BY ARTHUR UTLEY
Media General News Service

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Brett Wetterich is used to getting early morning telephone calls from friends. Wetterich, co-leader with Tim Clark after 36 holes of the Masters tournament, received one of those calls about 1:30 a.m. yesterday.

"I'm the type of person that gets phone calls like that every now and then. My buddies forget that I'm playing at the Masters, and I have to get up at 5:30."

Wetterich was a co-leader after the first round and had an 8:55 a.m. tee time yesterday. He'll be in today's final group with Clark, who was runner-up to Phil Mickelson in last year's Masters. Wetterich, a 33-year-old Ohioan, and Clark, a 31-year-old South African who played college golf at N.C. State, share the lead at 2-under 142, one shot clear of Vaughn Taylor (72).

Justin Rose, the first-round co-leader with Wetterich, posted 75 and is two back at 144 along with Jerry Kelly (69), Vijay Singh (71) and Zach Johnson (73). David Howell (75), Lucas Glover (71) and Padraig Harrington (68) trail by three strokes.

Tiger Woods followed an opening 73 with a 74 that included balls in the water on the 12th and Masters

The cut came at 8-over 152.

Like much of the current leader board, Wetterich lacks experience at the Masters. This is his first. After opening with 3-under 69, he shot 73 yesterday. He made eight consecutive pars (some of the grinding nature), birdied the ninth with a 25-foot putt, then had five more pars. His two bogeys were back-to-back three putts on the 15th and 16th holes.

"I'm definitely playing a little less aggressive than I normally play for sure," Wetterich said. "I'm trying to make as many pars as I can. That's usually not my style."

The more conservative approach is counter how much the course is wearing on the competitors.

"Every shot could cost you a double bogey," he said. "You've really got to pay attention and think about what you're doing."

Clarke, playing in his sixth Masters, began the day 1under and reached 3 under for the tournament with a birdie on the 13th , but he bogeyed the 16th and holed out from off the green at 18 (he holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole last year) to finish with another 71.

"This is a special tournament and very different from any other," Clarke said. "It's really demanding. You're always thinking, always concentrating, and I think that's what makes it so tough. Not only is it physically demanding, it's mentally demanding."

Clarke, who had four birdies yesterday, hasn't been playing much because of a neck injury. Freshness isn't an advantage, he said.

"I came out Monday and really tried to work on my swing again at little bit. You're here at the Masters, the adrenaline is going and for some reason my game always seems to sort of come through."

A leader board without Woods and Mickelson, the winners of the past three Masters, is unusual.

"This course is just playing so tough right now," Clarke said. "If your are a little bit off your game . . . it's going to be tough to score. I don't know beyond what Tiger is on, is he 3-over? That's still very much in the tournament. You don't necessarily have to be on the leader board after two rounds to still be in the tournament."

The top seven names on the leader board may not be loaded with Masters experience, but Wetterich, Taylor and Zach Johnson were members of last year's U.S. Ryder Cup team.

"I think we kind of got a little bit of a hard rap for having for no-name rookies on the team," Taylor said. "I feel like we have something to prove. It's pretty neat to actually see our names up there."

Taylor began the day with a bogey, but got the stroke back with birdie at No. 7. Back-nine bookend bogeys on Nos. 10 and 18 offset consecutive birdies at Nos. 14 and 15.

Contact staff writer Arthur Utley at autley@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6559.