Immelman leads Masters after another 68

AUGUSTA, Georgia -- South African Trevor Immelman closed with back-to-back birdies to seize the early second-round lead at the Masters on Friday with an eight-under total of 136.

Immelman, who started the day tied for the lead with England's Justin Rose, posted his second straight 68, holing putts of 15 feet and 10 feet at 17 and 18 to set the target for the afternoon starters such as world No.1 Tiger Woods.

With the winds picking up and Augusta National's notorious greens drying out, Woods had two birdies and two bogeys in his first eight holes to remain even for the tournament, eight shots off the clubhouse lead.

The four-time Masters champion had come into the first major championship of the year hoping a fifth triumph could mark the beginning of an unprecedented Grand Slam run.

Instead some lesser-known names topped the leaderboard, with American Brandt Snedeker lying one shot behind Immelman after a 68 for 137.

World No.2 Phil Mickelson, tipped as the man most likely to deny Woods a Green Jacket and a chance at a sweep of this year's major championships, posted a bogey-free 68 for a share of third place on 139. He was joined by fellow-American Steve Flesch, who carded a five-under 67.

Immelman, who has had to recover from surgery in December to remove a non-cancerous tumor from his diaphragm, was delighted with his performance on the treacherous Augusta greens.

"I really did hole some unbelievable putts out there," said Immelman, who made 10-footers for birdies at the par-four fifth and the par-four seventh and a five-foot birdie at the par-four 11th.

His only bogey -- his first of the tournament -- came when he three-putted the par-three sixth. "Any time you make a birdie in a major championship it's a thrill," Immelman said. "You've really got to hang onto it as long as you can. The course at some point is going to show its teeth."

Snedeker rebounded from a bogey at 16 to finish with two birdies in his 68 for 137, meanwhile, Mickelson said he liked his position heading into the weekend.

"I would love to be in the lead, you always like having shots in hand. But I would have had to press the issue in spots, and I didn't want to do that yet," he said.

Mickelson made birdies from three feet at both the second and third, and picked up a stroke with a 10-footer at the eighth. He was especially pleased with his long birdie putt at 17, which followed eight straight pars.

"At least I'm working in right direction," Mickelson said. "I've got a long ways to go. There's a few players in front of me and a lot of good players behind me. It's going to be a fun weekend."

Flesch was five-under on the four par-fives, swooping for eagle at the 510-yard 13th where he hit a three-iron from 234 yards to two feet.

"I thought it was too much club, but my caddie talked me into hitting a three," admitted Flesch, who thought from his poor vantage point in the fairway that his ball had rolled off the back edge of the green.

Canadian Stephen Ames posted his second straight 70 for a four-under total of 140, where he was joined by England's Paul Casey, who shot a 69.

Overnight co-leader Rose, who teed off in the final group of the day and opened with four pars, dropped to three-under with a bogey at the fifth.

Ames said the warm, dry weather was adding some bite to the Augusta layout.

"They're definitely getting firmer and faster, so it's going to be a lot more fun if it stays like this for the weekend," he said.

There was a chance of showers early Saturday, followed by cooler, windier weather that could affect those who made the halfway cut, which included the lowest 44 scores and ties, and all those within 10 shots of the lead. E-mail to a friend