[SWFlaGolfer]

Mickelson, Garcia start second round strong
Singh still holds clubhouse lead; he, Tiger set to tee off later

NBCSports.com news services
Updated: 11:38 a.m. ET April 7, 2006


AUGUSTA, Ga. - The second round of the Masters is under way, and despite all the hubbub about the surprises at the top of the leaderboard, the bigger names are set to take center stage Friday.

Former champion Phil Mickelson is at 3 under through four holes, and Sergio Garcia is 1 under through six holes in the second. Ernie Els, who along with Garcia is seeking his first green jacket, is at 2 under through four holes.

Vijay Singh still leads after a 5-under 67 on Thursday, and Tiger Woods is at even. They'll tee off later in the day. Rocco Mediate is at 4 under, and he's also set to tee off in the afternoon.

The much-ballyhooed course changes didn’t seem to have much effect, even though the 7,445-yard Augusta layout is the second-longest in major championship history after Whistling Straits.

Only three players broke 70, and 15 others were under par. But the scoring average for the
first round — 74.94 — was a fraction of a stroke lower than the previous two years.

Start with Singh, who won this tournament in 2000, has three major titles on his resume and carved up the super-sized course with a bogey-free round. He’s feeling extremely confident with a putter in his hands — always a good state of mind on these greens, which were taking on a yellow sheen and figure to dry out even more if the wind, as expected, kicks up Friday.

"I feel very comfortable putting here,” Singh said. “The putter has been working pretty good for me.”

Woods, an overwhelming favorite for his fifth green jacket, had an interesting round that evened out in the end. He holed out an 8-iron from 163 yards for eagle at No. 14, but gave it right back at the next hole when he plopped one in the water on the way to a double-bogey 7.

He finished at 72, which is about right for Woods. He had never broken 70 in the first round of the Masters and started last year with a 74, which didn’t stop him from winning his fourth Augusta title.

“I thought I played real well, actually,” Woods said. “I’m better than I was last year, so I’m in good shape.”