THE MASTERS : International Plot Thickens at Augusta : Golf: Woosnam, trying to continue European dominance, and Parry, trying to be first Australian winner, are co-leaders.

By MAL FLORENCE

April 11, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

AUGUSTA, Ga. —

European players have won the Masters five of the past seven years.

Ian Woosnam of Wales, atop the leaderboard after 36 holes at the Augusta National Golf Club, has a chance to continue that trend.

However, he shares the lead at nine-under-par 135 with Craig Parry, who is hoping to become the first Australian to win the tournament.

“The first Australian to win the Masters will be remembered for a long, long time,” Parry said Friday.

Greg Norman is the most well-known Australian player, and he has come close to wearing the green jacket, symbolic of the Masters championship. He finished tied for second in 1986, then lost in a playoff to Larry Mize in 1987.

Norman is in the hunt again this year, five strokes behind Parry and Woosnam. Another Australian, Ian Baker-Finch, the defending British Open champion, is four strokes behind the leaders.

Fred Couples, carrying the U.S. banner, is one stroke off the lead.

Raymond Floyd and Ted Schulz, who won the Los Angeles Open in 1991, are also in the hunt. They are at 137, two strokes behind the co-leaders.

Lanny Wadkins and Jeff Sluman, who shared the first-round lead with 65s, slumped to rounds of 75 and 74, respectively.

Parry, 25, and Woosnam, 34, will be paired together today. It’s a matchup of a 5-foot-4 1/2-inch player, Woosnam, and one who is 5-6.

Woosnam, who said that he wasn’t playing well coming into the tournament, shot a six-under-par 66 on another warm day in Georgia.

Parry had a matching 66, while playing with Couples. The Australian is playing in the Masters for only the second time, having missed the cut in 1990.

He had seven birdies and a bogey in his round even though he said that he drove the ball “terrible.”

Augusta National is a driver’s course, with its wide fairways and some short par-five holes. Yet, Parry is surviving with his iron play and putting.

“Craig keeps the ball in play, and he’s adequately long for his size,” Baker-Finch said. “And he’s a great chipper.”

Norman said he doesn’t think Parry will fade in the last two rounds.

“He’s a clutch putter and a tenacious, stocky little fighter,” Norman said.

The same can be said for Woosnam, who, is one of the game’s longest hitters.

“My confidence is a lot better now,” Woosnam said. “This tournament makes me concentrate better.”

Even though Woosnam said he has been concerned about his game recently, he has geared up for Augusta, shooting a 63 in a practice round Wednesday. Like Parry, he had seven birdies and a bogey Friday and has had only one bogey in 36 holes.

Woosnam said he was nervous Thursday throughout his round, adding he was much calmer Friday.

Couples shot 67 despite a double-bogey at the par-four 14th hole when a bad chip shot backed off the green to the fringe.

“I’ve never been a great chipper,” Couples said, “but I’ve been playing all the other parts of my game exceptionally well.”

Couples has been considered a favorite to win the Masters because he has won two tournaments this year and finished second twice.

He seemed relaxed Friday, saying “So far, so good.”

Even though Couples had a double-bogey, and a pair of bogeys, he offset them with nine birdies. It could easily have been 12 as he missed three putts of no more than six feet.

Floyd, 49, a former Ryder Cup captain, has counseled Couples, though Floyd downplays his impact on him.

“Fred was destined to be a great player whether I influenced him or not,” Floyd said. “If I was a betting man, I’d say he’ll win a major championship.”

Floyd, who had a 68, was pleased with his round except for a double-bogey at the par-three 12th hole, where he said he simply lost his concentration.

“My game is very good now, but I have to guard against mental errors,” Floyd said. “I’m very happy to be in the position I’m in.”

So it’s an international shootout after 36 holes, and most of the players say that the tournament won’t be decided until the final nine holes on Sunday.

Some players won’t be around, though. The cut was at 145, or one over par.

Prominent players who missed the cut included Arnold Palmer, Chip Beck, Payne Stewart, Gary Player and Jumbo Ozaki, along with Mitch Voges, the U.S. Amateur champion from Simi Valley. He had a 36-hole score of 148 (73-75).

Masters Notes

John Daly made the cut with a 36-hole score of of 142 (71-71). He was paired with Nick Faldo on Friday. Faldo won the Masters title in 1989 and 1990. He’s at 143 (71-72). Daly’s length off the tee didn’t help him on the par-four ninth hole Friday. His second shot hit the green and then trickled back 10 yards onto the fairway. His uphill chip shot also couldn’t hold the green, rolling behind him 20 yards to the fairway. He managed to bogey the hole when it seemed he would get a possible birdie, or a cinch par.

Corey Pavin, the former UCLA star, got a hole in one on the 140-yard 16th hole. He used an eight-iron, and the ball went into the cup on the fly. He used the same technique to get an eagle on the 18th hole of the Honda tournament last month. He then beat Fred Couples on the second hole of a playoff. He shot a 71 Friday and made the cut at 143. . . . Couples’ second shot on the 18th hole Friday landed an inch from the cup, then went six feet past, where he made his birdie putt.

Craig Parry said that Tom Watson has always been his idol. His Australian hero? “It’s hard to get past Greg Norman,” he said. . . . D.A. Weibring, who is at 139 (71-68), had to play in a threesome as the last group Thursday. He didn’t care for the experience. “It took us 4 hours and 45 minutes to finish, and the garbage collectors were already on the course,” he said. . . . Norman said he was relieved to make the cut after missing it the previous two years. He’s at 140 (70-70). . . . Larry Nelson, who shot a 73 in the first round, was disqualified for using illegal clubs. The club face on his irons had a golf logo, which features three diamonds in the grooves.

Leaders

Player: Score

Craig Parry: 69-66--135

Ian Woosnam: 69-66--135

Fred Couples: 69-67--136

Ray Floyd: 69-68--137

Ted Schulz: 68-69--137

Jeff Sluman: 65-74--139

Ian Baker-Finch: 70-69--139

D.A. Weibring: 71-68--139

Greg Norman: 70-70--140

Steve Elkington: 69-71--140