4 players the leaders need to pay attention to this weekend
Kapalua is a generous golf course off the tee, with big greens that tend to lead to low scores.
The average score in the 18 years the SBS Tournament of Champions has been played on the Plantation Course is just over 20-under par, meaning guys have to post numbers if they want the trophy in their hands Sunday evening.
Patrick Reed shot up the leaderboard Friday when he recorded eight birdies and no bogeys for a tidy 65 and a two-day total of 11-under.
Reed and first-round leader Jimmy Walker trail Justin Thomas and Ryan Moore by one shot, with Jason Dufner sitting at 10-under. At the halfway point, here are four other golfers the leaders need to pay attention to heading into moving day.
Jason Day (7-under)
Day has been making news for other reasons this week - namely, his new Nike deal and his comments on pace of play - but the Aussie is quietly sitting five shots back of the leaders, in good position to make a move. Day's missed just five greens through two days, and struggled a bit on the forgiving fairways at Kapalua after a 105-day layoff, but he's shown he can go really low.
Fabian Gomez (8-under)
Gomez played well at Kapalua last year, tying for sixth place, then won the following week at the Sony Open. How does playing in the state of Hawaii suit him? He's 45-under par in his last 10 rounds there, so quite well. The Argentinian is fourth in birdies this week, has hit 78 percent of the greens, and he's second in putts per greens in regulation.
Hideki Matsuyama (9-under)
The hottest player on the face of the earth, Matsuyama has four worldwide wins and a runner-up finish in his last five starts, and he's been playing consistent golf this week - with the exception of a lone double-bogey at the 17th hole on Friday. Matsuyama has missed just three greens over 36 holes, which is tied for the best among the field of 32.
Dustin Johnson (7-under)
Johnson hasn't been as sharp as he was last year, failing to get the ball close enough to make birdies - he's registered just eight through two rounds. Though he sits second last in driving accuracy, he leads the field in shots gained around the greens. The U.S. Open champion can get it going on a wide-open course, and if his putter heats up, it'll be awfully hard to slow him down.