With the exception of Masters Tournament leader Davis Love III, international players handled the longer Augusta National Golf Club course better than anyone from these shores Thursday.

Four of the top five players chasing Love are international players, headed by Sergio Garcia of Spain and Angel Cabrera of Argentina.

The 22-year-old Garcia and the 32-year-old Cabrera are tied for second place after 4-under-par 68s. They trail Love, a resident of Sea Island, Ga., by one shot.

"It's not a surprise because golf is going around the world," Cabrera said. "If you look at what's happened in the past year with the South Africans, particularly Retief Goosen, there are players of absolute quality that are winning around the world."

Seven of the 15 winners on the PGA Tour this season have been international players, including Garcia, winner of the season-opening Mercedes Championship.

The past three winners of PGA Tour events - Goosen last week, preceded by Fiji's Vijay Singh and New Zealand's Craig Perks - are non-Americans.

"The more good international players that come here, the better the level is," Garcia said. "You know, that's what's showing right now."

Thursday's score was nothing new for Cabrera, who was also in second place after the first round of the Masters last year. He had a 66 and eventually finished tied for 10th place.

"It helps having success here last year," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "In terms of the more you play it, the more you get to know the golf course and the more you understand it."

On the other hand, the 68 was a breakthrough round for Garcia, whose previous low round in three Masters appearances had been 70. His best finish is a tie for 38th, in 1999. He missed the cut last year.

"I actually feel like I played better than what I've scored here," said Garcia. "I've always said in major championships, you've got to play well, but you've got to be a little lucky. Unfortunately, I don't think I've been real lucky in this tournament."

Garcia, who is ranked fifth in the World Golf Ranking, took full advantage of the par-5s Thursday. He birdied all four of them, to go with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17. His bogeys came on Nos. 14 and 18.

Cabrera birdied all the par-5s with the exception of No. 2. His other birdies were on Nos. 7 and 12. He made one bogey, on No. 11.

Both players took advantage of their length off the tee at Augusta National, which has been lengthened by 285 yards this season. Cabrera ranked second in driving distance at 312 yards, and Garcia was 18th with an average of 295.5.

"It helps," Cabrera said of his power off the tee, "but this golf course is not necessarily a golf course where long is imperative. It's really a golf course of patience and a golf course with the emphasis of placing it with patience."

The long drives set up shorter approach shots to the greens for Cabrera and Garcia, who each hit 13 of the 18 greens in regulation.