Masters: Bubba Watson goes on birdie spree, surges into lead

Augusta, Ga. • Bubba Watson won the Masters two years ago with his brand of "Bubba golf," producing shots of raw skill and wild imagination. His strategy now is to keep it simple, and he is halfway to another green jacket.

Watson took over Augusta National on Friday with 75 minutes of brilliance and power. On another demanding day of crispy greens and swirling wind, he ran off five straight birdies on the back nine and wound up with a 4-under 68 for a three-shot lead over John Senden.

There's nothing fancy about his golf, except for his outrageous length. He has made only two bogeys in 36 holes. He has missed only eight greens.

"It's not science here," Watson said. "It's try to hit the greens. And if you're hitting the greens, that means you're obviously hitting your tee shots well. So that's all I'm trying to do is just hit the greens … maybe throw in a birdie here or there. That's what I've done the last two days and it's worked out so far."

Watson made bogey on the 18th hole with a shot that bounced left of the green and into the gallery. He finished at 7-under 137, giving him the largest 36-hole lead at the Masters since Chad Campbell in 2006.

Senden qualified for the Masters a month ago with his win at Innisbrook. After a rugged start, he played the final 14 holes with six birdies and no bogeys for a 68 that puts him in the last group at a major on the weekend.

Adam Scott also made a late recovery with three birdies on the back nine to salvage a 72, along with his hopes to join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win back-to-back at Augusta. Scott was four shots back at 141, along with Thomas Bjorn (68), Jonas Blixt (71) and Jordan Spieth, the 20-year-old from Texas who looked solid on the mystifying greens and shot a 70.

"Bubba is tearing it up," Spieth said. "So we've got to go get him."

The chase includes the ageless Fred Couples, who won the Masters a year before Spieth was born. Couples, cool as ever at 54, had another 71 and was five back.

Woods, who missed the Masters for the first time in 20 years because of back surgery, won't be the only guy watching on television. Phil Mickelson made another triple bogey — three shots from the bunkers on the par-3 12th hole — for a 73 and missed the cut for the first time since 1997. So did Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson and Jason Dufner.

Rory McIlroy nearly joined them. He hit one tee shot over the fourth green, past the head of Adam Scott on the fifth tee and into the bushes for a double bogey. Another shot hit a sprinkler head and landed in the azaleas behind the 13th green. He had to make a 6-foot par putt to make the cut at 4-over 148. Watson seems further away from the field than just three shots.

U.S. Open champion Justin Rose was nine shots behind, but not ready to give up because the leader often comes back to the field — although he admitted that former champs are less likely to collapse.

"But there's no give on this golf course," Rose said. •

Saturday's tee times

8:15 a.m. • Rory McIlroy

8:25 a.m. • Jason Day, Joost Luiten

8:35 a.m. • J.M. Olazabal, Darren Clarke

8:45 a.m. • M. Angel Jimenez, Sandy Lyle

8:55 a.m. • Billy Horschel, Gary Woodland

9:05 a.m. • Chris Kirk, Martin Kaymer

9:15 a.m. • a-Oliver Goss, F. Molinari

9:25 a.m. • Nick Watney, Thongchai Jaidee

9:35 a.m. • Bill Haas, Thorbjorn Olesen

9:55 a.m. • Ian Poulter, Rickie Fowler

10:05 a.m. • S. Bowditch, Brendon de Jonge

10:15 a.m. • Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose

10:25 a.m. • Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer

10:35 a.m. • Steve Stricker, Larry Mize

10:45 a.m. • Mike Weir, K.J. Choi

10:55 a.m. • Henrik Stenson, Stewart Cink

11:05 a.m. • Lee Westwood, Brandt Snedeker

11:15 a.m. • Louis Oosthuizen, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano

11:35 a.m. • Lucas Glover, Matt Kuchar

11:45 a.m. • Kevin Stadler, Jamie Donaldson

11:55 a.m. • Stephen Gallacher, Russell Henley

12:05 p.m. • Jim Furyk, Kevin Streelman

12:15 p.m. • Fred Couples, Jimmy Walker

12:25 p.m. • Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth

12:35 p.m. • Thomas Bjorn, Jonas Blixt

12:45 p.m. • Bubba Watson, John Senden