IN DETENTION: 14-year-old Chinese golfer Tianlang Guan, leaving the second green yesterday at Augusta National, received a one-stroke penalty for slow play in the second round. (UPI)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — After a postcard-perfect opening-round Thursday had players sashaying around the venerable course as if they were strolling around a park without a worry in the world, the diabolical, unpredictable winds swirled around Augusta National yesterday and the world’s best players flinched.
“The golf course won today,’’ Fred Couples said.
When the nearly 12 hours of stress were over in a second round that lasted nearly 40 minutes longer than the first, Australia’s Jason Day emerged as the 36-hole leader at 6-under par after shooting 68. He owns a precarious one-shot lead over the 53-year-old Couples and fellow Aussie Marc Leishman, who took a share of the first-round lead into the day.
Former Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker are two shots back at 4-under par.
Day, who finished runner-up in 2011, is trying to become the first Australian player to win the Masters. He was forced to withdraw from last year’s Masters with a foot injury after shooting 73 in the first round.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders with no Australian having ever won,’’ he said. “I’ve got to get that out of my mind and play away. It just feels like every shot is the biggest shot you’ve ever hit in your life out there. It’s very difficult. I’m just glad to be in the clubhouse right now.
“Not many people get to say they’ve had the lead at the Masters, so I’m just looking forward to the challenge over the weekend. It’s really exciting that I have the opportunity to win the Masters. I’m very, very happy where I am right now.’’
Early in the day it looked like Dustin Johnson was going to seize control, standing on the 14th tee leading the tournament at 7-under par. But he threw away five shots on the last five holes to fade from contention.
Then it was Tiger Woods’ turn.
Woods stood on the 13th tee at 5-under par with two par-5s still to play (Nos. 13 and 15) and appeared poised to take the lead into the weekend. But he stumbled home — albeit with a slap in the face of bad luck — and failed to close with the lead.
Woods, who shot 71 and is 3-under, missed a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 13 and then, on No. 15, his third shot hit the flag stick and bounded back into Rae’s Creek, leaving him with an undeserved bogey.
Another bogey on 18 left Woods muttering to himself on the way off the green and wondering if his missed opportunities might cost him come Sunday night.
“I thought I played really well — a round that should have been in the 60s,’’ Woods said. “My score doesn’t indicate how well I played. I really played well — especially when the wind was picking up and swirling all over the place.’’
Woods said he “felt like it was a pretty good shot’’ to the 15th green.
“I was pretty pissed,’’ he said. “It was looking like I’m making birdie and now I’ve got to struggle and grind not to drop two shots.’’
While this was taking place, there was controversy simmering beneath the surface of the leaderboard due to the one-shot penalty for slow play assessed to 14-year-old amateur sensation Tianlang Guan, who was forced to sweat out a stressful afternoon of waiting to see if he would make the cut.
Guan, who tournament officials said was warned multiple times, was assessed the penalty as he walked to the 17th green, where his par 4 was turned into a 5 and ultimately left him at 4-over par for the tournament.
That left Guan sweating it out until nearly 8 p.m. to see if he would make the cut. It wasn’t until Day, playing in the final group, failed to birdie the 18th hole that Guan was in for the weekend.
“I’m sick; I’m sick for him,’’ said two-time Masters winner Ben Crenshaw, who played with Guan. “I’m so sorry this has happened. This isn’t going to end up pretty.”
Fortunately for Guan and the tournament officials, who would have faced a lambasting had that penalty shot kept Guan from making the cut, it didn’t turn out as ugly as it could have.
mark.cannizzaro
@nypost.com