GOLF:So, this is what it was all about. And, it seems, the green jackets knew what they were truly about.

All the tweaking and face-lifting that Augusta National underwent in the decade since Tiger Woods strode the fairways like a new golfing king and tore up the record books in 1997 has, finally if belatedly, come to pass, as the 71st Masters has developed into a good, old-fashioned pugilist fight for supremacy.

For the first time since the nip 'n' tuck surgery took place, the so-called Tiger-proofing, the rains have stayed away. And the result is that the course is demanding creativity, and is not just a big-hitting, bomber's paradise.

As if to emphasise the point, Phil Mickelson, the holder, laboured in defence of his crown, while his great adversary, Woods, yesterday - again - showed human frailties, although battling back with two birdies in his final four holes to at least lie tantalisingly on the fringes of contention heading into the weekend.

On a day when the coolness of the morning was replaced by sunshine that served to make the fairways firmer and the greens slicker, Padraig Harrington - who had entered the second round in a fight to survive the cut after an opening 77 that included a triple-bogey late in his round on Thursday - played bravely and majestically to move into contention, his second round best-of-the-day 68 (later equalled by Paul Casey) moving him to 145, one-over, and three shots outside the clubhouse lead held by US Ryder Cup player Brett Wetterich and South Africa's Tim Clark.

Yet, while Harrington was one of those who found a way to outsmart the test presented by the course, others struggled.

One of those who had a frustrating time was Woods, the world's number one. Half-way to "Tiger Slam II", having annexed the final two majors of 2006, the British Open and the US PGA, Woods had to dig deep into his reserves late on in his second round to stay in the hunt for a third straight major title.

Untypical for him, Woods was twice in water, on the 12th - where his tee-shot to the par three finished short of the green, hit the bank and rolled back into the pond - and again on the 13th, when he put his approach into Rae's Creek.

On each occasion, though, Woods got up and down, for a bogey at the 12th and a par on the par five 13th.

"I turned a 90 into a 74," said Woods, of one of those days when he had to grind and work for every shot. "You just try to plod along and try and put the ball in the right spots and don't have any wrecks out there," he added.

Woods, who was subjected to a bizarre attack from a bird in flight while on the 13th tee, which caused him to halt his downswing before impact, shot a 74 for 147, three-over, and, considering that his swing hasn't been as finely-tuned as he would have liked for the opening two rounds, he claimed, "I like it this way. With the conditions coming up, we will all have to grind."

And, as we've discovered, nobody grinds as well as the maestro himself.

His playing partner Paul Casey's 68 was an 11-stroke improvement on his error-strewn opening day effort and it brought him back alongside the world number one, who still has a chance to make it five green jackets, a third major in a row and his 13th in all.

Still, Woods is in the position of chaser heading into the weekend, with the leaderboard dominated by players who have yet to win a major. Brett Wetterich. Tim Clark. Vaughn Taylor. Zach Johnson. Justin Rose. Jerry Kelly.

In fact, Vijay Singh, who shot a 71 for 144, was the only player in the top-10 to know what it takes to win a Masters.

An unhappy Lee Westwood today described Augusta National as a test of golf which "just asks too many questions that there is no answer to".

Rounds of 79 and 73 left the former European number one waiting to discover if he had survived the cut on eight over.

And when questioned on whether he liked the course he replied: "Not really. Not any more.

"When the course was shorter more of us would have had an answer, but now there are only six or seven people in the field who can win it.

"It is a bit of a shame really because it used to be a shotmaker's course. But now I don't think it is.

"I wouldn't say it's unfair, but it is not fair for everybody."

Westwood had just bogeyed the last two holes and his hopes were reliant on the halfway leaders being no better than two under. Anybody 10 shots off the pace or better qualifies for the last two rounds.

As for defending champion Mickelson, he bogeyed the first, fifth and sixth to slump to seven over.

But partner Richie Ramsay, the Scot who last August became the first British player to win the US Amateur since 1911, parred the first six to remain four over.

That kept him on course to become the first British amateur to make the cut since Peter McEvoy in 1978.

Compatriot Colin Montgomerie turned in 38 to find himself six over.