Jimenez hangs around Masters lead with 72

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Miguel Angel Jimenez, whose best finish in 13 previous Masters is a tie for eighth in 2008, is in contention at 3-under after rounds of 69 and 72. He's two shots behind Fred Couples and Jason Dufner.
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Miguel Angel Jimenez chips to the 15th green during Friday's second round of the 2012 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

It’s not like the Masters Tournament needs a boxing-style promotion, but Miguel Angel Jimenez seems up to the task.

The 48-year-old Spaniard considered the prospect of challenging for the title against 52-year-old Fred Couples, the co-leader after Friday’s second round at 5-under 139.

“A nice final, no? The two old guys of the tournament here fighting on a Sunday,” Jimenez said as he lit a cigar.

Jimenez, whose best finish in 13 previous Masters is a tie for eighth in 2008, is in contention at 3-under after rounds of 69 and 72. He’s two shots behind Couples and Jason Dufner.

“Two shots is fine. Two shots is not far away,” he said. “You know there’s going to be a lot of tension here, lot of drama here.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen on the weekend,” he continued. “That’s the way I like it.”

Jimenez put himself on the leaderboard with four birdies and one bogey Thursday. He acknowledged he didn’t play as well on Friday, with birdies at Nos. 2, 7 and 13, and bogeys at Nos. 1, 11 and 15. But he didn’t seem distressed.

“It’s not bad today,” he said. “My tee shot is not as good as yesterday. That makes a lot of difference in play from the middle of the fairways to the greens. … You are not in the right spot.

“I never let down myself. I had good concentration, good focus. That’s what I do.”

He’s not alone in that quality as he tries to work his way up the leaderboard Saturday and Sunday.

“The people here are very good players,” Jimenez said. “They did well, the top players. It’s going to be a very intense weekend.”