AT&T National 2012: Round 2 Explosion Sets Hunter Mahan Up for Victory

Hunter Mahan, the 30-year-old American from Orange, Calif., jumped out to the lead at the 2012 AT&T National on Friday, shooting a six-under-par 65 to close the second round in style.

Then again, the world No. 10 had quietly been putting together a solid season on the PGA Tour before Friday's explosion.

Mahan, who leads the tournament with a seven-under-par 135, already won the Houston Open this year and he has three top-10 finishes. He's coming off an 11th-place finish at the Travelers Championship.

The strength of Mahan's game this season has been greens hit in regulation and driving accuracy. He ranks fourth on Tour in greens in regulation (70 percent) and 11th in driving accuracy (68 percent), per ESPN. He hasn't had the greatest putting game (108th), but he's had a strong showing at AT&T National thus far.

Mahan said after Friday's performance, via ESPN:

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I played well. I hit a lot of good shots. It wasn't a hard round. I hit so many fairways and greens that I made it easy on myself. This is pretty punishing golf course if you get off line a little bit.

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Mahan added that he put himself in good position to make putts on Friday, and he had a beautiful 100-foot chip shot on the 14th hole. He's hit 22 of 28 fairways through the first two rounds and 28 of 36 greens.

Mahan, who also scored a victory at the Accenture Match Play Championship this year, would be the first three-time winner on the PGA Tour this year if he's able to close it out in the final two rounds. Given his consistency and improved putting in the tournament, he certainly has a chance to do just that.