Round two a different story for Couples

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The smooth as velvet, I-don't-even-need-golf-shoes Fred Couples we saw in the first round gave way on Friday to a 50-year-old man who succumbed to trying conditions and a cranky back.

After beginning the day with a birdie on the par-5 second, Couples unraveled in the second round with three straight bogeys to close. With a 75, he is now six shots off behind co-leaders Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.

"I'm going to say it's tougher, it was cold and windy, but there are some good scores," Couples said. "It's kind of not a whole lot of fun at the moment.  But that's the way it is."

Couples said a shot on the ninth hole tweaked his famously troublesome back, which may explain his struggles down the stretch. "It was a downhill lie and those don't feel good on regular days," he said. "And today that kind of threw me for a loop."

*-- Sam Weinman