DiMarco Is in Spotlight, but All Eyes Are on Woods
The imposing presence of Tiger Woods at major championships has become almost as reliable as Old Faithful. So it was hardly a surprise today when the talent of Woods erupted, sending tremors of applause through the pine trees at Augusta National Golf Club.
Chris DiMarco still had the lead, but Woods had the world's attention. Shooting a six-under-par 66, in a high-performance round that included eight birdies and two bogeys, Woods pulled within two strokes of the lead in his quest to win the Masters and become the first player to  win the four professional major championships consecutively.
While that alone would make this weekend compelling, many of the world's best players have also taken their place on the leader board. Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Lee Janzen, Mark Calcavecchia, Ernie Els and José Maria Olazabal were all within five strokes of DiMarco, putting even more pressure on the leader, who is trying to become the first Masters rookie to win since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Facing the greatest opportunity of his career, DiMarco shot a second-round 69 to finish at 10 under par (134), two strokes ahead of Woods and Mickelson, who were tied for second place. Five players were in a logjam at seven under -- Janzen, Duval, Angel Cabrera of Argentina, Toshi Izawa of Japan and Steve Stricker. Three more contenders were tied at six under -- Calcavecchia, Olazabal and Kirk Triplett, while Els and Darren Clarke were five under par, setting up a third round in which the jockeying for position will be important and intense.
DiMarco will be paired in the final group on Saturday with Woods, and the surprise second-round leader has never played in a tournament with the world's No. 1 player. So far, the pressure of the big stage has not fazed the 32-year-old DiMarco, whose only PGA Tour victory came at last year's Marconi Pennsylvania Classic.
But DiMarco will face another test in the third round on Saturday -- looking Woods in the eye, with the Masters championship as the ultimate prize.
'He's got to play the course, too, and he's got a lot going this week,' DiMarco said of Woods. 'The way he plays, with the pressure that's on him, is amazing. That's all that anybody has talked about, four majors. He's going to be playing for that. Just watching him, he is such a momentum guy. He is all business. I'm going to try to do the same thing. I don't think there will be much chitchat going on out there, I can promise you that.'
Many players let their shot-making do the talking, as Woods, Izawa, Duval and Calcavecchia all shot 66, tying for the low round today. It was another picturesque day at Augusta, with little wind and plenty of birdie opportunities. The cut at one-over-par 145 tied the Masters record, which had been equaled three other times, most recently in 1995.
Teeing off at 10:12 a.m., Woods's game heated up with the afternoon temperature, electrifying the fans as his name climbed higher and higher up the leader board. Starting the day at two under par, five strokes behind DiMarco, Woods made two crucial birdie putts that built momentum -- a 10-footer at No. 3 and a 15-footer at No. 4. Then, after a three-putt bogey at No. 16 dropped him to six under par, Woods closed with a birdie-birdie finish, hitting a superb sand wedge approach shot to 4 feet to set up a birdie at No. 17, and another sand wedge approach shot to 8 feet that set up his final birdie putt at No. 18.
Thirty-six holes from possibly winning his sixth major, including five of the past six, Woods tried to focus on the job at hand.
'It will be challenging, and it will be fun,' said Woods, who had the same scores in the first two rounds (70-66) this year as he did when he won the Masters in 1997. 'But there's so much golf to be played, jockeying for position coming down the stretch. We have many more shots we need to play.'
Perhaps nobody got more out of today's round than Mickelson, who persevered through a turbulent day with birdies, bogeys, mental mistakes and superb shots. Mickelson made a costly double bogey at the par-3 No. 12, when he spun his tee shot off the green and into Rae's Creek and dropped to five under par. But Mickelson recovered by making birdies at the next two par-5 holes -- Nos. 13 and 15, then added another birdie at the par-3 No. 16 by making a 6-foot putt. Not done with his heroics, Mickelson ended his day with a magnificent par save from a bunker at No. 18, when he hit a deft shot out of the sand and converted a 15-foot putt.
Seeking his first major at age 30, Mickelson hoped the lessons he learned in the past would lead to a green jacket in the near future.
'Having the mistake happen on 12 was important, because first of all I can recover, and second of all, I'm going to be aware and do my best not to have that happen again,' said Mickelson, who will be paired with Stricker in Saturday's next-to-last group. 'It was difficult playing No. 13 and No. 15 knowing that I had to birdie just to get those two shots back, but I was fortunate to do that. I am excited to have an opportunity to win this golf tournament. I don't think there has ever been a better opportunity for me to break through and win a major.'
So the weekend held special possibilities, including a possible final-round pairing of Woods and Mickelson, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, on Sunday.
'I hope that we have an opportunity to go head-to-head Sunday,' Mickelson said of Woods. 'I think that would be fun.'
But there were many other contenders in position to make a statement. And with the tournament only at the halfway point, the second-round leader said he was confident that he would not be intimidated.
'Before Woods and Duval were Woods and Duval, they had to get there somehow, right?' DiMarco said. 'Maybe this is my week to get there.'
CHIP SHOTS
Those who missed the cut included DAVIS LOVE III and COLIN MONTGOMERIE.
GOLF