AUGUSTA (Georgia) - SOUTH African Trevor Immelman, finding his form after recovering from health problems last year, birdied the last two holes for a 68 to grab a one-stroke lead in Friday's second round of the US Masters.

Immelman, overnight co-leader with Briton Justin Rose, matched his first-round score by posting three birdies on the back nine to reach eight-under-par 136 as he got hot with his putter on a warm, breezy day at Augusta National.

American Brandt Snedeker was alone in second place after he mirrored Immelman's rousing finish with birdies at 17 and 18 to complete a 68 for 137, two shots better than compatriots Phil Mickelson and Steve Flesch, and Briton Ian Poulter.

'My play wasn't as sharp as yesterday but I holed some unbelievable putts out there,' said the South African, who made birdies from 15 and 10 feet out on the finishing holes.

'It's a thrill to play well here.' Second on the leaderboard at seven-under-par was American Brandt Snedeker, who mirrored Immelman's rousing finish with birdies at 17 and 18 to complete a 68 for 137, two shots better than Phil Mickelson, Steve Flesch and Briton Ian Poulter.

Twice winner Mickelson made three birdies on the front side and capped his bogey-free round with a 30-foot birdie at 17 for a 68, while left-handed Flesch had the tournament's low round by going five-under on the par-fives in a bogey-free 67.

Poulter, who registered an electrifying ace at 16 in the opening round, made three back-nine birdies for a 69.

Rose, in the last grouping, slipped back to two-under-par by the turn, and four times champion Tiger Woods was even par for the day and the tournament through nine holes as swirling winds made conditions tougher as the day wore on.

At four-under-par 140 were Briton Paul Casey, after a 69, and Canadian Stephen Ames, who shot his second successive 70.

Short hitter

Flesch birdied par-fives number two, eight and 15, and had an eagle at the 13th where his three-iron from 234 yards finished a couple of feet from the hole.

'The fives is where I can take advantage,' said Flesch, a relatively short hitter off the tee, who twice laid up to hit wedges in and twice went for greens in two.

Snedeker, 27, drew a huge roar from the gallery at number six with an imaginative chip from the green to carry a mound, landing it at a 90-degree angle from the cup and watching it trickle down a slope and into the hole.

'That was probably one of the luckiest shots I've ever hit on number six,' said Snedeker, last year's US Tour Rookie of the Year with US$2.8 million (S$3.8 million) in earnings and a win at the Wyndham Championship.

'The only chance I had was chipping it and trying to spin it a little bit. It came off absolutely perfect, tracking the whole way. If it didn't hit the hole it was going on 10 or 12 feet by, at best, if not off the green.' Immelman, who has missed four cuts and finished no better than 40th in other stroke play events this year, said it was special to be contending at Augusta for his first major title.

'The whole atmosphere, the mystique ... everything about this tournament and this venue. It's what dreams are made of.' -- REUTERS

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