Bubba Watson after making a birdie putt on the 14th green during the second round of the 2014 Masters. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty  The golf course that thinks of everything presumably has a Kleenex delivery on standby. We may be only a matter of 36 holes away from another blubbing Bubba Watson victory press conference at Augusta National.  The 78th Masters had ambled along before Watson reached the back nine on Friday. From there, the man who cavorts around Florida in a bulletproof truck proved to be virtually the same himself.  Watson picked up shots at the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th to reach eight under par. That final birdie, on one of many holes where the pin placement was treacherous, came with a tap-in after a tee shot which for a millisecond looked like it could result in an ace.  More was to come, courtesy of a glorious chip on to the 18th green after Watson had missed the putting surface left with a wayward second shot. There was still time to carelessly miss a par putt and a have quick whine at his caddie before signing for a 68. Who needs Tiger Woods when such box office golf is on display? Watson took a bogey five at the 9th on Friday; it was his first scorecard blemish of this Masters.  Watson is not everyone's cup of tea and understandably so. He can turn golf tournaments into a circus, as anyone who witnessed the whooping and hollering nonsense that provided a backdrop to his last Ryder Cup appearance can testify. His tears become tiresome after a while. He is 35, after all.  Still, Watson is constantly eye-catching. This is a player who has never had a coach or a lesson, who can fly a 9-iron 185 yards. He did precisely that, twice, during round two.  Most importantly, in the context of this event, he has the level of talent which befits a former winner at Augusta and a preferred left-hander's cut from the tee which suits the course perfectly.  Crossing a psychological barrier, courtesy of a play-off victory over Louis Oosthuizen two years ago, also hands Watson an Augusta advantage. When Watson returned in 2013, he seemed to regard the title of the defending champion as a burden and missed the cut. The whole of last season, in truth, was one of disappointment.  "I could enjoy Champions' Dinner this time and listen to some of the stories," Watson said. "I was in awe when I was a champion, when it was my dinner. You know you're sitting there among the great champions. This year I got to be just a bystander, one of the guys.  "My year, my career was complete after that win. So obviously I was going to have a hangover. I have never been drunk before, but a hangover from the Green Jacket."  Watson's pre-Masters 2014 form was not properly recognised. He has tied for second at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and the Phoenix Open. He won the Northern Trust Open.  The only element of doubt over Watson's Masters challenge appeared when he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after one round, citing allergies. Either a score of 83 was the pertinent factor there, or Watson has discovered some decent antihistamines in Georgia.  At seven under, on a course which is providing a serious test, Watson is just two strokes short of the score which made a play-off last year. A year earlier, Watson and Oosthuizen reached minus-10 after 72 holes. Basically, anything under par from here on will make Watson extremely difficult to catch. Watson has John Senden, at four under, as his closest pursuer before round three begins.  For a spell on Friday, Watson once again had Oosthuizen for leaderboard company but the South African's day unravelled at the 15th, where he took eight after finding water.  Adam Scott, who had opened with a 69 on Thursday, rapidly disappeared from view, bogeying three of his first five holes. In a comedic, but potentially serious incident, Scott was almost struck on the head when standing on the 5th tee after Rory McIlroy zoomed a wayward five-wood way over the 4th green. The affair rather summed up a traumatic day for McIlroy, who now needs snookers to win from plus four.  Scott recovered typically well, closing at three under courtesy of a 72. The Australian is clinging on to that Green Jacket.  Thomas Bjorn has underperformed at Augusta in 10 visits but is enjoying an upturn in fortunes that will almost certainly result in him representing Europe against the United States in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September. Bjorn, at three under after a second-round 68, has his eyes fixed on a wardrobe addition for now.  "So I tried to do the right things and I executed them well," said Bjorn. "It's right up there with my best rounds at Augusta."  Jordan Spieth sits with Bjorn, Scott and Jonas Blixt on three under par. Spieth's superb approach shot to the last sealed a 70.  The British challenge is led by Stephen Gallacher and Jamie Donaldson, who are six shots adrift of the leader.
Ewan Murray: Watson, the 2012 Master victor, hit a scintillating four-under-par round on Augusta's second day to go seven under for the tournament