Rose nipped!

Justin Rose at Augusta Masters yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Justin Rose opened with four bogeys in the first seven holes and saw his Masters lead shrink to one stroke as he made the turn in Friday's second round at Augusta National.

The Englishman, twice a Masters runner-up, fired his lowest round in 59 tours at Augusta with a seven-under par 65 on Thursday to lead by four, matching the largest 18-hole Masters edge since 1941. But reigning Olympic champion Rose, whose only major title came at the 2013 US Open, stumbled badly in early cool and overcast conditions Friday. Rose found trees to the right off the first tee on his way to an opening bogey for the second consecutive day. At the 575-yard par-5 second, Rose chipped his third shot within three feet of the cup and rolled in the birdie putt.

Trouble returned, however, with bogeys at the par-3 fourth and sixth and par-4 seventh holes. On four, Rose was short of the green and his putt up a rise barely clung to the top edge. From there he putted to three feet and found the right side of the cup for bogey.

At six, Rose missed the upper tier of the green and his second shot rolled back to him. He sank an eight-footer to rescue bogey. At seven, Rose sent his approach into a greenside bunker and missed a 15-foot par putt, rescuing bogey from five feet to stand on 4-under, keeping his outright lead only thanks to a bogey moments earlier by Austrian Bernd Wiesberger at the par-3 12th. Wiesberger shared second on 3-under with Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and American Brian Harman.

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