But Couples, four months older than the Golden Bear was when he took his 18th and final major at the age of 46, is playing down his prospects.

"I don't play great golf a lot," said the 1992 champion. "I do it every now and then."

It is only last July, though, that Couples finished third in the Open at St Andrews and he was guaranteed massive support today when he resumed at Augusta in joint second place three behind Chad Campbell.

"I feel very good on this course. Although I am not an incredibly good putter I feel like I am a very good lag putter and you have to do that here.

"But I am not going to be disappointed if I don't play well. By lengthening the course they have helped me, but I still have to go out and hit the ball.

"It does not help me if I am playing it from the shrubs!"

Couples rates 31-year-old Campbell "a great, great player", but added: "It's hard to play with a lead here."

Especially with the quality of the chasing pack.

Tiger Woods has five shots to make up in 10th place and among those he has to get past as well as Campbell and Couples are Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh.

Not only that, but the defending champion was paired with in-form Retief Goosen on Saturday.

"I am one under and I am 10th. That just goes to show that the course set-up is difficult. The wind has been swirling, but overall it's fair.

"I have never been a proponent of tournaments where you have got to shoot 20 or 30 under to win. I enjoy tournaments where if you shoot in the 60s you have earned it and you are going to move up the board.

"That's what major championships are all about."

Woods has won 10 of them, of course, but in every one of those he has held at least a share of the lead going into the final day.

To do that now was going to take a spectacular charge today - assuming there was play in between the predicted thunderstorms.

Campbell, whose wife Amy is a singer, said: "It's special to be leading after two rounds. Obviously my goal is to be leading after four.

"I get excited just coming here each year. My first couple of years, even last year, I was definitely pretty nervous and could not relax, worried about hitting in the wrong place.

"But I don't worry about it so much now because everybody is going to miss it in the wrong place some time or another."