Iron shot after iron shot hammered at the hole. The rain-softened Augusta National greens were simply no match for Jay Haas' relentless assault.
Birdie followed birdie. No. 15. Then 16. Another at 17. And finally at 18.Four birdies in a row down the stretch and Haas had an 8-under-par 64 and the halfway lead in the Masters with a 9-under-par 135 after Friday's second round.
"Every time I looked up, I felt like I was going to hit it close," Haas said. And that he did, rifling iron shots at the flag all day. Six of his eight birdies came on putts of 8 feet or less.
"Today I got in positions where I felt like I could fire at the flag," said Haas, whose uncle, Bob Goalby, won the Masters in 1968. "I certainly know the course. I've played countless practice rounds with Uncle Bob."
Haas' 135 was one stroke ahead of John Huston and Scott Hoch, two ahead of Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson and David Frost, and three better than Davis Love, Lee Janzen, Corey Pavin and Brian Henniger.
First round co-leader and defending champion Jose Maria Olazabal fell back with a 74 and was at 4-under 140. And Jack Nicklaus followed his thrilling 67 in the first round with a 78, and just made the cut figure of 145.
Tiger Woods, the 19-year-old amateur, shot his second consecutive 72 and made the cut with an even-par 144.
"The greens are faster, but they are still holding," Woods said, "and the scores are showing it. They are taking it low."
The sun blazed brilliantly at Augusta National Golf Club on Friday. The course slowed by Thursday's steady rain quickened during the second round but was not yet at Augusta's notorious warp speed. As a result, par was once again an easy barrier.
And no one had an easier time with it than Haas. Making no bogeys, he turned the front nine in 33 and finished off his 31 on the back nine with a twisting 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18.
"I was signing my card and it was the first time it hit me that I made four birdies in a row," Haas said. "I was just thinking about what I was doing."
What he was doing was ripping apart the finely manicured grounds of Augusta National.
His 64 was the lowest Masters score in five years and was one stroke off the course record 63 sent by Nick Price in the third round of the 1986 Masters. Price, the reigning British Open and PGA champ, missed the cut this year at 149, 14 strokes behind Haas.
"It was just one of those days," said Haas, who has four top-10 finishes in 14 Masters. "I was in the zone."
Like Haas, Huston also made easy work of Augusta, shooting a nifty 66. But they did it in very different ways. While Haas was knocking his iron shots close, Huston was making putts from everywhere, rolling in a 20-footer on No. 5, an 18-footer on No. 6 and a 30-footer on No. 10.
"I was just following Jay Haas' footprints today," Huston said.
"I don't think I've ever come into this tournament with less confidence," Huston said. "This is a real boost."
Later, coughing after swallowing some water from a bottle, Huston said, "I think I'm going to choke." Then to laughs said: "I know you guys love that word."
The field is set for what should be a fine finish as the course continues to dry out and speed up over the weekend.
"It's pretty crowded, isn't it?" Crenshaw said about the leaderboard. "It's about as crowded as I've seen it in a long time. The conditions have everything to do with the scores. There are spots where you can take liberties on the course. You couldn't do that last year."
Player after player shattered 70. Hoch shot 67, Crenshaw 67, Love and Janzen 69s.
An impressive pack of big names was at 4-under 140, just five shots behind, including Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie and Steve Elkington.
Greg Norman came back with a 68 and was at 141 along with Loren Roberts, Raymond Floyd and Ian Woosnam.
Tom Watson shot a 70 and was at 143, making the cut for the 21st consecutive year.
"I'm here to win, not to make cuts," the discouraged Watson said after struggling once again with his putter.