Charles Howell soars up leaderboard in Round 2

Charles Howell is playing in his ninth Masters; he’s no stranger to the tricks of Augusta National Golf Club.

But even his familiarity with the course doesn’t always play to his advantage. Nonetheless, when he tapped in for par on No. 18 on Friday, he signed for a 5-under-par 67, – his lowest Masters round – and cemented a tie for 12th place after two days.

“I felt a little more comfortable out there today than I have in the past, not that any day at Augusta National do you feel greatly comfortable. But yeah, I felt, for whatever reason – maybe it’s the time, maybe it’s my age now, I don’t know – but hopefully I feel that way on the weekend,” the Augusta native said. “You never know how the emotions are going to react. It was my lowest round out here ever and it’s my favorite golf tournament, so to do it felt pretty great.”

Following Thursday’s frustrating finish, Howell knew he needed a much better outing if he not only wanted to make the cut, but compete with the leaders.

PHOTOS: Friday's second round at Augusta

He accomplished that, starting with a birdie on No. 2 to get back to even par for the tournament. From there, he offset one bogey on No. 11 with three other first-nine birdies and an eagle on No. 13.

“I don’t know a better hole to make an eagle on than that one," Howell said. 

Howell improved in nearly every part of his game Friday. He hit 16 greens in regulation and 12 of 14 fairways.

He did putt 31 times, including three on the 11th for his bogey. But he didn't need any putts on No. 5, chipping in for a rare birdie on the toughest hole on the course.

"It wasn’t the hardest of chips, but it was still something like that to get some momentum going,” Howell said.

Howell's best finish at the Masters came in 2004, when he tied for 13th.

Now, it’s about not riding the high from Friday’s round too long. Howell didn’t get too high when he knocked in the eagle, and he certainly won’t let his focus get away ahead of the weekend.

“I don’t think the nerves ever go away, and I don’t think I ever really want them to go away. I’m lucky enough to play golf for a living at a venue like this, holy cow, I don’t know how it gets much better,” he said. “That’s one of the things that makes this place so special. It’s not only being local. It’s still the Masters, and everybody on the grounds knows how special it is.”