After the first round, Paul Casey was asked if he believed the old adage that a player can lose the Masters Tournament on the first day, but he can't win it.

"Very much so. Very much so," Casey said.

If anybody knows the truth of that saying, it's the up-and-coming Englishman, who sabotaged each of his previous three Masters appearances by going so high in the first round that he could not save himself. That wasn't the case this year, though, as Casey opened with a solid 71, vastly improving on his previous Thursday scores at Augusta National (75 in 2004, 79 in 2005 and 79 in 2007). For the first time, he had a chance not only to make the cut, as he did in 2004 and 2007, but also to make an impact.

Casey posted 69, one of nine rounds in the 60s on Friday, placing himself in the mix for the green jacket.

"(Thursday) was my best start I've had at Augusta by a long way, actually," said Casey, who is tied for sixth, four strokes off the lead. "I've never shot under par in the first round, so I was happy with that."

Casey could be particularly pleased with his five-birdie second round, in particular the one on No. 15. After his second shot -- a 3-iron approach from 235 yards out -- flew over the green, Casey didn't panic. He calmly got up and down for the birdie.

"In the past, having always put myself behind the 8-ball, I've always had to battle and pull a number out of the bag to make the cut, and this year is slightly different," he said.

The outcome could be very different if Casey finishes the final two rounds strong, as he did in 2004, when he tied for sixth place, and last year, when he tied for 10th. His performance the past two days also marks a major step up for a player who has struggled through the early part of the season.

This would be a comeback in a comeback season for Casey, who returned to the PGA Tour after playing mainly on the European Tour in 2006-07. Other than tying for ninth at the WGC-Match Play Championship, Casey hasn't distinguished himself in four other PGA Tour events this year (T-22, T-42, T-51 and missing a cut).

"I haven't played very good golf this year, haven't stroked the ball well, haven't scored particularly great," he said before admitting he hoped for a major improvement at the Masters. "I was so looking forward to this week. Not that I haven't looked forward to the other events, there's just something very special about this one, get the major season started."

"I've always liked the more difficult golf courses, Oakmont last year, for example," Casey said of tying for 10th at last year's U.S. Open. "I like the challenge, and I see this as a challenge. ... I think if something suits your eye and you enjoy being here, then you're going to play better golf, and I enjoy being here."

With more solid starts like this, the two-time Ryder Cup veteran could become a fixture on leaderboards.

"I'm putting in a lot of work, incredible amounts of work. That's golf," he said. "I think by the end of the year I'll be very happy with it."

Reach Noah Feit at (706) 823-3349 or noah.feit@augustachronicle.com.