Ian Poulter of England was the clubhouse leader at the Masters after shooting his second straight 4-under 68 Friday, while compatriot Lee Westwood was also at 8-under overall with Tiger Woods looming two strokes back. Woods shot a 70 that might have been even more impressive than his opening 68 given the much tougher conditions. On a day when the tees were pushed back at Augusta National, the pin positions were toughened up and the greens began to firm up, Woods liked his position heading into the weekend. “Yeah, yeah I do,” he said, flashing a smile that usually strikes fear in his rivals, a smile that hasn't been seen in the last five months while he dealt with a sex scandal. Neither Poulter nor Westwood have won a major title. Woods has captured golf's biggest championships 14 times, more than anyone but Jack Nicklaus. Four of those titles have come at Augusta National, and if this keeps up, Woods might be wearing another green jacket Sunday evening. “It feels good to be back in contention,” Woods said. “I've put myself in contention most years here. This year, I'm right there. We've got 36 more holes and I'm sure the golf course, they're not going to make it easy for us.” While this all feels so normal inside the ropes, this has been a year like no other for Woods. His personal life fell apart after a Thanksgiving might car crash outside his home led to revelations of numerous extramarital affairs. Massive crowds have followed Woods from hole to hole since play began Thursday, with fans applauding nearly every time he hit the ball. His mother, Kultida, was there again, accompanied by Nike chairman Phil Knight. His wife, Elin, was not. Poulter, known as much for his daring fashion sense and bravado as for actual success on the course, moved a little closer to fulfilling the major expectations he's always had for himself. Once mocked for saying he felt he could be the world's second-best player behind Woods, he'll go the weekend with a two-shot lead on No. 1. “It's a good start,” said Poulter, who picked up his first win on US soil earlier this year at the Match Play Championship. “Certainly the way I played today, the number of chances I had on the golf course with the pins as difficult as they are, I was pleased to give myself so many chances. It's one of the best rounds of golf I've played in a while.” Sixteen players dipped into the 60s during the opening round, when a wind that gusted up in the middle of the day provided about the only defense for the course. Among those with an early tee time, Poulter was the only one to break 70. Fred Couples started with a 6-under 66, his lowest round ever in the Masters. At age 50, the oldest player to hold the outright lead after the opening round of the tournament. He looked more his age on Day Two, finishing 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. He knew his chances of becoming golf's oldest major champion had taken a major blow. Another old-timer struggled, too. Sixty-year-old Tom Watson followed 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, severely damaging any hopes of contending on the weekend as he did at Turnberry. 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. He 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. It would be his only bogey of the day. 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. There were no eagles at all 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 the par-5 13th and baled himself out for a poor chip with a 15-foot birdie putt at 15. From there, he finished with a string of three straight pars, ruining a chance at another bogey by misreading a putt at 17. Woods was tied at 138 with one of his playing partners, K.J. Choi (71), and last year's surprising US Open runner-up, Ricky Barnes (70). Still on the course, Anthony Kim and PGA champion Y.E. Yang were at 5 under, with Phil Mickelson another stroke behind and struggling to make up ground. 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
