The roars echoed and reverberated from green-to-green between Augusta’s pine forest as Tiger Woods continued to defy his body’s own fate to lie just one-shot back on a day which actually belonged to the quietest man, Francesco Molinari , who silently stormed into a share of the lead on the second day of the Masters.​Sparse words were uttered about the Open champion’s opening salvo on Thursday – no doubt a result of the beloved Italian’s unassuming nature - but Molinari’s methodical precision reaped early rewards from a rain-softened course, with a blemish-free five-under-par 67 that evoked all the astonishing cool he displayed at Carnoustie and the Ryder Cup last year, and spoke in deadly volumes to those in his periphery.So apathetic was the aura of the 36-year-old, at the grounds where he served as his brothers’ caddie 13 years ago, that you would have been forgiven for thinking this treacherous golfing landmark was merely another field beyond the window pane of his adopted home in Surrey. After almost holing out with his approach on the third as his short irons masqueraded as a type of remote homing device, back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth followed. An unerring back-nine, featuring two more birdies, was similarly exquisite as the contenders mounted behind to chase his early clubhouse lead at seven-under-par. From extras.“It was obviously a very good day,” Molinari said. “I think today, you could be as aggressive as you can be around here. There’s always one side where you can’t miss but with the greens softer you can play a bit.“Now, I’m just going to rest. The game is in good shape so I don’t think I can gain much from hitting balls. Just get as much energy as possible for the weekend. There’s going to be a lot of players in the mix and a very long way to go.”Eventually, that marker would be matched by overnight leader Brooks Koepka , whose spiteful resolve was provoked by a double-bogey and further two dropped shots in a near-calamitous front-nine, before ultimately managing to recourse and grind his way to a one-under-par 71. Jason Day, who recovered from a woe of back spasms that left him needing medical treatment on the opening day, 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen later joined the pack in what is a deep and ferociously contested leaderboard.