AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Zach Johnson is accustomed to playing good golf this time of year in the state of Georgia.

His spring success usually comes a couple hours to the west of Augusta National Golf Club, though, at Atlanta's TPC at Sugarloaf.

Johnson won the 2004 BellSouth Classic and finished second there in 2006. With that tournament pushed back to May this year, Johnson is playing well in the Masters Tournament instead.

Johnson was 3-under par through 32 holes and alone in the lead as of 5 p.m. The former Nationwide Tour money winner made three birdies and one bogey on Augusta's first nine Friday to pass 18-hole co-leaders Brett Wetterich and Justin Rose and 2006 Masters runner-up Tim Clark.

That trio, plus Augusta native Vaughn Taylor, are at 2-under par. Wetterich and Clark finished their second rounds early Friday afternoon while Rose and Vaughn were still on the course. Rose teed off in the day's last group at 2:14 p.m.

Jerry Kelly, Vijay Singh and Geoff Ogilvy were three shots back in a tie for sixth place.

Kelly made the day's biggest early move, shooting a 4-under 32 on Augusta National's first nine to move from 3-over after the first round to 1-under through 35 holes. He bogeyed No. 18 to finish at even par.

Singh, the 2000 Masters champion, started his second round at 1-over par. He made two birdies in the first five holes to get to 1-under, and after trading bogeys and birdies later in his round was 1-under through 32 holes. He bogeyed No. 16 to fall to even par.

The leader, Johnson, is playing in his third Masters. He missed the cut in 2005 and finished tied for 32nd last year.

The 31-year-old Iowa native missed only two fairways in his first 27 holes and needed only 42 putts, helping him make seven birdies.

The touranment favorites, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, struggled for the second straight day.

Woods needed a late-round charge just to remain in contention. The four-time Masters champion birdied two of his last four holes to shoot a 2-over-par 74 that left him 3-over for the tournament. He slipped as low as 5-over at one point in the round, bogeying six of the first 12 holes.

He hit his tee shot at the par-3 12th, Augusta National's signature hole, into Rae Creek's, the water hazard fronting the green.

But Woods failed to make bogey or worse over the final six holes, perhaps signaling a weekend rally. Woods has been even-par or worse through 36 holes in six of his 12 Masters appearances. He posted top-25 finishes in four of those tournaments.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson was in danger of missing the cut midway through his second round. He made the turn with a 6-over-par score, one shot in front of the projected cut line. Mickelson shot a 4-over 76 in Thursday's opening round and predicted he would need to shoot 68 Friday to get back in contention.

Other possible cut missers included Rich Beem, who was two shots off the lead following Thursday's first round. Beem was 8-over through 12 holes Friday. Past Masters contenders Chris DiMarco and Chad Campbell also struggled Friday.

The Par-3 contest jinx will continue as well. Wednesday's winner, Mark O'Meara, was 8-over par for the tournament 13 holes into his second round. In 46 years, no player has won the par-3 and the Masters in the same week.