AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) -- Thomas Bjorn was thinking only about making the cut when he teed off at the Masters on Friday. Five holes later, he had bigger goals in mind.

Bjorn set a Masters record with five straight birdies to open his round. Ken Venturi (1956) and Paul Harney (1968) held the previous record of four.

"A couple times a year, you get on a streak like that," Bjorn said. "But hardly ever at the start of a round, and never on a course like this. It was almost too easy."

Yet clearly, it was not a normal day for Bjorn or his threesome. Despite his torrid start, he didn't even shoot the best score in his group. Bjorn went 5-under-par 67 to finish the second round at 3 under, while playing partner Vijay Singh shot 65 to take the lead.

"He did at the end what I was doing at the start," Bjorn said.

A regular on the European PGA Tour, Bjorn needed something special Friday because he opened the tournament with a 74. He was upset because he didn't think he played that poorly.

He also made three birdies in a row on Nos. 12-14.

"Today was nice, good, proper golf," Bjorn said. "I got what I deserved, and that was important."

Couples' comeback

Fred Couples, who is pitching a new series of tournaments for major winners, played like he belonged in a real major Friday.

With a string of three birdies on Nos. 15-17, the 42-year-old Couples salvaged a round of 73 to finish two days at 2 over. On the 10th anniversary of his Masters title, Couples was poised to improve to 18-for-18 when it comes to making the cut at Augusta.

Play was halted because of rain Friday afternoon with 38 of 87 players yet to complete the second round.

The projected cut is 3 over.

"Now that I'm slowing down a little, it's a big factor to make the cut," Couples said. "But truly, I had bigger plans coming here, because I feel this course really fits my game."

Couples, among the kings of racking up nonofficial money during the silly season, has been met largely with scorn for trying to promote a tour that would feature up to 12 tournaments, and would be exclusively for major winners 37 and older.

Asked how he felt about the idea Friday, Couples responded: "I don't want to go there today. This IS a major."

Sloppy grounds

At Augusta National, where all the holes have names, No. 8 goes by "Yellow Jasmine."

Fred Couples had a better idea: "A River Runs Through It."

On a soggy day in Augusta, the players who teed off earliest got the worst of the deal. Among the wettest scenes were the trickling stream running across the eighth fairway, and puddles of standing water on the fifth green that had to be squeegeed away between groups.

"It was pretty much over the line -- unplayable," Stewart Cink said. "When you have standing water on the green, that is above and beyond what we should do in a major championship."

Sandy Lyle said he waited 20 minutes for the water removal on No. 5.

Miguel Jimenez said he needed one or two more clubs on every hole to make up for the heavy air and total lack of roll.

Brad Faxon thought the fairways that were renovated in the offseason changes had a tougher time draining than the ones that weren't.

"Every hole, if you didn't hit it on the high spots, you're taking the drop," Robert Allenby said.

To avoid hitting out of puddles, Davis Love III dropped on three of the first five fairways.

Couples started giving tournament officials a hard time while he waited on No. 5, but to no avail.

"It's the Augusta guys who stop it, and they weren't there," he said.

Price's good bounces

Nick Price appeared to be in trouble when he hooked his tee shot on No. 7 into the trees and the gallery. But he got a lucky -- and crazy -- bounce. The ball hit a man in the shoulder, then went over the shoulder of a woman and into the hood of her jacket.

Price was entitled to a free drop.

"Would you walk over here to the fairway, please?" Price asked the woman, Lori Mitchell-Keller.

It didn't help Price in the end. He hit short of the green, then dumped it in the bunker and had to make a 4-foot putt for bogey.

An even more bizarre bounce happened to Angel Cabrera on the par-5 13th.

His ball went into the shallow tributary of Rae's Creek in front of the green, ricocheted off a patch of gravel and onto the green. He two-putted for birdie.

DIVOTS: Vijay Singh and Thomas Bjorn combined for a best-ball score of 59. ... Rounds were averaging a tedious 5 1/2 hours. "It's because of the conditions, and because this is a major," Mike Weir said. "Guys definitely want to take their time." ... Davis Love III, the first-round leader, brushed off reporters after shooting 75. John Daly did the same after a 73. ... One of the worst decisions by Colin Montgomerie was wearing black clothing for the 1994 U.S. Open playoff at Oakmont, a day when temperatures were over 100. His wife didn't fare much better on a soggy, muddy day at the Masters. Eimear Montgomerie was dressed in white from head to toe.