Saturday 9 April 2016 01:31, UK
Jordan Spieth admitted that his second round score was a couple of strokes higher than he was aiming for at Augusta.
The defending champion held a two-stroke lead after the first round but has seen his advantage cut to a single shot following a round of 74, leaving him four under for the tournament.
After two birdies in his first three holes, Spieth double bogeyed the fifth and despite further gains at eight and 15, he twice carded back-to-back bogeys - at nine and 10 and 16 and 17 - and now has Rory McIlroy (-3) breathing down his neck.
"I thought it was it was couple of strokes higher than what I was looking for, I thought even par was a good score today," Spieth told Sky Sports.
"Especially playing 11 and 12, getting two pars there on two of the harder holes on the golf course and being a couple under early, I thought it was a couple higher than the goal.
"It's a bit disappointing in that sense running off but it's pretty much a brand new tournament coming our way the last two rounds."
The 22-year-old American felt that conditions got significantly more difficult as his round progressed and said that he found it difficult to keep a cool head on the back nine.
"Today was my learning experience for the week," said Spieth. "It was really, really tough to hold it together on that back nine.
"Even when I was trying to lag putts, I still had three or four feet, and when the greens are crusty and one hundred people have walked on them that day and they're that fast, it's so difficult even to make those two or three footers.
"It was just a grind on each hole and emotionally that just gets you going a little and it's very difficult to just keeping thinking that it's okay with a smile on your face.
"I think the person who walks the tallest is going to end up winning these next couple of days, I've obviously got Rory, who has proven himself in major championships, right on my heels and a bunch of other major contenders at Augusta."
Amateur Bryson DeChambeau played alongside Spieth and despite a triple bogey seven on the last, finds himself just four shots off the lead, saying he had "no doubt" that he could win the Green Jacket.
"It's not a score you want on the last hole but I just hit a couple of bad drives and that's what led up to it," he said.
"I've been driving the ball good all day, pretty much, and unfortunately I messed up at the last but that's golf. I'm not worried about it, I'm looking forward to the weekend too.
"I've always enjoyed Jordan's company out there and, again, he was a gentleman and I enjoyed it thoroughly out there with him.
"I learnt a lot from him out there I think, patience, being comfortable out there and just going and executing a golf shot - it was quite fun out there.
"It's impossible to know just how much this experience is going to help and I think going forward it'll definitely help, I just don't know how much."
