Wind gusts up to 35 mph weren't the only distraction golfers faced in Friday's second round of the Masters.

Because play had been suspended from the previous day, 10 golfers had to go back to Augusta National at 7:30 Friday morning to complete their first rounds.

That, in turn, led to Masters officials opting to send groups off in threesomes for the second round, the first time that has happened since 1983. And that caused delays of several minutes on some holes, particularly for the later pairings of the day.

``Honestly, I didn't like playing in threesomes here because you're used to playing in a flow and there was no flow in the round today,'' defending champion Tiger Woods said. ``We had to wait at practically every single shot. We had huge backups. We had backups on No. 2, 13 ... I mean, you just name it.''

Play was delayed 90 minutes for Thursday's opening round after severe storms hit Augusta on Wednesday night. The first round of the tournament, like Friday, was marked by gusty winds and difficult scoring conditions.

Rounds of more than five hours were not uncommon, which didn't sit well with Colin Montgomerie. After opening with a 71, the Scot posted a 75 on Friday.

``It took five hours and 9 minutes -- that's a long time to play golf,'' Montgomerie said.

However, Fred Couples, who is tied with David Duval for the 36-hole lead, favored the pairings.

``You know, actually, if anything, on a day like today it may have helped because you're playing with one other guy,'' he said. ``You're seeing what one other guy's doing.''

Although players can't come right out and ask what club another player is hitting, sharing or scoping out information is routine. U.S. Golf Association rules stipulate that you can't give advice on the course.

A player hitting last, for instance, might have a better idea of what club to use after seeing his playing partners in action.

Couples did agree that play was slow. In the last group of the day, he didn't get finished until 7:30 p.m., well over five hours from his tee time.

``The pace of play was a little slow, although I don't know when we finished,'' he said. ``We got off to a very slow start. That's a long day.''

But for Woods, who shot a 72 to fall four strokes off the pace, the delays had a negative impact.

``You're trying to keep some kind of momentum going and trying to get into a rhythm because conditions are saying you can't get into a rhythm because they are so difficult,'' he said. ``On top of that, you've got to wait and wait and wait. That throws off your rhythm, your timing. Sometimes you can even go into mental lapses without batting an eye.''