The Biggest Surprises from Day 2 at the 2013 Masters

Surprises are always part of a major championship. Players who have not shown championship form coming into a major have always found a way to put a good round or two together to stir things up.

And players who seemed primed to make a run at a major fall off, making fans shake their head.

Falls from grace, rises to the top; it's all part of the game.

One thing that never ceases to amaze is Fred Couples finding his way to the top of the leaderboard. That's the case again this weekend, as the 53-year-old is just a shot off the lead.

Here's a list of the 10 biggest surprises from the second round of the Masters.

10. Hunter Mahan Plays Poorly

Hunter Mahan has had a very good start to his 2013 season, posting seven top-25 finishes in nine starts.

He finished second in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, but did miss the cut in his last start, the Shell Houston Open.

He hasn't exactly lit up Augusta National with three miserable and three mediocre finishes.

Put the 76-82 he managed this week in the miserable category.

9. Former Masters Champion Angel Cabrera Plays Well in Majors

It's been a while since we've heard much about Angel Cabrera and his golf game.

His two wins on the PGA Tour are the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont and the playoff victory in the 2009 Masters.

In between, he's been very quiet.

But there he is, posting rounds of 71-69 and putting himself just two shots back of the lead heading into the third round.

8. John Senden Secures Spot High on Leaderboard

 In three previous Masters, 42-year-old John Senden has posted finishes of 71st, 49th and 63rd.

This is a guy who had missed two of his last three cuts on the PGA Tour and has posted only one top-25 finish in 2013.

He stumbled down the stretch with bogeys on 16 and 17 Friday, and that could signal even tougher times for the weekend.

7. Jim Furyk Gets Bitten Again

Jim Furyk didn’t shoot himself out of the tournament, but when his approach shot on the par-five 15th splashed down short of the green, his streak of late-round breakdowns in big tournaments was lengthened by one.

After snap-hooking a tee shot on the 16th at Olympic Club in the U.S. Open last year, melting down on the 72nd green at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and missing a couple of key putts in the Ryder Cup, the hope was he’d turn things around this year.

It was only Friday, but that shot had to bring back some bad memories.

6. Keegan Bradley’s Step Up to Contention in a Major Doesn't Happen

Keegan Bradley’s ascension up the ladder of professional golf was expected to continue with him contending in the Masters.

His length off the tee, grittiness on the green and competitive fire figured to be a big bonus this week.

He’s not out of it, but a pair of 73s have him eight shots behind Jason Day going into the third round.

Not exactly in a contending position.

5. Dustin Johnson Implodes on the Last Five Holes

The expectation was that Dustin Johnson had matured as a golfer and would learn how to avoid the mental and physical mistakes that ruined his chances for victories in the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

He took a three-shot lead into the final round at Pebble Beach, made some bad decisions early and shot an 82.

He missed out on a playoff in the PGA by a single shot after receiving a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker.

He was actually considered a serious contender in the Masters.

Obviously, there are still some lessons to be learned after he finished the second round at the Masters with bogey, double bogey, par, bogey, double bogey.

That took him from seven-under par to a tie for 20th place at one-under par.

4. Phil Mickelson Shoots Himself into Tough Spot

If Phil Mickelson was trying to talk himself into playing better by complaining about the slowness of the greens on Thursday, it didn’t work.

After opening with a 71 Thursday, Mickelson shot a four-over 76 on Friday.

Mickelson is always a wild card because no one is ever sure how he’s going to play.

Mickelson’s round Friday was his worst since his final round of 2007. It will be an uphill climb for a fourth green jacket.

3. That Anybody Would Be Surprised Sergio Garcia Shot 76

Sergio Garcia posted a score 10 shots higher Friday than he did Thursday (66-76).

He has turned out to be one of those talented, creative, tortured souls who is capable of great things but is also apt to go far off the grid, as he has done over the last several years.

With him, especially in major championships, it’s like waiting for a train wreck.

He didn’t shoot himself out of the tournament in the second round.

The question is: How does he rebound on Saturday?

2. Marc Leishman Hangs on to the Lead

Marc Leishman had one previous appearance in the Masters and that was a missed cut in 2010.

There was nothing to indicate he would be able to put up rounds of 66-73 and be tied for second at the halfway point with a five-under par.

He had missed the cut in his last two starts and had only one top-10 finish in nine PGA Tour starts this year.

One of the biggest surprises of the day.

1. Tianlang Guan Gets Penalized

With professional golf suffering through a plague of slow play, it’s incredible that 14-year-old Tianlang Guan was hit with a penalty shot on the 17th hole.

I completely understand that rules are meant to be enforced, but can’t understand why rules officials chose to penalize a youngster who was in the process of making Masters history.

Couldn’t they have made an exception with an eighth grader trying to make his way around a wind-swept, difficult golf course?