DiMarco rolling through second round of Masters
Updated: April 9, 2005, 2:32 PM ET
ESPN.com news services
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Chris DiMarco threatened to run away with the green jacket. Jack Nicklaus just faded away.
DiMarco, a perennial contender at Augusta National, shot his second straight 67 for a comfortable lead as the weather-delayed tournament approached its midway point Saturday.
DiMarco had a 10-under-par 134, good enough for a four-stroke lead over Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and six ahead of three-time winner Tiger Woods.
Top-ranked Vijay Singh and England's David Howell, a surprising star of last fall's Ryder Cup, were seven shots back. Defending champion Phil Mickelson was among a group at 2 under.
Nicklaus wasn't anywhere close to the lead. After shooting a 9-over 153 and missing the cut, the guy who won the Masters more than anyone else -- six times -- called it his Augusta farewell.
He wiped away tears as he strolled up the ninth fairway -- his final hole. He came back for this Masters at the urging of club chairman Hootie Johnson, just a few weeks after the drowning death of Nicklaus' 17-month-old grandson.
"I knew it was my last time walking up the fairway," he said. "Obviously, I had made up my mind. This is just too tough for me. I just can't do this."
As he walked off the green, Nicklaus tipped his cap to the cheering gallery and handed the ball to his caddie and son, Jackie.
"This was a treasure for me," the Golden Bear said. "I'll miss that -- greatly."
DiMarco is leading a round at the Masters for the second straight day and fifth time in five years. He still must prove that he can be on top when it counts, also having a 36-hole lead in his Augusta debut in 2001.
Bjorn birdied his final two holes, denying DiMarco the largest 36-hole lead in Masters history. The record remains at five strokes, by Herman Kaiser in 1946, Jack Nicklaus in '75 and Raymond Floyd in '76. All three went on to win the tournament.
As for Mickelson and Singh, they faced the uncomfortable possibility of being paired in the third round later Saturday. The two got into a nasty confrontation over spike marks Friday -- a rare outburst in the genteel sport.
Woods was coming to life after a shaky first round. He had seven birdies on his way to a 66 -- the best round of the tournament so far.
Woods opened with a 74, even knocking a putt into Rae's Creek. It was the third straight year he's failed to break par in the opening round of the Masters.
No one was able to complete the second round on schedule. Rain swept across Augusta early Friday afternoon, wiping out play for the rest of the day.
The golfers returned Saturday morning to a thick blanket of clouds and a stiff breeze. But the sun finally broke through shortly after noon, warming things up and helping dry out the soggy course.
The forecast for Sunday was promising as well -- sunny, with temperatures in the upper 70s.
DiMarco built his big lead on the par 5s. Over the first two rounds, he posted six birdies in eight tries on the long holes, and played solid everywhere else. Through 36 holes, he had only one bogey.
On Friday, Singh complained to rules officials that the metal spikes in Mickelson's shoes were too long and creating marks on the green.
Playing in the group behind Mickelson, Singh raised the issue at No. 12 after missing a 25-foot birdie attempt on about the same line that Lefty used to make his putt.
Mickelson wasn't happy about the way the situation was handled, and he said so to Singh afterward in the clubhouse.
"I heard Vijay talking to other players about it, and I confronted him," Mickelson said through his press agent, T.R. Reinman. "He expressed his concerns. I expressed my disappointment in the way it was handled. I believe everything is fine now."
Singh always seems to be in contention no matter where he plays. Even with the brouhaha, he was steady as ever and in contention for his second green jacket.
Mickelson was trying to become just the fourth player to win the Masters two years in a row. Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods are the only repeat champions.
The first shot of the tournament was struck 5½ hours late, held up by heavy thunderstorms. The Masters hasn't finished on a Monday since 1983, and the improving weather made it seem an unlikely scenario.
"We're going to play 72 holes," said Will Nicholson, chairman of the competition committee. "It looks very good (for the weekend) looking at the weather guides. But this year, it's crazy."
Indeed. Bad weather has interrupted play on the PGA Tour for the ninth time in 15 tournaments, and the fourth week in a row.
"We're all used to it after this year," Justin Leonard said. "It's nothing new."
It's nothing new for the Masters, either. Four straight years, the tournament has been interrupted by storms.
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