Luke Donald equalled the lowest round of his Masters Tournament career - and while it did not compare to what Rory McIlroy did in the first round it kept the World Number Four's hopes of a first Major title alive.
After recovering from three over par after ten holes to open with a level par 72 Donald added a 68 to stand four under at the halfway mark in Augusta National.
That was six adrift of his 21 year old Ryder Cup teammate, but McIlroy - two ahead of Korean K J Choi - still had the back nine to come.
"I'm in a good position," said Donald, winner of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play title in Arizona in February and with a chance to take the World Number One spot off German Martin Kaymer this weekend.
"I think I've played enough here to know you can get on some runs and fortunately that happened.
"I didn't make a great start, but I certainly didn't panic."
As for McIlroy being in the lead Donald added: "It's early days. The weekend's only going to get tougher."
Donald was playing with 51 year old Fred Couples, who did even better than him on the first two days with a five under aggregate that put him in joint fourth spot with fellow American Ricky Barnes and Choi's compatriot Y E Yang.
"He's very impressive," said the Englishman.
"He's still got it - he's straight and long and he doesn't make too many mistakes."
Couples led last year after starting with a 66 and finished sixth.
McIlroy had still to record a bogey in the event after 27 holes, picking up further birdies on the second and fifth to go with his dazzling opening 65 and then hitting his approach to within five feet of the flag at the 460 yard ninth.
Spain's big-hitter Alvaro Quiros had been joint leader overnight, but a double bogey five on the short 12th set him back. He went into the back bunker and failed to get out first time.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods had still to make their presence felt.
Mickelson's chances of a successful defence and a fourth Green Jacket in eight years were hit by three bogeys in four holes from the third.
In typical fashion the tournament favourite, a winner in Houston on Sunday, then birdied three of the next four, but he bogeyed the 11th after failing to find the green for the second day in a row and missed out on birdie chances at the 13th and 15th, Augusta National's two par fives on the inward half.
All that meant he was two under with two to play and in a tie for 19th.
Woods teed off again one further back and a birdie at the long second was sandwiched between two bogeys to leave him level par and joint 34th.
It is only the top 44 and ties who qualify for the final 36 holes, plus anybody within ten strokes of the lead. McIlroy could have a great say in where the axe fell as a result.
Ian Poulter made a ten foot birdie putt on the last for a 69 that lifted him from two over to one under, but dropping four shots in the last four holes of his opening 74 had left him with a mountain to climb.
World Number Two Lee Westwood, last year's runner-up to Mickelson, was among the last players out and was one under after six, while US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, partnering Woods again, birdied the second to be one over.
Choi three-putted the last for a 70 and seven under total. It put McIlroy three ahead and he had a chance to improve that to four, but missed from six feet at the tenth.
Mickelson parred the last seven holes for a 72 and two under aggregate, then said: "I left too many shots out there.
"I had six up and downs that were not hard and I didn't make them. Fortunately I am not in that bad a position and I can get back in it, but I can't afford this weekend to leave those shots out there.
"These next two days are my favourite two days of the year and you can make up a lot of ground."
Woods mixed two birdies with two bogeys in the first six to be one under and when he three-putted the seventh for another dropped shot he was in 36th place.
McDowell's bogey at the sixth took him back to two over and in more trouble, but Westwood was two under after eight.
McIlroy did well to avoid his first bogey on the 11th, his drive hitting a tree and coming out on the fairway and then his second - much longer as a result - skirting the pond.
But finding the bunker short of the 12th green did cost him a shot and at nine under he led by two from Choi and by three from Australian Geoff Ogilvy and Quiros, who birdied the last for a 73.
Fisher did the same and with a 71 joined Donald in eighth place on four under, while Woods got it back to one under with a chip to five feet at the 570 yard eighth.
