Pavin Out of the Woods With a 66

When is a good time to start getting nervous at the Masters? For some, it’s just about the time you start driving up Magnolia Lane.

But that’s for rookies. There are plenty of opportunities for major nervous reactions out there on the course. How about when you are the U.S. Open champion and you are four over par after the first five holes on the first day?

Obviously, this not a good place to be. Your drives are in the pine needles and your clubs ought to be in Rae’s Creek.

But Corey Pavin resisted the temptation, which proved to be a wise move. Pavin produced a second-round 66 Friday that made his opening-round 75 seem like a distant memory.

Make that a bad, distant memory. Pavin’s five-hole start wasn’t exactly what he was looking for.

“Obviously, I wasn’t happy about what I was doing,” he said. “I just wanted to get things on track. I could have really lost it yesterday.”

Pavin found it Friday and managed to put himself back in the tournament. His 36-hole total of 141 is three under par.

That may be a modest position, nine strokes behind Greg Norman, but it’s under par and not a bad position to start the weekend, especially considering the alternative.

“You know, I don’t think the leaders are going to run away anywhere,” he said. “I certainly feel good. There are two more rounds to go. If I keep playing like I did today, I’ll have a chance to win.”

Pavin made good on his chance to win last year at the Open. He was the only player to shoot par at Shinnecock Hills, where he won his first major title.

This is Pavin’s 12th Masters appearance; he finished tied for 17th last year. His best result was in 1992, when he was third the year Fred Couples won.

Pavin said he’s going to draw on his experience to help him the rest of the way.

“You kind of draw back on things that have happened and you realize, hey, you’re not out of this thing,” he said.

“You have to play well, but you have a chance. Keep going, plugging away, you never know what might happen.”

After the first two holes Friday, Pavin thought his golf ball was part squirrel the way it went for the trees.

Pavin’s tee shot on No. 1 went into the pine trees on the left side. His second shot went into the bunker, but he knocked it out to two feet and saved par.

On No. 2, Pavin drove it left again and into the pine trees. He wound up pitching from 30 yards and stopped the ball a foot from the hole for a tap-in par.

Those two holes were enough for Pavin to form an opinion of Augusta National.

“Too many trees,” Pavin said.