"The last four years have been a great period for golf because everyone is looking past just one guy [Woods]. It's great for golf. For 10 or 15 years everyone had been looking at one guy and no one saw anyone else.

"Golf is in the best place it's been in my life."

The 2006 US Open winner credits Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy with changing the game.

"Every 10 or 12 years someone comes along and raises the standard again and it feels like Rory has done that. Now Jordan [Spieth] is right there with him.

"It used to be that guys got better through their 20s and started winning in their 30s. Now these guys are good to go - Rory, Jordan, Ricky Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day ..."

Spieth's two-round total of 14-under-par at the Masters was the lowest halfway score in major championship history and Ogilvy was in awe of the 21-year-old.

"It was entertaining to watch the birdies go up on the leaderboard, to be honest," he said.

Ogilvy was the third of the four Australians who made the cut, at level par.

Day and Adam Scott were at three under and John Senden one over. Amateur Antonio Murdaca shot an encouraging 73 in his second round to finish at seven over. He was looking forward to strolling around the golf course watching the action unfold from the other side of the ropes over the weekend.

Day put his disappointing second-round 74 down to issues that needed ironing out with his swing but was also frustrated that he was called for a timing infringement on the eighth hole.

"We got put on the clock and we got a bad time straight away," he said.

"I think it was my first timing this year. It was a little bit unlucky.

"But this is where the flaw is with timings. If you want to quicken up play, quicken up through the walk rather than the hit process. It's a joke.

"You are wary when you get a bad time as you don't want another one and get a shot penalty."