Hardy round puts Justin Harding in Masters contention

Not even a bogey on No. 18 could erase the smile from the face of Justin Harding.

“I probably will sleep better not sitting on the lead,” Harding said.

The 33-year-old South African, playing in his first Masters Tournament, backed up Thursday’s opening 69 with an identical 69 on Friday, leaving him at 6-under and a stroke out of the lead when he departed the course.

Harding opened Friday with 11 straight pars, then went on a birdie binge, stringing together four in a row on Nos. 12-15.

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“The front nine was a struggle,” Harding said. “I felt like I hit a few good shots and a lot of bad shots. It certainly wasn’t a flawless round of golf. But I’m making shots at the right time and I certainly got lucky on 18.”

Harding was 7-under and tied for the lead when he stepped to the tee box on No. 18. His wayward drive hit a tree  and bounced back toward him, traveling only 189 yards on the 465-yard, par 4.

He reached the green in three and two-putted for a bogey he was proud to scratch out.

“I’ve generally hit my bad shots to where I can negotiate and manage myself and maybe take a big number off the card, so to speak, and give yourself a chance,” said Harding, who qualified for his first Masters by his World Golf Ranking of 49. “I’m running it pretty good with the putter so it’s just trying to get something inside eight feet and give yourself a chance.”

Harding started his birdie run on the par-3 12th, sinking a 24-foot putt.

“I made the green on No. 12, which is the first time in my career, thank you, and made the putt,” Harding said. “And that kick-started me.”

One of Harding’s most impressive stats two rounds into his Masters career is that he has not yet three-putted a green.

Some of his course knowledge arrived from fellow South Africans Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.

“I picked Ernie’s brain in San Antonio last week,” Harding said. “He gave me a few tips in terms of laying up. You just take bits and pieces. Charl won here and Louis has had great success. You kind of want to play the golf course your own way, but you learn from other guys as well.”

Unlike some golfers who refuse to look at a leaderboard during their round, Harding wasn’t about to miss out on the treat of seeing his name displayed on Masters scoreboard.

“I watched all round,” said Harding, another big smile taking over his face. “This was the first time my name was on there. I wasn’t about to miss it.”