way up the leaderboard and into contention -- and in historic fashion, too.

Augusta National has seen 72 previous editions of this tournament contested. Until Friday, no player had carded more than 10 birdies in a single round. Well, let the record show that AK needed exactly one round of golf on the course before taming the vaunted beast, posting 11 birdies in a second-round total of 65, besting the previous record set by Nick Price in 1986.

"Very excited, obviously, to make 11 birdies out there," said Kim, who counterbalanced some of those birdies with two bogeys and a double. "I haven't been making 11 birdies in two days [lately], so to make 11 in one day is pretty special. And, obviously, to do it at Augusta is amazing. It feels like a 58 right now. I mean, I just tried to stay steady. … The first goal is to make the cut, and then make a run on Saturday and Sunday. The putts kept flowing, so I just kept walking them in and going to the next hole."

Now Kim goes into the weekend at 4 under par, in a share of sixth place and just 5 strokes shy of co-leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.

If you're seeking reasons Kim won't claim a green jacket Sunday, look no further than the fact that there hasn't been a Masters rookie who has taken the title since Fuzzy Zoeller exactly 30 years ago.

If you're seeking reasons Kim might be the player to break that drought, though, examine his two victories from last season. He won at Quail Hollow and Congressional, two of the more challenging, old-style venues on the PGA Tour, and did so in convincing fashion, seemingly getting better as the pressure mounted.

Oh, and there's also a new, improved attitude in play, too.

"I read a great story this morning before I teed off about that baseball player [Nick Adenhart] who died two nights ago," he recalled. "I said, 'Look, it's been a dream of mine to be at the Masters my whole life, and there's no reason to pout about a bogey or a 3-putt, but enjoy being out here and enjoy all of the hard work that was put into it by myself and my parents, and go out there and have some fun.'"

Kim is having fun so far at Augusta National. He'll be having an absolute blast if he can claim the green jacket Sunday.

That'll close things out for the Round 2 edition of the Masters Live Blog. I'll be back on Saturday with more analysis, information, anecdotes and everything else, so check back early and often. Until then, hit 'em straight …

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7:29 p.m. ET: E-mail from Wojciech in Cracow, Poland:

Got any word about Rory McIlroy's situation?

Nothing yet, sorry. The hunch here in the media center is that club officials might be having a hard time trying to track him down. But that's just a guess. No timetable on when a decision will be reached, so I doubt I'll be able to update this situation before tomorrow's third round.

And yes, the Live Blog is huge in Poland!

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7:25 p.m. ET: ESPN's Mike Tirico interviewed Phil Mickelson after his round.

Mickelson on what he needs to do over the weekend: "You've got to pull off some shots out here. There are times to be conservative, but times you've got to knock down the pin."

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7:21 p.m. ET: A few nights ago, I was IM'ing Zach Johnson's caddie, Damon Green, who told me that he still gets goose bumps every time he comes to Augusta National and that he loves the fact he's now a part of the tournament's history, having been on the bag for Zach's win two years ago.

(I told him that maybe he should lobby for a "champions' caddies locker room" in the new caddyshack.)

Things didn't go so well for Johnson and Green this time around, as they went 70-80 and missed the cut.

But Green is already looking ahead to the 2010 edition of this event. Just checked out the status of his Facebook page:

"Can't wait till next year!!!!!!"

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7:15 p.m. ET: Full disclosure: The TV feed is about three seconds behind the live action. Because of this, as I'm sitting here waiting to watch Phil Mickelson stroke his birdie putt on 18, a huge roar emanated from the course.

I knew what was gonna happen next on the screen.

Phil drops in about a 15-footer for birdie to shoot 68 and enter the weekend at 3-under, in a tie for 10th place.

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7:04 p.m. ET: Great up-and-down from the greenside bunker on 18 for ESPN.com's own Ryuji Imada, who is writing a diary for us this week.

(Can't call it a blog or else we'd turn into bitter rivals.)

Whew, glad he made it. Or else he might have stolen my credential and media-center seat for the next two days.

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7:03 p.m. ET: It was always in doubt, but … I win!

Mike Weir shoots a 75 to beat Sean O'Hair by a single shot and give me a huge wager victory over my European counterpart.

Time to pay up, Lawrence!

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6:58 p.m. ET: Time to check the Twitter account …

Cullen4@jasonsobel: What will Sergio have to say about the course being out to get him for hitting that flagstick?

"Everyone else always gets the breaks! And the Golf Gods are always against Sergio!"

I kid, I kid. … He has actually been very mature and thoughtful and reserved since blaming supernatural powers for his losing the 2006 British Open.

By the way, Golfsmith has a deal going where, if you bought a driver before the Masters, you get a full refund if Garcia wins the tourney.

You might have known that already. What you didn't know, however, is that Golfsmith also has a deal with Sergio in which he'll receive a free driver if he doesn't win.

That's called hedging your bet.

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6:53 p.m. ET: E-mail from Roy in Africa:

Who knew? Spiderman's got a pretty clean scorecard today.

Yes, the Spider-Man Tilt-A-Whirl has slowed down to a nice, steady rhythm.

Camilo Villegas is 3-under for the round through 16, with four birdies and just a single bogey. Just hit a nice shot into 17 and has a decent look at birdie from there.

Oh, and the Live Blog is huge in Africa.

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6:42 p.m. ET: At 2-over, Ernie Els has a 12-footer for birdie on the final hole to make the cut. …

A little left-to-right break … and he misses it on the high side.

So disappointing for a guy who was once considered a virtual lock to win a few green jackets but is now running out of chances. This is three straight years that Els has MC'd here at Augusta.

Consider him the ultimate enigma. The Big Easy still swings it great, but his putting is so inconsistent. This week, he has needed 65 total putts -- second-most in the entire field.

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6:36 p.m. ET: Speaking of a guy who could potentially be paired with Woods tomorrow, here's an e-mail from Taylor in Wisconsin:

How about old Sandy Lyle making five birdies in a row on the back nine to play himself into contention? It's the story of the day that no one is talking about.

Good point. At 51, Lyle hasn't been a factor here in years. In fact, other than his Masters victory in 1988, he hasn't finished in the top 10 in 26 other appearances. But with birdies on every hole from 13 to 17, he went from sure MC to playing 36 more holes this weekend.

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6:31 p.m. ET: Another birdie for Phil Mickelson on 15 moves him to 2-under.

I know what you're gonna ask … and the answer is no.

The common question right now is: Can Phil and Tiger be paired together in tomorrow's third round?

Because of the first-in, last-out rule -- which basically states that the first guy off the course with a given score will be the last tee time of those at the same number the next day -- it's virtually impossible.

Even if they both finish at 2-under, there were too many players who finished at that number in between them to set up a third-round pairing.

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6:24 p.m. ET: Here is my video blog on Todd Hamilton's round from earlier today and just how unlikely it was.

This is some of what he had to say after a second-round 70 that left him at 6-under …

Question: Did you see signs of this coming in your game?
Todd Hamilton: Probably nothing like this, no. … On paper, my year has not been that great. Not counting this event, I made two out of nine cuts. But it wasn't to the point where I can lose all hope. You know, I may have had some 74s and 75s, but a drive five yards left here, five yards right there a couple of times during the round, and those 74s and 75s could have been even pars; a few putts here and there, also. So on paper, it doesn't look very good, but it wasn't to the point where I was going to quit playing the game.

Q: You said you were not overly concerned about missing the cuts that you did to start this year. To what extent over the past five years, though, has your confidence wavered or your frustration level [peaked]?
TH: Directly after I won the [British] Open in 2004, I actually played pretty good. The end of that year, I had a couple of good finishes, and then probably the first half of the next year I had some good finishes and made a lot of money. And from then on, I had not played all that great until maybe the last half of last year, 2008. … I had not made a lot of cuts in that period. And then all of a sudden, I started making cuts. Although my finishes were not spectacular, had I had one better round out of all four rounds, I would have had some really, really good finishes. It seemed like I was always finishing between 25th and 40th for, like, seven or eight straight weeks. So it was nice to be able to play on a weekend, but it was frustrating knowing that the 73 you shot, had it been 69 or 70, you would have had a lot better finishes.

Q: What were your expectations coming in, and do they change or do you have to fight against them changing now, given your position?
TH: I don't think I had any expectations. I was just happy to have a chance, knowing this could be my last one, and I wanted to play like it wasn't going to be my last one. I wanted to have a chance to come back. I think the time off that I had last week at home was really beneficial to me. I had been beating my head up against the wall, seems like all year. Felt like I was playing pretty well and just getting nothing out of it. I took four days off, not because I wanted to but because it was really windy at home. And didn't touch a club for four days, so maybe that was a good thing.

Q: Does your approach change now, your mindset?
TH: No, I feel very relaxed. I always know that I can play golf at this level. It doesn't happen as often as I would like, and probably a lot of guys would say that. But I feel if I can get off to a good start, usually I'm OK, knock on wood.

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6:21 p.m. ET: E-mail from TJ in Oceanside, N.J.:

Can we officially call this the worst rule in golf? A gust of wind moving a ball on greens that are akin to a sheet of ice should not have any bearing on the outcome of the tournament. Padraig got screwed, plain and simple.

You know, there are a lot of silly, outdated rules in the game of golf. I'm not one who would rewrite the rulebook and change many things, but I think you're on to something here.

Granted, players should know not to ground their club when the conditions are windy, but that really wasn't the case here; basically, a gust just blew in from out of nowhere and moved his ball. It was the correct ruling, but it's a terrible rule.

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6:19 p.m. ET: After much consternation and debate, it was ruled that Padraig Harrington had indeed grounded his club before stepping away and watching the wind move his ball. He was assessed a penalty, then made the putt for a par to remain at 3-under.

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6:11 p.m. ET: For the first time all day, the wind is really starting to come through here.

TV coverage just showed both Shingo Katayama and Padraig Harrington backing away from putts when the gusts came through. Gonna be tough for those finishing up this afternoon.

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6:02 p.m. ET: Any time I write one of these Live Blogs, I get a lot of "Why don't you mention so-and-so?" and "How come you're ignoring this guy?" e-mails.

Nothing wrong with stating your case for a certain player -- honestly, I appreciate everyone keeping me on my toes -- but really, it's impossible to mention everyone in the field, and some stuff is going to slip through the cracks at times.

For example: I just now realized that after about 22 hours of blogging the past two days, I have yet to mention Geoff Ogilvy, who has birdied two of his last three holes to get to 4-under with two to play.

This is a guy who has moved up to No. 4 in the OWGR, already owns two wins this season and has a major championship under his belt. I know he was never given enough credit for winning the 2006 U.S. Open -- instead Phil Mickelson and, to a lesser extent, Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie are blamed for losing it -- but a major is a major, and he won it fair and square.

Don't be surprised to see Ogilvy, who just seems to keep getting better and better, work himself into serious contention in the next two days.

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5:55p.m. ET: Great scene on 18, with so many players waiting to congratulate Gary Player on his final round, including Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen and Lee Westwood, among others.

We don't often see players wait on the final hole to cheer on their fellow competitors, but this is obviously a different situation and very cool to see.

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5:49 p.m. ET: Gary Player is about to finish dead last for the second straight year, but so what?

The three-time Masters champ is walking up the 18th fairway in his 52nd and final Masters appearance, getting a standing ovation from the patrons.

I know I've mentioned this in each of the first two Live Blogs this week, but it's worth writing again. Some perspective: Player has competed in 52 total Masters. That's 52 weeks at Augusta National. that's one full year of his life playing the Masters.

Let's hope we see Player back as a Par 3 participant and maybe an honorary starter in coming years.

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5:44 p.m. ET: E-mail from James in Atlanta, who would like the Blog Jinx to work for good instead of evil:

Can you come Live Blog my divorce hearing? Maybe I can get my house back when you say something nice about my wife.

Phil Mickelson seems immune right now. Just after mentioning his struggles, Lefty birdies 12 and eagles 13 to move to 1-under. He's now well inside the cut line. Would have to really implode to MC now … and that could never happen to Phil, right?

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5:33 p.m. ET: Huge eagle for Padraig Harrington on the 13th hole.

The winner of the last two majors had been leaking oil for quite a while, but this got him back to even for the round and 3-under for the tournament.

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5:29 p.m. ET: Big rumor here at the course is that Rory McIlroy, who was 4-under with three to play but finished 1-over, is waiting on a ruling to find out whether he has been disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Apparently, on the final hole, McIlroy played a bunker shot that remained in the hazard. He punctuated the poor effort by kicking the sand in disgust, which could be deemed as "testing the playing surface." Rory didn't assess himself a penalty and has already signed his scorecard. If it's determined that a penalty should have been taken, he will be disqualified.

I'll let you know if and when I hear something.

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5:27 p.m. ET: Spy report from the course (actually, the driving range):

Tiger Woods began his postround practice session by kicking over his golf bag in frustration. He then went at it full bore for 55 minutes, most of which was with his driver. At one point, he handed the club to Steve Williams, who put it back into the bag, but Tiger grabbed it back immediately and started working with it again. Hank Haney was on the scene the entire time, and it appeared the two of them were working on alignment for much of that time.

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5:22 p.m. ET: When we were discussing possible Jim Nantz winning calls for different players during yesterday's blog, there were more than a few responses of "Touched by an Angel" or "An Angel Among Us" for Angel Cabrera, whose first name is really pronounced "on-HEL."

Well, it could actually happen.

Haven't talked about him much today, but the 2007 U.S. Open champ just made birdie on No. 14 to move to 8-under, one shot behind Campbell and Perry.

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5:16 p.m. ET: Phil Mickelson's scramble attempt wasn't successful at No. 11. He falls to 2-over, which is outside the cut line (which apparently will stay where it is).

Lefty will need to play the final seven holes in 1-under or better to stick around for the weekend.

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5:12 p.m. ET: At least someone on Twitter is listening to me …

Dimonator@StewartCink, sorry you missed the cut, but please provide live tweets for @JasonSobel while you watch this weekend. Go Jackets.

See, was that so difficult?

With a bogey-bogey finish, Cink will likely be heading home down I-20 pretty soon. I'm sure he had nothing else planned for the weekend, so if enough fellow Twitterers want to encourage him to contribute to the Live Blog, that would be great.

Again, you can follow me on Twitter, too, at JasonSobel.

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5:07 p.m. ET: Haven't talked much about Phil Mickelson today, but he's just kind of plodding along so far with a birdie, eight pars and a bogey through 10 holes.

Trouble on 11, though, as his drive elicits a loud, "Oh, no!"

He'll need to scramble for par from there, but at least he is driving it a little more accurately today. After hitting 6 of 14 fairways yesterday, he's now 5-for-9 today.

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4:59 p.m. ET: Allow me to post some interview room highlights from our two current leaders …

Question: After what you went through at the Ryder Cup last year, and making it the great experience that you had there, was it easier this year to come out?
Kenny Perry: Definitely. You know what, everything is a bonus now, it really is. I'm just going through each and every day enjoying life a little bit. I think I can win. You know, I'm not going out there very casually. I'm still very -- I'm burning inside, wanting to kick everybody's butt. I've got a will inside of me. … Everything is just going great. I understand what I'm trying to do, what I'm trying to accomplish. Can I? I think I can. I really believe I can win this tournament. Will I? I don't know.

Q: You have a spotty history at this tournament. Can you put your finger on what you figured out at 48 that you didn't figure out at 40 or 30?
KP: My putter is a lot better. I'm actually very comfortable on the greens. I've put my time in working on the greens early in the week. You know, I just got great speed. It's always been -- from tee-to-green, I'm about the same. I felt like I was a pretty good driver of the golf ball, pretty good iron player. But I had put a 64-degree sand wedge in the bag, put it in about a month ago starting at the Match Play, and I've really hit some neat little shots around the green, just to kind of kill the ball and help me get it up and down. So the combination of the driver and the sand wedge and my putter coming to me, next thing you know, my scores have gotten a lot better.

Q: How satisfying is it to get around this golf course without a bogey today?
KP: Yeah, that was probably one of the greatest rounds I've ever played, to be honest. I just didn't have any nerves. I was so comfortable out there today. I don't know why. I don't know how to explain it. I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow or Sunday.

Personally, I stopped doubting Kenny Perry sometime last summer, after I kept expecting him to fall from leaderboards and he kept winning tournaments. Going into this week, he had won four times in his last 20 starts on the PGA Tour. That's 20 percent. Almost Tiger-like.

And from Campbell ...

Q: In 2006, you were in the same position after two rounds. What do you think you've learned from that?
Chad Campbell: I don't really know exactly what I learned, but I know it's nice that I've been in that position before. Even in other majors, as well; that I have contended, not so many times, but I have had a few times I've been in contention and had a chance to win the tournaments. There's still a long ways to go, but it's definitely nice to not be on foreign ground.

Q: You were not able to play here last year. I was just wondering how much that was on your mind coming into the week. Did it change your outlook or attitude at all?
CC: Not really. I know I was very, very disappointed last year not being able to come here. I look forward to coming here probably more so than any event we play all year. This is a special place and, you know, it's always exciting the first time you pull in and the first day you get here. It was definitely a disappointment not being here last year.

Q: That SI poll a couple of years ago where the players voted you the next player to win a major -- did that put any pressure on you? Did you try to live up to that vote?
CC: Honestly, not really at all. It was definitely an honor that my peers think that. I didn't really think much of it at all.

It's been six years since Campbell was voted the most likely player to be a first-time major winner. Even though he owns four career wins, he's basically considered an underachiever. This week can change that.

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4:57 p.m. ET: Blog Jinx!

Wow, just as I sing the praises of Greg Norman, he makes double on the par-5 13th to fall to 1-over.

And the Shark is now right on the cut line. Can't drop another one from here on in.

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4:45 p.m. ET: Feels like it has been a researcher's paradise out here today. Lots of huge statistical anomalies in Round 2, including this one from J.B. in Irvine, Calif.:

Rory McIlroy's last six holes included an eagle, a birdie, a par, a bogey, a double-bogey and a triple-bogey. That's the kind of golf I can relate to -- well, except for the eagle.

We started talking about this kid as a contender at 4-under with three holes to play, but a double-par-triple finish for a 73 barely left him on the right side of the cut line.

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4:41 p.m. ET: Things have picked up on No. 12. Earlier today, I mentioned there were no birdies until Kenny Perry made one. Well, now there have been seven.

Make that eight.

Greg Norman just chipped in for a 2 on the par-3 hole to move to 1-under. By the way, top-16 and ties return next year. This was thought to be Norman's swan song at Augusta, but it's possible we could see him in the 2010 field, too.

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4:39 p.m. ET: E-mail from Courtney in Bedford, Texas:

How many times has Tiger clinched the win after finishing eighth or worse at the end of the second round?

I don't have what place he was in after 36 holes, but I can give you his largest 36-hole comebacks in major championships:

• 2005 Masters: 6 shots back
• 2002 Masters: 4 shots back
• 2001 Masters: 2 shots back
• 1999 PGA Championship: 2 shots back

We all know the stat that TW has never won a major coming from behind on a Sunday, but keep in mind, he has won six of his 14 major titles after trailing at the halfway point.

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4:26 p.m. ET: Going on ESPN Radio with Ryen Russillo. Back in a few minutes …

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4:21 p.m. ET: Well, it took exactly 18 holes for Masters rookie Anthony Kim to get accustomed to Augusta National.

After an opening-round 75 yesterday, AK shot a 7-under 65 in Round 2, tying the best score of the week so far, from Chad Campbell. Most impressive was the amount of red numbers on his card. With a birdie on the final hole, Kim made 11 of 'em, setting a new Masters record; the previous record was set by Nick Price in the third round of the 1986 edition.

Absolutely amazing for a kid to do this in his second career round at Augusta.

Kim is now 4-under for the tourney, five shots behind the leaders and in a share of sixth place.

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4:18 p.m. ET: Spy report from Lanier on the course:

Just spoke with Chris Evert while following Greg Norman. She said he was pleased with yesterday, but the missed putt on 18 did gnaw at him. While pleased with a 70, he knew a 68 could be had. Really wants to play the weekend and qualify for next year.

Haven't mentioned "The Shark" at all today, but he's hanging steady at 1-over for the day through 10 holes and 1-under for the tournament. In a share of 24th place right now.

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4:16 p.m. ET: Tiger Woods just spoke to ESPN's Tom Rinaldi after his round:

On his round: "A lot of wasted opportunities today. Didn't get a lot out of my round again. … It's just the way it is. You've got to be patient out there and execute your shots."

On his short game: "I hit some good putts today, putted a little bit better than yesterday, but didn't make much."

On his chances this weekend: "I need to play a little bit better than I have, make a few putts and hopefully get it going."

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4:13 p.m. ET: In perfect position off the tee on 18, Tiger Woods makes bogey … for the second straight day.

Ugly second shot into a green-side bunker, then fails to get up and down from there.

That's a second-round 72 for Woods. He'll go into the weekend at 2-under, likely seven shots behind the leaders.

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3:59 p.m. ET: One final time in the SportsNation chat for a rapid-fire Q&A session …

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3:58 p.m. ET: Great note from the PGA Tour media staff:

Co-leader Kenny Perry will be 48 years, 8 months and 2 days old on Sunday. If he were to win the Masters, he would be not only the oldest Masters champion (currently Jack Nicklaus in 1986, at 46 years, 2 months, 23 days), he would be the oldest major champion in history (Julius Boros at the 1968 PGA Championship was 48 years, 4 months and 18 days old).

Oldest major championship winners:
• Julius Boros: 1968 PGA Championship, 48 years, 4 months, 18 days
• Jack Nicklaus: 1986 Masters, 46 years, 2 months, 23 days
• Old Tom Morris: 1867 British Open, 46 years, 99 days
• Hale Irwin: 1990 U.S. Open, 45 years, 15 days
• Roberto de Vicenzo: 1967 British Open, 44 years, 93 days
• Harry Vardon: 1914 British Open, 44 years, 41 days
• Raymond Floyd: 1986 U.S. Open, 43 years, 9 months, 11 days
• Ted Ray: 1920 U.S. Open, 43 years, 4 months, 16 days

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3:51 p.m. ET: Speaking of Rory McIlroy, he and young playing partner Anthony Kim have combined to post 14 birdies and an eagle through a combined 32 holes today.

Kim has now made 10 birdies -- last guy to do that in a major championship round was Andres Romero on the final day at Carnoustie two years ago -- and is 6-under for the round.

Get used to it, folks. If Kim and McIlroy can get themselves into contention at age 23 and 19, respectively, they'll be hanging around Masters leaderboards for the next two to three decades.

One more note: These two are a combined 42 years old -- or six years younger than co-leader Kenny Perry.

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3:47 p.m. ET: When questioned as to how he once made a four-putt here at Augusta National, Seve Ballesteros responded: "I miss, I miss, I miss, I make."

I'm pretty sure that comment predated Rory McIlroy's existence on this earth, but I wonder whether the kid has ever heard it.

If so, he might want to summon some Seve in his postround interview session.

That's right -- McIlroy just four-putted the 16th green, making double-bogey and dropping to 2-under.

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3:42 p.m. ET: This one comes from "Stewart Cink in Augusta":

Twitter Jinx!

Now that was funny.

Cink is right on the cutline at 1-over, with two to play. If he makes the cut, we'll be able to check postround Tweets from him. If he misses, we might get nonstop Tweets while he watches at home.

I don't want to root against the guy, but hey, I need the content.

And please, if anyone out there wants to tweet Cink and tell him to contribute some stuff on there specifically for the Live Blog, I'll be OK with that. In fact, that'd be awesome.

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3:37 p.m. ET: Kenny Perry from the fairway on 18 … and it nearly goes in!

Perry came within mere inches of taking sole possession of the lead at 10-under. Instead, he'll have a tap-in to post 67 and share the top honors with Chad Campbell for now.

Drew Kittleson's eagle notwithstanding, that might have been the shot of the tourney so far.

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3:34 p.m. ET: With Kenny Perry at 8-under and in the fairway on 18, and Chad Campbell already in the clubhouse at one stroke better, here's one other interesting note on what could be the final pairing Sunday afternoon:

Neither of them qualified for this tournament a year ago.

Yes, it's happened before, when a winner didn't play the Masters the preceding year, but not very often. At a course where experience is such a major factor -- and, sure, they've both played here a handful of times in the past -- it's pretty interesting.

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3:18 p.m. ET: If you're thinking someone who isn't on the leaderboard right now will climb the next two days and win the green jacket, recent history isn't on your side.

According to ESPN's research department, the eventual Masters champion has been fifth or better after the second round in 17 of the past 18 years, including each of the past 10 years. The lone exception was Mark O'Meara, who was T-9 after 36 holes in 1998.

Here are the positions of eventual champions at the midway point since 1979:

• Led or shared lead: 8
• 2nd through 5th: 17
• 6th through 10th: 2
• 11th through 20th: 2
• 21st through 30th: 1

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3:20 p.m. ET: Tiger Woods hasn't done a thing the past two days. In fact, his play has been downright disappointing. And yet …

He's tied for eighth place.

Kind of incredible, considering how many opportunities Tiger has left on the table the past few days.

But he just got one back, chipping to about 2 feet on 15 and tapping in for birdie to move to 3-under.

And as he has done throughout both rounds, as soon as TW does something positive … he follows up with a negative. Fairly average shot into 16. He's on the green, but it'll be a long one from there.

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3:12 p.m. ET: Chad Campbell started 65-70 the first two rounds and likely will be in the lead -- or in a share of the lead -- at the end of the day. Playing partner Boo Weekley had a front row seat:

"He's in the zone, man. That's the thing about that guy. If you've ever watched him, he gets like that. And when he gets like that, it's hard to stop him. This whole week, it's just been the shots that he's hit. He's left himself on the right side of the hole where he needs to be; he's just a solid player. When you get him going like this and he feels comfortable with what he's doing, he can go."

Boo also played with Trevor Immelman last year. When asked whether he was a good-luck charm, he said, "I might be. I don't know. It just must be me, I reckon."

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2:57 p.m. ET: More on the statistical anomaly that is Drew Kittleson, courtesy of Joshua in Parts Unknown:

Interesting stat for young Drew Kittleson this week, something that he will no doubt remember for some time to come. He played the par-3 12th in 11 cumulative strokes (5-over on that hole alone!), while he managed to play the par-5 15th in seven cumulative strokes (3-under). If that's not enough to solidify that the back nine at Augusta is the greatest nine holes in tournament golf, then I don't know what does.

That really is pretty incredible.

And I'll go one further with something you don't see too often: Kittleson made triple at No. 12 today … without hitting into the water!

His tee shot was just off the back of the green, then he putted into the front bunker, pitched out and three-putted.

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2:50 p.m. ET: And so much for that streak. …

AK makes birdie on No. 13 -- just like he did yesterday!

Kim moves to 1-under, but he's not the biggest story among the youngsters right now.

That's because 19-year-old Rory McIlroy just posted an eagle on that very same hole to move to 4-under for the tournament. Incredibly impressive debut so far for the teen.

I know I posted this story yesterday, but it's worth relaying some of the comments about Rory in case you missed it. Some highlights …

Geoff Ogilvy: "He's the real deal. He's a very impressive golfer. It's feasible that he's going to be top 2 or 3 in the world within a year. I mean, he's that good. … The more he plays, the more different sorts of golf courses he plays, he's just going to add more and more dimensions to his game. This will be the worst ranking he's got for the next 10 years, what it is now; it's only going to go up because he's very impressive."

Ian Poulter: "He hits it high, he hits it long, he putts well, and he's got a good head on his shoulders. That's a nice, round mix to have to be out here playing professional golf, so he's going to have a very exciting couple of years. He's going to be heading in one direction, and that's up."

Ernie Els: "Rory's going to be a major factor in professional golf. I think you are probably looking at the next world No. 1 in him. Winning in Dubai got that little monkey off his back, and he's got a lot of confidence going now. Rory's hungry, as we say. He has a lot going for him."

Tiger Woods: "There's no doubt, the guy's a talent. We can all see it: The way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip, get up and down. He has the composure. He has all of the components to be the best player in the world, there's no doubt. It's just a matter of time and experience, and then basically gaining that experience in big events. That takes time, and I mean, jeez, he's only 19. Just give him some time, and I'm sure he'll be there."

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2:41 p.m. ET: Anthony Kim has now played a dozen holes today … and has two pars.

And yet, that's not even the most amazing thing about his scorecard right now. From David in Charlottesville, Va.:

No scores the same as yesterday for Kim!

It's true, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Let's break it down:

I honestly don't know if I've ever seen such a thing from an elite-level player before.

FYI, yesterday he finished birdie-bogey-par-par-par-par.

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2:36 p.m. ET: E-mail from Paul in Toledo, Ohio:

You Blog Jinxed everyone at 2-over. Chad Campbell birded the last!

Big, big birdie for Campbell on 18 -- he's gotta feel a lot better about today's finish than yesterday's.

And, yes, all of those guys at 2-over -- Immelman, Els, Goosen, Couples and now Adam Scott, too -- are in some trouble.

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2:32 p.m. ET: Tiger with his second shot into the par-5 13th hole … and it goes way right into the gallery, short of the creek.

Awful shot -- or was it?

In fact, TW may have been playing his shot there deliberately to have the best angle into the green. Not sure we should give him the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think it was as bad as it looked.

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2:29 p.m. ET: Sean O'Hair hit 14-of-14 fairways today … and somehow still shot 76.

How? Well, he found only 11 greens in reg and took a total of 30 putts.

So … feelin' pretty good about that early wager I made, pitting my selection of Mike Weir against O'Hair.

Eh, maybe not.

Weir just made double on the par-5 second hole. Ouch.

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2:18 p.m. ET: By the way, that was a huge bogey for Campbell on 17. Even though he's still in the lead, if he finishes at 8-under, everyone at 2-over will be around for the weekend.

Right now that list includes a handful of heavy hitters, including Trevor Immelman, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Fred Couples.

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2:13 p.m. ET: The later it gets, the more difficult this course is becoming.

Chad Campbell makes another bogey at 17 and falls back to 8-under. He's one in front of Kenny Perry, who successfully navigated his way around Amen Corner in 1-under today.

Meanwhile, Todd Hamilton's 6-under score after 36 holes is looking better and better. Jim Furyk bogeyed his opening hole a few minutes ago and Shingo Katayama is 1-over for the day as well.

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1:58 p.m. ET: E-mail from Parker in NYC:

Any idea what happened to Danny Lee on 10? He played 8-9-10 in eagle-birdie-quintuple bogey?

Hadn't even seen that until now. Some pretty wild three-hole scores for the amateurs today.

Which is more unlikely: Danny Lee's 3-3-9 on holes 8-10 or Drew Kittleson's 2-6-6 on holes 11-12-13.

Too bad we can't combine 'em.

At least they'll each get some goblets (actually, Kittleson will get four for making eagle at 15, too). They should also receive the Villegas/Romero Memorial Award for such mood swings on the scorecard.

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1:55 p.m. ET: Back to the SportsNation chat in a few minutes. See you in there …

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1:52 p.m. ET: Blog Ji--

Eh, I'll let this e-mail from Cynthia in Parts Unknown handle it this time.

Just an FYI: Before you wrote about Anthony Kim, he was at 5-under through eight; after you mentioned him, 4-under through nine. I'm just sayin' …

Only one par on the front side for AK to go along with six birdies and two bogeys.

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1:49 p.m. ET: Birdie!

First one of the day on 12, as Kenny Perry rolls in a putt on the par-3 to gain a big stroke on the field -- actually two strokes, considering the 4.00 scoring average -- and he's now 7-under, in sole possession of second place.

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1:45 p.m. ET: Good battle at the bottom of the leaderboard for the DFL position (Dead Freakin' Last, of course).

Here's the current situation:

T-90. Raymond Floyd: 10-over (through 6)
T-93. Fuzzy Zoeller: 11-over (through 6)
T-93. Michael Campbell: 11-over (through 6)
95. Ben Crenshaw: 12-over (through 14)

96. Tom Watson: 13-over (74-83)

Gotta be a bad feeling for Cambo, down there with four over-50 former champs.

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1:35 p.m. ET: Up, down, up, down.

The Tiger Woods elevator continues with another bogey on No. 9. That's birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey.

He's not hitting the ball as well as yesterday; so far, he's found 4-of-7 fairways and 5-of-9 greens in regulation. In yesterday's round, he missed only four fairways and four greens all day.

TW is back to even for the day, 2-under for the tourney.

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1:20 p.m. ET: It's a good thing Amen Corner already has a nickname, or else players would be calling those holes something a little less distinguished right now -- well, two of 'em, at least.

While the par-5 13th is playing as the second-easiest hole on the course, Nos. 11 and 12 are the two most difficult. Here's the breakdown …

• No. 11:

Eagles: 1

Birdies: 0

Pars: 15

Bogeys: 14

Doubles: 3

Scoring average: 4.545

Rank: 2

• No. 12:

Eagles: 0

Birdies: 0

Pars: 12

Bogeys: 10

Doubles: 5

Others: 3

Scoring average: 4.000

Rank: 1

A few thoughts …

I can't remember the last time I saw a 155-yard par-3 play to a stroke average of exactly one above par. Attention golf course designers. Distance does not always equal difficulty.

How much do you think some top pros would pay amateur Drew Kittleson for his eagle on 11? I mean, no one else has even made birdie on either of those two holes.

Making things even more difficult at Amen Corner is the fact that the 14th hole is playing as the third-most difficult today.

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1:18 p.m. ET: I wouldn't call Tiger Woods' last few holes a roller coaster. More like an elevator.

Up, down, up.

With a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole, he's now gone birdie-bogey-birdie on the last three holes, moving back to 3-under again.

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1:13 p.m. ET: Ladies and gentlemen, you may continue e-mailing me … but the race for e-mail of the week is O-V-E-R. Tyler from Atlanta has it all locked up:

Just got pulled over heading west on Interstate 20 from Augusta to Atlanta for going 88 mph in a 70 zone! Cop asks why I'm in such a hurry and I reply, "To be honest, I was updating ESPN on my BlackBerry with the Live Blog from the Masters and lost track of my speed." Which was the truth. His reply? "Wow. It's your lucky day. I was doing the same thing when my radar gun went off. Can you believe Campbell is going off like this?" After we discussed your blog and the tournament for another five minutes, he let me off with a verbal warning!! Thank you for saving the day! I'm still updating your blog, just with the cruise control now!

Now that is a strong e-mail.

Of course, I'm still wondering how Tyler didn't see all the people in the cars on the other side of the road, yelling, "You're going the wrong way!!!"

I mean, Augusta to Atlanta? On Friday of Masters week? You couldn't have waited three days?

I'm not sure someone leaving Augusta right now should get the privilege of reading this, but since I enjoyed that e-mail so much, like the cop, I will let Tyler slide with a warning.

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1:10 p.m. ET: E-mail from Tom in Parts Unknown:

Dont need to hear a word about Anthony Kim. Don't jinx my player in the pool.

Right.

Nothing on AK.

At all.

Except …

Well, I should mention that he's 4-under for the day through seven holes.

And that he's already posted five birdies.

And that he's moved from T-75 before the round to T-24 right now.

But other than that … nothing. I won't mention him.

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1:02 p.m. ET: Bill Elliott of The Observer just told me a story that's not only relevant, it's worth passing on …

At the 2004 British Open, Bill and a few other journalists rented a house from a local family right near Royal Troon. The family they rented from also had another place right down the road that was being rented to an American golfer that week. Turns out the guy so endeared himself to this family that they all went down to the local betting parlor -- all six adults -- and each placed 10 pounds on him to win at 500-to-1 odds. When told what the family had done, the journalists laughed, since they'd never even heard of the player. His name? Todd Hamilton.

Of course, later that week Hamilton claimed the Claret Jug in a playoff over Ernie Els -- and each member of that family became 5,000 pounds richer.

Oh, and the journalists? They'd heard of the guy by Sunday.

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12:58 p.m. ET: No Blog Jinx for Todd Hamilton.

He birdies the final hole to shoot a 2-under 70, now in a share of second place at 6-under.

How unlikely was this? Check out these notes from the PGA Tour:

Todd Hamilton has compiled just two top-10s in 129 starts since capturing the 2004 British Open, his last being a T10 at the 2006 John Deere Classic. Two of his four career top-10s have been victories.

Well, when he contends, he wins. Keep that in mind. Could become the unlikeliest two-time major champion in history.

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12:56 p.m. ET: Tiger finally threw a punch on No. 6. He got hit back one hole later.

After opening with five pars, Woods has gone birdie-bogey the last two holes.

Let's see if he can make his first birdie on a front-nine par-5 hole this week.

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12:53 p.m. ET: Spy report from the course …

"In the stands on No. 12 yesterday, security tried to remove Condoleeza Rice for having paper badge, but she had a member with her so it was OK. Security didn't recognize her."

Can't verify if this is true, but it's coming from a solid source.

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12:50 p.m. ET: Currently playing the final hole, Todd Hamilton has had a pretty wild round round so far.

An eagle, three birdies, nine pars and four bogeys puts him at 1-under for the day, 5-under overall.

For a guy who has made only two cuts in nine starts this season, here's guessing he's pretty happy. And that's an understatement.

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12:47 p.m. ET: Three-putt for Chad Campbell on the 12th hole and he's now back to 9-under. Not exactly killin' it in the bounce-back category -- he's made four bogeys this week, with two in a row during each round.

That said, a bogey on 12 isn't as bad as it sounds. The par-3 is playing to a stroke average of 3.9 today, no doubt raised by all of those balls splashing into Rae's Creek.

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12:35 p.m. ET: Blog Jinx!

Or maybe it was just a matter of time.

Dave Chad Campbell just made a bogey on the 11th hole to fall to 10-under.

So to answer that previous post, yeah, 11-under sounds pretty good right now.

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12:32 p.m. ET: E-mail from Brian in Westborough, Mass.:

If you're Chad Campbell, would you take 44 pars and take your chances at 11-under?

Great question. I'm thinking the winning score -- if conditions are back to "perfect" the next two days, as predicted -- will be right around 11- or 12-under. Basically, it comes down to, if you're Campbell, would you want to take a chance at 11 and stop or press your luck and hope to not find any more whammies?

The way he's playing, it'd be tough to stop, but man, 11-under could sound really, really good come Sunday afternoon.

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12:26 p.m. ET: Tiger Woods has been taking this whole stick-and-move, get-a-feel-for-the-course thing to a new level.

After yesterday's 70, TW opened with five consecutive pars but just holed a birdie putt on No. 6 to move to 3-under.

The good news for Tiger? He's up to a share of 10th place. The bad news? He's still 8 shots in back of Dave, er, Chad Campbell.

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12:23 p.m. ET: Spy report from the course …

The group of Fred Couples, Rocco Mediate and Jack Newman all found Rae's Creek with their tee shots on No. 12, making bogey, bogey and double, respectively.

According to an on-course marshal, it's the first time in 18 years that all three players in one group have splashed down. That's nothing official, but that's what I've been told.

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12:18 p.m. ET: Chad Campbell is on FIRE!

Birdie at No. 10 moves him to 11-under, five shots clear of anyone else. Here's the breakdown of his 28 holes played so far this week:

• Birdies: 13

• Pars: 13

• Bogeys: 2

If not for those two bogeys to end yesterday's round, I'd be questioning whether he wasn't just playing best ball with the other two guys in his group.

And yes, Campbell still has a chance for a two-day total of 130, which would set the all-time Masters mark.

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12:10 p.m. ET: Artist Ginger Doyel is once again on site this week.

I first ran into her at the FBR Open, where she was sketching the 16th hole, producing some really cool artwork of the famed party hole.

Her artwork from the Masters presents a more sedate yet equally poignant portrait of the scene here at Augusta.

You can find all of her work, including art for sale from other PGA Tour venues, at www.gingerdoyel.com.

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12:07 p.m. ET: E-mail from Kyle in Charlotte, N.C.:

The Name Game continued …

Since 2001, the Green Jacket has gone to a man with the last name starting with "W" (Woods, Weir) or last name ending in "N" (Immelman, Johnson, Mickelson).

I've got easy money on Hamilton, Harrington, Immelman, Johnson, Norman, Stenson, Watney, Weir, Westwood and Woods against anyone else!

As a rule, I don't put money on guys named Hunter (Mahan).

In related news, did you know that there have been 14 times in major championship history in which a player whose name started with "W" and ended in "oods" won a title?

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11:55 a.m. ET: Back in the SportsNation chat in five minutes. Quick rapid-fire Q&A once again …

In the meantime, you can check out my video blog on today's conditions.

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11:52 a.m. ET: First spy report of the day from the course:

"It's windy out there. It's just whipping. You can't see it in the trees, but those flags by the leaderboard on the first hole are just twirling around, whipping in the wind."

From what I've read and heard, there's supposed to be a fairly steady 12 mph wind with gusts of up to 30 mph during the day.

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11:45 a.m. ET: Hmmm … just checking in on that friendly wager from earlier …

Even though Mike Weir hasn't teed off yet, he's in much better shape than Sean O'Hair, who finished his front nine double-par-double, now at 4-over for the round and even-par for the tournament.

Again, I'd prefer dollars, not euros.

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11:45 a.m. ET: Four weeks ago at Doral, the final round turned into a head-to-head duel between Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney -- each of whom just happen to be coached by the same swing instructor, Butch Harmon.

Could we see a similar proposition this week? Maybe.

This e-mail comes from Dan, my buddy with the Transitions Championship:

Both Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry work with the same swing coach, a 24 year-old named Matt Killen. Even more interesting: Kenny was Matt's golf coach in high school. Apparently the teenage players aren't the only young guys having a big impact on the Masters this year.

If Campbell and Perry go head-to-head this weekend, here's guessing Killen's phone will be ringing off the hook from other PGA Tour players in coming weeks.

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11:38 a.m. ET: Bad news for players like Phil Mickelson, Camilo Villegas, Luke Donald and Fred Couples. Chad "Don't Call Me Dave" Campbell just made another birdie.

Campbell just posted his third birdie of the day on No. 10 -- against no bogeys -- which moves him to 10-under, in the lead by four over Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk.

Why is that bad news for the aforementioned players?

Because, as mentioned earlier, the cut line here is the top 44 and ties, plus anyone within 10 strokes of the lead. If the leader is at, say, 5-under, then everyone at 5-over still gets to hang around for the weekend. But the more Campbell extends his lead and the lower he goes, the worse off for those are who are battling to make the cut. Still plenty of time, but if Campbell can play the next 10 holes in even-par, then it's going to take an even-par score to play another 36.

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11:34 a.m. ET:: E-mail from Brock in Parts Unknown, who points out this unbelievable stat:

That's not Drew Kittleson, that's Andres Romero wearing a mask! Through 13 holes on the back nine this week, Kittleson has one eagle, two birdies, one par, six bogeys, two doubles and a triple.

Who wants to ride the Drew Kittleson merry-go-round? I'm getting nauseous just looking at this guy's scorecard.

It's true, though. The FSU kid made a par on 17 yesterday -- and every other hole on his back nines so far has some yellow or beige or green or blue around it.

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11:31 a.m. ET: Matt in Parts Unknown points out that Charles Coody's first and last name didn't start with the same letter, either.

Must be the Curse of Sam Snead!

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11:25 a.m. ET: In yesterday's blog, I pointed out Tiger Woods' declining par-5 birdie percentage over the past few years. He's now 2-for-5 this week.

After making pars on Nos. 2 and 5 and birdies on 13 and 15 in the opening round, TW has just made another par on No. 2.

Interestingly enough, of the top 10 on the leaderboard right now, there are six currently on the course … and none have made par on the second.

Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry, Graeme McDowell and Andres Romero each birdied the hole; Todd Hamilton and Hunter Mahan both made bogey.

Nasty pin placement on that green today, so par isn't as detrimental there as it was yesterday.

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11:14 a.m. ET: Checking out the Twitter feed, I found some absolutely, totally useless-yet-fun info from user alexkimball:

alexkimball@JasonSobel: Only Sam Snead ('49, '52, '54) and Charles Coody ('71) have won the Masters with first and last name begin with same letter.

alexkimball@JasonSobel: Doesn't bode well for Ernie Els, Pat Perez, Briny Baird, Y.E. Yang, Steve Stricker or (gasp!) Chad Campbell.

Fear not, though, Campbell fans. A check of the PGA Tour media guide shows that his given name is in fact David Chad Campbell, meaning he is exempt from trying to become the third winner whose first and last names start with the same letter.

I think Dave Campbell's chances of winning the Masters just increased a little bit.

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11:11 a.m. ET: I wonder how many players -- if any -- have ever started their trip around Amen Corner with scores of 2 and 6.

That's what Drew Kittleson has done, though, going eagle-triple on Nos. 11 and 12. Can't wait to see how he finishes up on 13.

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11:06 a.m. ET: E-mail from Tommy K. in Parts Unknown:

The way that Campbell has started, need to research: What is the lowest opening two-round total?

It was a 65-66 by Raymond Floyd in 1976, who cruised to a 70-70 on the weekend, winning by 8 strokes.

Campbell shot 65 yesterday; he'd need to match that today in order to break the record. At 2-under for the day through six holes, he's got some work to do.

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11:02 a.m. ET: Just did a little research and uncovered what I think may be the stat of the week so far.

Todd Hamilton has now had a stretch of three birdies in a row in each of his first two rounds here at Augusta this week.

In his previous eight PGA Tour events, Hamilton had exactly zero stretches of three consecutive birdies.

We have to go all the way back to the fourth round of the Bob Hope Classic on Jan. 24 to find the last time he went birdie-birdie-birdie.

Says a lot about where Hamilton's game has been lately and even more about how Augusta National is playing this week.

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10:54 a.m. ET: I hope all these contenders don't hurt themselves falling off the leaderboard.

John Merrick just bogeyed 10 to drop to 5-under. Aaron Baddeley is 1-over for the day and 3-under overall. And Hunter Mahan, after making birdie on No. 1, is making a mess of things, going bogey-double-par ever since. He's now at 4-under.

That doesn't mean some guys aren't movin' on up, though. Kenny Perry has birdied each of the first two to move into a share of second place at 6-under. And Todd Hamilton -- Todd Hamilton!?!? -- has carded three straight birdies to move to 5-under through 10.

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10:50 a.m. ET: U.S. Amateur runner-up Drew Kittleson just holed out from the fairway on No. 11 to make an eagle.

Great moment for the kid from Florida State University.

Of course, any eagle at the Masters comes with a pair of crystal goblets from ANGC. I'm actually somewhat shocked the NCAA allows its players to accept this award.

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10:45 a.m. ET: Tiger Woods is just about to start his second round alongside Stewart Cink and Jeev Milkha Singh.

Woods' ballstriking was actually very good yesterday -- he hit 10-of-14 fairways and 14-of-18 greens in regulation -- but his putting wasn't so special, ranking tied for second-to-last with 32 total strokes.

Will be something to watch throughout his round. If he's on, he may start hot right off the bat.

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10:41 a.m. ET: Defending champ Trevor Immelman was the opening-round co-leader last year, then went wire-to-wire to claim the green jacket.

If he's going to successfully defend his title, he'll need to come from behind.

(Quick aside: I interviewed Immelman a month or two ago and asked if he could name the three players who have gone back-to-back at Augusta. "Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods," he said without hesitation. Dude definitely knows history and what he could accomplish this week.)

Immelman shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday and just teed off in his second round a few minutes ago.

And while that green jacket is nice, he was given these shoes by Nike prior to the Masters.

They're not spikes, so he won't be wearing 'em during the tournament, but maybe he should. I mean, what would it do to your confidence if every time you looked down at a putt you saw the word, "WINNER" all over your shoes?

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10:37 a.m. ET: It's true that John Daly is here in Augusta this week, selling shirts and jewelry and whatever else he's got over there.

Sad story. Doesn't sound like he's anywhere close to being a solid professional golfer again anytime soon, according to this interview with 790 the Zone.

And, uh … what kind of surgery was that, John?

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10:30 a.m. ET: Another birdie for Chad Campbell at No. 4 moves him to 9-under. His birdie percentage so far this week: 50 percent. That's right -- 11-for-22.

Meanwhile, his lead has only lengthened, as Hunter Mahan bogeyed the par-5 second hole to drop into a share of second place with Jim Furyk and John Merrick at 6-under.

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10:18 a.m. ET: Uh-oh. We're back to … this. From Michael in Lubbock, Texas:

Today my work does not stand a chance

I can't wait to go home and listen to Nantz

My life I start to ponder

This blog makes me wonder

Why I listen to a guy who wears orange pants.

OK, since I've gotten a lot of people asking … no orange pants today. Black shirt, grey pants. It's business time.

Will break out more Ian Poulter duds on the weekend.

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10:12 a.m. ET: Chad Campbell and Hunter Mahan have picked up where they left off yesterday, but not where they finished.

Make sense? Maybe not, but that's just one way of saying they've each started out playing well today.

Campbell is now 1-under through three and 8-under for the tourney. Mahan birdied the first and is now 7-under.

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10:00 a.m. ET: OK, heading to the SportsNation chat for a few. Back here in 5-10 minutes.

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9:59 a.m. ET: Sean O'Hair makes birdie on No. 3.

Might need to start up a collection for my losses.

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9:57 a.m. ET: Heading into the SportsNation chat at 10 a.m. for five quick minutes of rapid-fire Q&A …

Get your questions in there.

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9:50 a.m. ET: E-mail from Robert in Washington D.C.:

Not sure what it says about my love of my job, or the Masters, but a suggestion from a total stranger to "let my work pile up" is all the motivation I need to pack it in for the day. It's 9:50 am.

C'mon, people. Don't let Robert waste the day away all alone.

Masters Friday only comes around once a year. So yes, it's a time to celebrate and relieve yourself of all responsibilities.

Who's with me?

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9:44 a.m. ET: Bogey for Sean O'Hair on the par-5 second hole.

Wondering if I'll get paid in euros or dollars …

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9:40 a.m. ET: Well, I asked for fun and this is … something. From Logan in Atlanta:

On Thursday, Campbell went low

For Tiger, status quo

Mother Nature will attack

The field will come back

And Tiger will be best in show.

If you had 1 hour, 40 minutes in the "When will the Live Blog be besieged by limericks?" pool, you're a winner.

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9:32 a.m. ET: John Merrick keeps cruising along.

No one mentioned him as a potential end-of-round leader.

But Merrick, who is playing in the first group, now stands at 6-under for the tourney and 2-under for the round through six holes.

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9:28 a.m. ET: E-mail from David in Little Rock, Ark.:

My father and I made our first-ever trip to the hallowed grounds of ANGC for the Tuesday practice round. As my dad was taking a picture of me standing near the top of the hill between Nos. 10 and 18, looking back down toward 10 green, Gator bathrobe dude walked into the shot. I now have a photo of me on 10 at Augusta with a man in a gator bathrobe behind me. Priceless.

I believe you've confused the meaning of "priceless" with "worthless." Nothing like having a photo of yourself on one of the world's most famous golf courses … with some guy in a blue and orange bathrobe lurking in the background.

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9:26 a.m. ET: Sean O'Hair makes par on the opening hole. Wager has officially started. Let's hope Mike Weir is feverishly working on his game right now, more than four hours before his tee time.

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9:18 a.m. ET: Let's check on what the e-mailers had to say in response to the question, "Which player will be leading at the end of the day?"

From Patrick in Philadelphia:

Chad Campbell. I think he's a smart player who will recognize the course is set up harder and will be patient.

From Redman in Parts Unknown:

Jim Furyk. He's not going anywhere but up.

From Anthony in Parts Unknown:

Tim Clark. Good putter, morning tee time.

From Ben in Connecticut:

Hunter Mahan. Early tee time gets him on and off the course before the weather becomes a factor and he was playing great, steady golf all day yesterday finishing strong.

From Mike "at a bar somewhere":

Andres Romero. His card had about every color on it including going even through "Amen Corner" even with a double on 12. He is volatile and should take advantage of the good weather early. Then again, you should probably ignore me because I have been drinking since 6:00 a.m. today.

Never underestimate the thoughts of a guy who has already been drinking for three-plus hours.

All of the above are valid choices. In fact, I'm starting to waver on my own pick after reading all of these. Poor Mike Weir. I probably Blog Jinxed him into an 88 today.

Oh, and I should have qualified the wager: We should make it "end of the round," not "end of the day," since a potential weather situation could keep us from completing this round until Saturday.

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9:15 a.m. ET: Are conditions more difficult today? Remains to be seen, but so far that's holding true.

With six groups -- 18 total players having completed at least one hole -- there are only four players under par for the round.

John Merrick is 2-under through five, while Graeme McDowell (through two), Steve Wilson (through three) and Drew Kittleson (through five) are each 1-under.

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9:08 a.m. ET: I am multimedia.

First-ever Twitter post to be answered in the Live Blog -- groundbreaking moment here …

Fredsmith84@JasonSobel RE: Fun stuff. What's the strangest thing you've seen from the crowds? I know they're pretty reserved, but are there any nuts?

Much more reserved here than any other tournament all year. Sure, there will be a few random dudes -- like the guy I saw wandering the grounds in a University of Florida bathrobe the other day -- who try to stand out, but for the most it's a very good golf crowd.

In fact, when one guy yelled out, "Get in the hole!" after Tiger's tee shot on 16 yesterday, it was pretty jarring just for the fact that it never happens at Augusta. As Nick Faldo said on the telecast, "C'mon, not here."

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9:01 a.m. ET: European correspondent Lawrence Donegan from The Guardian just proclaimed that Sean O'Hair will be leading the tournament at the end of the day. Just because I don't want to back away from what sounds like a challenge and a wagering opportunity, I'll go with Mike Weir. Each of them starts the round at 4-under, 3 behind Chad Campbell.

Of course, I said that to him before realizing that O'Hair has a favorable morning tee time and Weir is in the third-to-last group. I already hate my chances.

Anyone else have a better guess at who will be leading when the sun sets later today?

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8:55 a.m. ET: I'll see your Reverse Blog Jinx and raise you a Blog Jinx.

That's right. Within seconds of posting that note on Larry Mize, he bogeyed the fourth hole.

Spooooky.

Meanwhile, Mize's playing partner, John Merrick, keeps rolling along. With his second birdie of the day on No. 4, Merrick is now at 6-under, just one off the lead.

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8:51 a.m. ET: E-mail from Joel in Parts Unknown:

Reverse Blog Jinx! Two birdies for Larry Mize after his double-bogey start!! Back to 5-under.

Great comeback. Even again for the day. The dream isn't over yet.

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8:43 a.m. ET: E-mail from Paul in Concord, N.H.:

What is the cut rule at Augusta?

Top 44 plus ties and -- this is important -- anyone within 10 strokes of the leader(s) will punch a ticket for the weekend.

Getting a lot of questions on what the cut line may be and which players may fall short of it, but still way too early to make a call. Ask me again around noon or so.

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8:37 a.m. ET: Playing in the same group as Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink bested him by a stroke yesterday, posting a 3-under 69. Because of this, he was disappointed in how little attention he received during the round.

How do I know? I'm following him on Twitter …

stewartcink Watching some of the ESPN replay. I'm getting hosed on the coverage!

That's not all the guy known to Twitterers as stewartcink had to say after Round 1. Here's some more …

stewartcink Not happy with ball striking but avoided big mistakes. Short game was pretty sharp all day.

stewartcink Toughest hole today #4, 246 yds against slight breeze. Easiest hole all par fives has pin in easiest location.

stewartcink Pretty good start score wise but course was set up for birdies. Pins generous by Masters standards.

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, pretty cool to be able to get a player's firsthand account, even if it's only in 140-character intervals.

And yes, you can follow me on Twitter as well, where throughout the day I'll post shortened versions of what I'm writing here in the blog -- or maybe some extra behind-the-scenes tweets. Username is JasonSobel.

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8:31 a.m. ET: Of the top 13 players on the leaderboard entering Round 2 (basically, everybody 4-under or better), there was only one Masters rookie.

That player was John Merrick, in the field based on a T-6 performance at last year's U.S. Open, who carded a 68.

He's not going away yet, either. Merrick has started par-birdie and is now up to 5-under for the tournament.

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8:23 a.m. ET: Here's the official weather report for today, as listed on a sheet I picked up here at the course:

A line of t-storms is currently moving across Northern Alabama this morning. This line should weaken as it moves east. This line could produce some isolated showers or t-storms across the area by late morning to early afternoon, if this line holds together. Otherwise, the morning will be dry with increasing cloudiness expected. The best chance for showers and t-storms will develop late this afternoon into the evening as a cold front approaches from the west. Some of these storms could be severe, with small hail, strong winds and heavy rainfall. The front should pass early Saturday morning with partly to mostly sunny skies expected for the weekend.

A few thoughts …

1. Definitely sounds like it's better to go off in the morning today than the afternoon. Not only will these players miss the potential "strong winds," but if play needs to be suspended at some point, you'd rather be sitting at home with 18 holes completed already instead of needing to wake up early to finish up on Saturday.

2. That's right. We could be looking at a Saturday completion of the second round if the t-storms and hail prediction comes to fruition.

3. Rain isn't much of a factor on scoring conditions; in fact, a little moisture will help soften up the greens again. But winds are the biggest determining factor of scoring. If they kick up in the afternoon, we'll see more high scores.

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8:15 a.m. ET: That dream round of Larry Mize's yesterday? It's been blown up in about 15 minutes.

In Round 1, the 1987 Masters champ and Augusta native carded a 5-under 67, making a 20-foot saving par putt on the final hole to trail by just 2 strokes entering the second round. Pretty remarkable stuff for a guy who has made five starts on the Champions Tour this season and never finished better than T-33.

Well, Mize has awoken from that dream.

He just opened with a double-bogey on the first hole to fall back to 3-under for the tournament.

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8:11 a.m. ET: First e-mail of the day comes from Don in Houston:

Did they water the greens last night? Usually the Masters does not water the greens, so they do not hold approach shots, thus making it more difficult and resulting higher scores.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to get out on the course before the round started and the ANGC officials don't exactly offer up this information in their early-morning notes, but I've got to believe this is the case once again today.

Actually, I'll even go one step further. Since all 18 greens have sub-air systems that can suck out moisture from the ground, it wouldn't surprise me to see the putting surfaces play more fast and firm than yesterday.

Players remarked yesterday that the greens were soft, allowing them to take dead aim at flagsticks and obviously make more birdies. If they've hardened 'em up today, you'll see more players either aiming for the middle of the green, playing for par or more risk-reward shots that could end up in bogey or worse if not executed properly.

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8:06 a.m. ET: Chad Campbell's opening-round total was the sixth score of 65 or better posted in the opening round of a Masters in the past 30 years. How have the other five fared? Well, it's a pretty wide, wild range ...

Some other notes on where the first-round leader might finish and where the eventual champion might be on the leaderboard right now, courtesy of ESPN's research department:

• Lowest first-round score by eventual Masters champion: 65 by Raymond Floyd in 1976

• Highest first-round score by eventual Masters champion: 75 by Craig Stadler in 1982

• Most strokes ahead after first round by eventual Masters champion: 5 by Craig Wood in 1941

• Most strokes behind after first round by eventual Masters champion: 7 by Nick Faldo in 1990, 7 by Tiger Woods in 2005

• Interestingly, the WORST first-round position by an eventual Masters champion was Tiger Woods in 2005 (his last Masters win). Woods was T-33 after the first round that year after shooting 74.

All of this leads to our first prop bet of the day. I'm setting the over/under for low second round at 66.5. Yes, three players (Campbell with 65; Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan each with 66) broke this mark yesterday, but if things play tougher, as expected in Round 2, then we'll see fewer low scores and a higher best score.

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8:00 a.m. ET: Welcome back to the Live Blog! Good morning from Augusta National Golf Club, where Round 2 of the Masters Tournament is just about under way.

Gonna start off today's blog with a warning, one directed more toward the casual few-times-a-year fans than those who watch PGA Tour events on a week-to-week basis: Don't extrapolate.

What I mean is that many people will see Chad Campbell's opening-round leading 7-under 65, multiply it by four rounds and assume that something in the high-20s under par will win this tournament.

Uh, not so much.

In fact, don't expect to see a 65 again today -- or maybe for the remainder of the week. Just about every player, when asked about potential course setup for the second round after Thursday's play, commented that he believed the pin positions would be more difficult and the greens will firm up. Don't be surprised if that opening round number of 38 players under par is cut in half, with the overall scoring average of 72.25 increasing by at least a stroke or two.

The theme for Round 1 was that red numbers and roars had returned to Augusta. Today will be more about separating which players are going to stick around on the leaderboard and get themselves into contention and which ones won't be a factor this week.

And with that, let's have some fun. It's Friday, people! Let your work pile up 'til Monday, skip a few classes, do whatever it takes. I'll be here with the Live Blog from first shot -- taking place right ... about ... now ... -- until the last. E-mail me at mastersblog@gmail.com with any questions, comments, suggestions and, well, other stuff. Let's get going ...