Mark Hensby feels a little pressure representing his home country in the Masters Tournament.

He is, after all, making his first appearance at Augusta National Golf Club, and he's trying to do what no one else from Australia has done.

"I think there's so much hype on it - that no Australian's ever won it - and that makes it more difficult coming down Saturday and Sunday," Hensby said Friday after play was suspended because of dangerous weather conditions. "But you know, if you can put all that aside, anybody's got a chance."

Maybe even a Masters rookie such as Hensby - who shot 69 in the first round and is even par after seven holes in the second round - can end the heartache that the entire country felt in 1986, '87, '96 and '99 when Greg Norman let the green jacket slip off his shoulders.

Hensby is one of five Australians who ended their day Friday in the top 25 and one of eight Australians in the field. Hensby and Stuart Appleby are tied for fifth place at 3-under to lead their countrymen.

Appleby also opened with 69 - a Masters low for the nine-time participant - in the first round and had just started his second round at No. 10 when officials pulled the golfers off the course. His best finish is a tie for 21st in 1997, which was his first appearance. He tied for 22nd last year and has made the cut only three times in eight tries.

"I'm playing much better than I've played here before," Appleby said. "My record here has been pretty ordinary and disappointing to say the least."

Adam Scott is two shots behind Appleby and Hensby at 1-under par through one round. He was one of 15 golfers who did not finish a hole in the second round.

Rod Pampling and Craig Parry are tied for 14th with 10 others at even par. Pampling shot 73 in the first round and was 1-under par through seven holes in the second round. Parry shot 72 in the first and made par on No. 1, which was the only hole he finished.

First-timer Nick O'Hern was even after the first round, but a bogey on No. 12 left him at 1-over. He's tied for 26th and leading former Masters champions Mike Weir, Tiger Woods and Bernhard Langer by one stroke.

O'Hern is one of four left-handed golfers in the field - Weir, Phil Mickelson and Steve Flesch are the others. Weir (2003) and Mickelson (2004) have won the past two Masters after no lefties had won in the previous 66 years.

"You can read into it whatever you want," O'Hern said of the talk that another lefty will win this year. "It's just nice to be playing here."

Peter Lonard, at 4-over par, is narrowly on pace to make the cut after shooting 75 in the first round and 1-over par through his first three holes in the second round.

The final Australian in the field, Robert Allenby, is 5-over-par after 21 holes. Allenby is even through his first three holes in the second round.

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.