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More solid golf from one Canadian and an excellent second round by another has two of this country's stars within striking distance of the lead at the Masters.

Calgary's Stephen Ames followed up Thursday's bogey-free round of 70 with another two-under 70 Friday, posting six birdies and four bogeys in Augusta, Ga., to put him four shots back of leader Trevor Immelman.

Stephen Ames, left, and his caddie Dean Elliot had lots to smile about Friday as the Canadian golfer put in another strong day to stay within four strokes of the leader at the Masters. Fellow Canuck Mike Weir is five back.
(Elise Amendola/Associated Press)

Former Masters champion Mike Weir, of Bright's Grove, Ont., improved 25 places after an opening-round 73 to move within five of the leader, one back of his countryman, at three under.

Tiger Woods is seven back at one under.

"I think the best way to play in any golf tournament is to have no expectations. I look at [the Masters] as another event," Ames told the Canadian Press on Wednesday.

Ames salvaged an up-and-down round with a nice short-game display Friday.

"The beauty of this golf course is how tough it is around the greens and getting the speed down correctly," he said. "It's not [just] the putts, it's also the chipping.

"When you look at the guys who have won around here, they all have great short games. Phil, Tiger, most of the European players that have won — [they] all have imagination and great short games."

Happy with performance

Ames picked up a shot with a chip-in birdie at No. 12 and made several clutch putts down the stretch, including a 10-footer at No. 17 and five-footer at No. 18 to salvage tough up-and-downs.

"I really scored well today," Ames said. "Four under and I've broken par both days. I'm very happy with it."

Weir was able to glance at the leaderboard and see few golfers with any major championship victory experience — a positive sign, he thought.

"When it's all said and done, you're not going to shoot four under every day like Trevor has," he said. "I like where I'm at."

Showing his four-under 68 in the opening round was no fluke, Trevor Immelman put up the same score Friday with birdies on the final two holes to break a logjam atop the leaderboard at Augusta National.

The South African was at eight-under 136 heading into the weekend and one stroke ahead of unheralded Brandt Snedeker, though several top contenders were still on the course.

Immelman bounced back from his only mistake, a bogey at the par-3 sixth, and finished strong with birdies at numbers 17 and 18. He also made a nice save at the par-3 12th after knocking his tee shot over the green and appears fully recovered from some health issues over the past year.

Immelman lost 20 pounds

"To shoot 68 the first two days is probably beyond my expectations," he said. "I'm pretty thrilled right now."

Immelman lost 20 pounds after last year's Masters because of a stomach parasite, and late in the year, a benign tumour was removed from his diaphragm. Still on the mend, he missed the cut in half his events this season, and his best showing in a stroke-play event is a tie for 40th.

"I realized that it can be taken away from you real fast," said Immelman, who shared the first-round lead with Rose. "I feel like I've been loaned a talent. I'm trying to do as well as I can."

Steve Flesch shot a 67, the lowest round of the tournament thus far, and headed to the weekend three shots off the pace. Fellow lefty Phil Mickelson was in contention, too.

The two-time Masters champion birdied three holes on the front side and made the turn at 4-under.

Eight players started the day within two strokes of Rose and Immelman. World No. 1 Woods, who always takes a while to get warmed up at Augusta National, shot a 72 in the opening round and joined the chase in the afternoon facing a daunting eight-shot deficit.

Woods spotted the leaders a three-shot head start back in 1997, but still captured the first of his four Masters in a 12-shot runaway. The first-round deficit was five strokes in 2001, three in '02 and a daunting seven in '05, when the world's greatest player chased down Chris DiMarco and then finished him off in a playoff.

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