By Rob Hodgetts

No-one could beat Wetterich's clubhouse mark of two under

American Brett Wetterich remains at the top of the Masters leaderboard at the halfway stage after carding a 73 for a two-under-par total at Augusta.

Tied with Justin Rose after day one, he was joined by South African Tim Clark, last year's runner-up, who shot 71.

England's Rose bogeyed 18 for a 75 to slip back to level par while Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie missed the cut.

Tiger Woods fought his way to 74 for three over, while defending champion Phil Mickelson (73) ended five over.

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Interview: Seve Ballesteros

"I turned a 90 into a 74," said Woods. "Yesterday, I let a good round get away and today I salvaged a bad one."

Wetterich, who played on the US Ryder Cup team at the K Club, is trying to become the first debutant Masters winner - and only the fourth in history - since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Clark was second behind Phil Mickelson at Augusta last year

"I don't feel like I shouldn't be out here or shouldn't be at the top of the leaderboard," said Wetterich, who was runner-up to Woods in the tournament before the Masters.

"I wasn't pushing the issue. I made a lot of great par putts and saves. I was trying not to get ahead of myself and I thought I did a pretty good job of that."

Clark, meanwhile, said he is puzzled that his chances of winning at Augusta are not being talked up.

"I'm always a little surprised," said Clark, a three-time winner on the European Tour. "I've had a third at the USPGA, a third at the US Open and a second here. Maybe that will just give me a little more incentive."

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Augusta local Vaughn Taylor finished on his own at one under, while former champion Vijay Singh quietly moved himself into contention with a 71 for level par alongside Americans Jerry Kelly and one-time leader Zach Johnson.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington raced up the leaderboard with a stunning 68, the first of the week, to reach one over with England's David Howell (75), Welshman Bradley Dredge (70) and US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy (70) of Australia.

England's Paul Casey matched Ryder Cup colleague Harrington, and his 68 atoned for an opening 79 to take him to three over with Woods and countryman Luke Donald (74).

In-form Harrington fired the first 68 of the week

A total of 60 players made the cut on eight over, with US veteran Fred Couples squeezing in on the number to equal Gary Player's record of 23 consecutive cuts in the Masters.

But South Africa's Els was one of the big-name casualties.

The three-time major winner slumped to 10 over with rounds of 78 and 76 to miss his first halfway cut in a major since the 1999 US PGA.

Also among those on an early flight home were two-time former champion Tom Watson, who triple-bogeyed the last to slip to nine over, Montgomerie and Sergio Garcia (both 10 over) and Scottish amateur Richie Ramsay (+12).

The 71-year-old Player bowed out of his record-equalling 50th Masters with rounds of 83, 77, while Spanish great Seve Ballesteros, the champion in 1980 and 1983, propped up the field on 22 over after rounds of 86, 80.

Wetterich strung together eight straight pars before a birdie on the ninth took him to four under, the only player to reach that figure all day.

Five more pars kept him ahead before bogeys on 15 and 16 took him back to the pack.

Johnson soon edged past his Ryder Cup team-mate with a birdie on the eighth and he had a birdie putt on the short 16th for a two-shot lead.

Greens were rock hard, fast, spiked up in the evening and so it was very, very difficult out there Justin Rose

But Johnson three-putted and finished with three straight bogeys to slide to level par.

Rose, who was last out on day two, struggled with his putter and missed a host of chances, ending without a single birdie.

On Thursday he took 20 putts and was the only player not to make a bogey.

"I'm happy really - I think," he said. "It was a hard, hard round of golf, way harder than yesterday.

"I think we got the tough end of the draw as it turned out - greens were rock hard, fast, spiked up in the evening and so it was very, very difficult out there.

"I managed to create some birdie opportunities which I didn't make, but to shoot three over and not have a birdie was probably a decent round.

"Obviously I'd like to be one or two better, but that really only matters come Sunday. I'm in a great spot and I would have taken it before the week started."

Asked if it was possible to have fun when the course is playing this hard, Rose said: "Yeah, in a sadistic way.

"I think you've got to enjoy the challenge of it. Take the score out of the equation and just try and deal with everything better than any of your fellow competitors really."