Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh both said it's strange territory to shoot 1-under-par 71 and still move into contention at the Masters Tournament.

Jim Furyk crouches to check his line on a putt on the second green during the second round. He missed only two greens and two fairways but needed 33 putts. "I need to convert more of these (birdie) chances," Furyk said. (Michael Holahan/Staff)

The two veterans, who live near each other in the PGA Tour's home city of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., found themselves in that situation after Friday's second round at Augusta National Golf Club. Singh made four birdies to help weather three bogeys and finished at even-par 144 in a tie for fourth, two shots behind co-leaders Brett Wetterich and Tim Clark.

Furyk made only one bogey and birdied Nos. 14 and 16 to finish at 2-over 146 and in 14th, four shots behind.

"Hey, I'm within earshot (of the leaders)," Furyk said. "It's a different experience to be in the thick of it with only three birdies in two days. I'm going to have to knock some putts in sometime this weekend."

Singh said he knew the course was going to play difficult when a forecast for rain earlier in the week didn't pan out.

"When we didn't get rain on Wednesday, we knew the course would be very hard," the 2000 Masters champion said. "The greens will be very difficult on the weekend. Even-par is looking pretty good."

Vijay Singh hit his drive off the No. 1 tee into a fairway bunker Friday but ended the second round with four birdies. (Chris Thelen/Staff)

But such is life this week at Augusta National, where the combination of dry, cool conditions and course changes over the past half-decade have combined to put some teeth back into the course.

Furyk, a 12-time PGA Tour winner whose best finish at the Masters has been fourth in 1998 and 2003, parred his first 11 holes Friday, three-putted for bogey at the par-3 12th hole, then made birdie putts of eight feet at No. 14 and 12 feet at No. 16.

He missed only two greens and two fairways but needed 33 putts.

"I hit a lot of greens, but I didn't putt very well," he said. "Honestly, I don't think I can strike the ball as well as I did today. I need to convert more of these (birdie) chances."

Singh, a two-time Tour winner this season and the FedEx Cup points leader, made a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-4 14th that got him within one shot of the lead at the time. He gave it back with a bogey at No. 16 and two-putted for par on his last two holes.

"I'm playing very solid golf," he said. "I'm hitting it decent and putting well."

Reach Garry Smits at garry.smits@jacksonville.com.