Kirk Triplett briefly had a feel of the coveted green jacket recently. Now he's looking for one to add to his wardrobe.

``I was on the first tee the other day, and the guy was holding up the green jacket and I stuck my arm in it - but it was one of the members','' Triplett said.

Triplett fired a 2-under-par 70 on Friday and stands at 6-under for the Masters Tournament, four shots off Chris DiMarco's pace.

The bucket hat-wearing Triplett won his first tournament last year, the Nissan Open, and ended the year No. 11 on the PGA Tour money list. But he has had a slow start this year.

In eight tournaments, Triplett has two top-20 finishes and failed to make two cuts. He finished tied for 64th in the Bay Hill Invitational three weeks ago and tied for 31st a week later at The Players Championship.

But he seems to have found his game at the right time. Consider that in two previous trips to the Masters, in 1996 and 2000, Triplett's best round was a 75, missing the cut both times.

``This is the first year I've been here when I have not been spending all of my free time on the range trying to find my game,'' he said. ``I feel like I'm playing reasonably well. I told my wife before I left, I said, `I think I can do well this week.'''

Triplett did well in the second round as he dropped a 25-foot bomb for birdie on No. 6. After a birdie on No. 10, he two-putted from 30 feet on No. 13 for birdie. His only mistake came on No. 14, when his tee shot slammed into a tree and he made bogey.

``I made about three or four real nice par-saving putts in that five-, six-, eight-foot range that you have to do around here,'' he said. ``I mean, even if you hit good shots and good putts, you sometimes leave yourself that five-, six-, eight-footer ... You think of the guys that have won. (Nick) Faldo is very good at those kind of putts, and (Ben) Crenshaw. There's just no way to avoid them in major championships. You've just got to be prepared for them.''

Temperatures are expected to be near 90 degrees this weekend, and Triplett says that suits his game. The 39-year-old, who lives in Arizona with his wife and three children, prefers sweat beads to chill bumps.

``I'm from Phoenix, so the warmer it gets, the better,'' he said. ``I'm not young anymore, so when it's warmer, I can stay looser.''