Duval, Couples Are Gust-Busters

After two rounds of the Masters, take us to your leaders:

They are David Duval, who looks at his job through sunglasses darker than the bottom of Rae’s Creek, and Fred Couples, who looks at his job as though he’s shopping for a sofa.

But their appearances are about as deceiving as the direction the wind was blowing Friday during the second round of the 62nd Masters.

Duval’s shades make him seem sort of sinister, but the only thing mean about him is the way he pounds golf balls. And Couples might appear as laid-back as tofu, but he’s clearly focused on another major title.

The wind didn’t blow hard enough to shake the pine cones out of the trees as it had Thursday, but Augusta National wasn’t exactly a stroll through the park.

Yes, those gusts were silly, or maybe even something more colorful.

“That wind was goofy,” Duval said.

Duval turned in a 68 with birdies on four of the last six holes. Couples scrambled on the back nine, finished with a 70 just before dark and caught Duval at five-under 139.

Afterward, Couples decided to give Augusta National a little bit of credit.

“The greens are hard, the greens are fast, the wind blew, there’s not an easy shot,” he said.

Presumably, other than that, it was about as soft as the pimiento cheese sandwiches at the concession stands.

The cut was at six-over 150, the highest at the Masters in 10 years. And only eight players are under par after 36 holes.

Scott Hoch is two shots behind the leaders at 141, which would have been better without a three-putt bogey at No. 16 and a bogey from the fringe at No. 18.

Tiger Woods shot a 72 and rescued his round with a 20-foot par-saving putt at the 18th that kept him in a five-way tie for fourth at 143. Phil Mickelson, Jay Haas, Paul Azinger and Jose Maria Olazabal are tied there with Woods.

Mark O’Meara and Scott McCarron are at even par 144.

There’s also a familiar name in an eerily familiar position--58-year-old Jack Nicklaus is tied for 11th at one-over 145, six shots off the lead. It should be noted that in 1986, when Nicklaus won his sixth Masters, he was six shots off the lead at 145 after 36 holes.

“Augusta National is doing what it’s supposed to do,” he said. “It’s very tough. It’s hard to judge the ball. If you hit it short, you’ve got a tough pitch and if you hit it long, you’ve got a tough downhill putt.

“You have to hit the ball extremely well. You can’t fool this course.”

After making the turn at one-under, Couples started wobbling, but pulled himself together every time.

For instance, he bogeyed No. 10 when he misjudged the wind and missed the green and bogeyed No. 11 with a three-putt.

But just when it looked as though he was heading for disaster, Couples came back. He birdied the 12th when he hit an eight-iron off the tee and made the putt from 20 feet. Couples laid up on the par-five 13th, knocked a sand wedge to 10 feet and rolled in the birdie putt.

Couples, who birdied three of four par-three holes, finished that little trick at No. 16 when he made a 10-footer.

It was a question of resilience, he said.

“You got to hang in there,” Couples said. “That’s hard to say because I’ve done it.”

Duval is a newcomer in the hanging-in-there business, but lately he has proved to be someone who is usually around at the end. After going winless for his first 3 1/2 years as a pro, the 27-year-old from Jacksonville, Fla., has won four times in the last six months.

He was at even par for the round after he dropped a shot at No. 12, but then Duval cranked it up. He birdied No. 13 when he reached the green in two and No. 14 where his sand wedge left him a 15-footer for birdie.

Duval made a five-footer for birdie at No. 16 and added another birdie at the 17th after hitting a sand wedge to 15 feet.

Duval’s explanation for what went on was fairly simple.

“I just kind of plugged along,” he said.

This is Duval’s third trip to the Masters, and that’s long enough for green to become his favorite color.

“I don’t think you ever lose the awe of being at this place,” he said. “But you can’t really look at it that way. You put it on the back burner and just play golf.”

As for Couples, it’s sort of a different task. He has already won the Masters, but that was six years and a lot of back pain ago. Couples said he doesn’t really have the same feeling he had this time in 1992.

“The feeling I have is that tomorrow is another round,” he said. “I don’t worry about looking back about what I did in the past because the future is very bright.

“If I come out and play well, I really believe I’ll have a chance at winning on Sunday.”

And if something bad happens to his round today?

“I’ll have to work hard on Sunday.”

*

* NOTES, COMPLETE SCORES: C9