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English tops stacked leaderboard by 2 ahead of weekend at Kapalua

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Harris English posted a second-round 67 to carry a two-shot lead over a number of recognizable names going into the weekend at the Tournament of Champions.

Playing alongside defending champion Justin Thomas in the final pairing, English separated himself from the No. 3 golfer in the world with a bogey-free performance, which followed a 65 from Round 1.

"I feel like I played really solid today, just didn't hole as many putts as I did the first round, but played solid," English said. "I'm trying to get in the heat a little bit today, teeing off in the last group with JT."

English will have to fend off Thomas, Daniel Berger, and Collin Morikawa among others to claim his first victory since 2013.

Thomas failed to replicate his 8-under opening round by carding 69 in Round 2. He birdied his final hole to get within two of the lead and salvage an otherwise forgettable day, especially on the greens.

"I played really well. The score didn't show," Thomas said. "I mean, it was clearly easier today, not as much wind, some gettable pins, but I truly don't think I've ever had a round where I've putted it so well and nothing has gone in."

English will be joined by Berger in the final group on Saturday with Thomas slipping to the third-last pairing alongside Xander Schauffele.

Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands heading into the weekend:

Place Player To Par R2 Score
1 Harris English -14 67
T2 Daniel Berger -12 65
T2 Collin Morikawa -12 65
T2 Ryan Palmer -12 67
T2 Justin Thomas -12 69
T6 Xander Schauffele -11 66
T6 Brendon Todd -11 67
T6 Sungjae Im -11 68
T6 Patrick Reed -11 68

Both Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm rebounded from sluggish opening rounds with scores of 65 and 66, respectively, on Friday. The top two ranked players in the world are in a seven-way tie for 10th at 10-under.

Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, and Scottie Scheffler - the reigning Rookie of the Year - are also part of the group sitting four behind English.

Round 3 begins at 2:25 p.m. ET on Saturday with the final pairing off at 5:45 p.m. Here's the broadcast schedule for the remaining two rounds:

Date Channel Time (ET)
Jan. 9 Golf Channel 6-10 p.m.
Jan. 10 NBC 4-6 p.m.
Golf Channel 6-8 p.m.

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