Couples back in contention

Fred Couples, two days away from his 45th birthday, burst back into contention for the American Express world championship at Mount Juliet today.

On a foul wet and windy morning in Co Kilkenny – conditions brightened up for the leaders – Couples fired a five six under par 67.

Having been joint 53rd of the 68 players after his opening 73, the former Masters champion climbed to a stroke off the lead before three-putting the last for a bogey five.

And as he did that world number three Ernie Els completed a magical start of four successive birdies and went from 16th into a one-shot advantage at seven under.

American Brad Faxon and Australian Peter Lonard were on six under along with overnight pacesetter Todd Hamilton – the Open champion had yet to resume – and Couples’ late slip on the hole he double-bogeyed yesterday had dropped him back to joint 12th.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, looked a lot healthier than he had 24 hours earlier, but was unable to repeat his birdie-birdie start of the first round.

Woods, clearly responding to treatment for his back problem, missed the fairway and the green at the first and needed a superb chip just to rescue his par.

It kept him at four under alongside Couples and he also parred the second.

By then the sun was shining and the wind was dropping, but earlier, in the worst of the weather, Darren Clarke began with three straight bogeys and Ryder Cup team-mate Paul McGinley did worse. He bogeyed the first two and then double-bogeyed the dangerous short third.

Both were in the lake, but Clarke got up and down from the drop zone. They were down on level par, Clarke after 15 holes and McGinley after eight.

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee holed-in-one at the 169-yard 11th – but had gone to the turn in 41 and was still only two over.

That 41 was not the worst. American Ryder Cup player Chad Campbell had three double bogeys in his outward 43 and slumped to five over.