Fred Couples shares the Masters lead with Jason Dufner, while Tiger Woods falters and Rory Mcllroy puts himself in contention on day two at Augusta.
Fred Couples raises his arms in celebration after his round of 67 gave him a share of the overnight lead on day two of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. Reuters

Veteran Fred Couples shot a 67 to grab a tie for the lead after day two of the 76th Masters Tournament. The 52-year-old golfer, who won his only major title 20 years ago at Augusta (Ga.) National, sits atop the leaderboard along with Jason Dufner at five under par.

While the identities of the two leaders may be something of a surprise, there are a bevy of top names who have shot themselves into contention for the Green Jacket heading into the weekend.

Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia sit just one shot off the lead, along with Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson, and Lee Westwood.

Westwood, the overnight leader on Thursday, looked like he would retain that distinction as he headed to the 18th hole at six under. But a double-bogey there dropped the No. 3-ranked golfer in the world back to the pack.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods had one of his worst days ever at Augusta to finish three over par with a 75. His round was summed up by an errant tee shot into the bunker on the par-three 16th hole, which saw him kick away his club in frustration.

But Friday belonged to Couples. His round had gotten off to an inauspicious start with a bogey on the first hole, but Couples hit seven birdies during the rest of his spectacular round to break his own record for the lowest round shot at the Masters by a player over the age of 50.

While Couples grabbed the headlines, there is also quite the story line attached to fellow leader Dufner. The 35-year-old journeyman pro has never won on the PGA Tour, but he came agonizingly close to winning the PGA Championship last August.

Dufner held a five-stroke lead with just four holes to play, but he blew his advantage and eventually lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley.

Those memories will surely be swirling inside his head as he tees off on Saturday looking to cast aside his demons.

Sticking to the theme of redemption, Mcllroy, who collapsed in similar fashion to lose a big lead at last year's Masters, has put himself in good shape to mount a major challenge to win his first Green Jacket over the weekend with a three-under-par 69.

As ever, there were some big names who missed the cut. Former Masters champions Mike Weir, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Tom Watson -- along with British Open champion Darren Clarke -- all will have to contend with taking in the weekend's play as spectators.

And what a weekend it promises to be, with so many of the world's best in contention.

Masters Leaderboard After 36 Holes: (To view the full, official leaderboard, click here)

-5
Jason Dufner
Fred Couples

-4
Louis Oosthuizen
Lee Westwood
Sergio Garcia
Rory McIlroy
Bubba Watson

-3
Paul Lawrie
Matt Kuchar
Miguel Angel Jiminez

Tiger Woods Rory mcilroy Tiger Woods Tiger Woods