Travelers Championship 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Friday

With two rounds of the 2015 Travelers Championship from TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, officially in the books, Bubba Watson continues to pace the field with an overall score of 11 under par. 

The two-time Masters winner entered Friday with a two-stroke lead, and he was able to maintain that advantage by firing a three-under 67 in the second round. Here is a closer look at where the top performers stand through two rounds of play, courtesy of PGATour.com:

Position	Golfer	Total	Round 1	Round 2
1	Bubba Watson	-11	62	67
T2	Brian Harman	-9	66	65
T2	Brian Stuard	-9	64	67
T2	Carl Pettersson	-9	65	66
T5	Scott Brown	-8	65	67
T5	Jason Gore	-8	64	68
T5	Chris Stroud	-8	65	67
T8	Nicholas Thompson	-7	66	67
T8	Scott Langley	-7	65	68
T8	Danny Lee	-7	66	67
T8	Nick Watney	-7	69	64
T8	Keegan Bradley	-7	64	69
T8	Seung-Yul Noh	-7	64	69
T8	Graham DeLaet	-7	67	66
T8	Francesco Molinari	-7	67	66

While the powerful lefty wasn't quite as good Friday as he was when he carded a 62 in the first round, strong play at the Travelers Championship has become commonplace for him over the years.

According to Justin Ray of GolfChannel.com, the 36-year-old star has easily been the best and most consistent performer at the tournament since 2008:

Friday's round may not have been spectacular, but it was extremely tidy as Watson registered three birdies and 15 pars without a single bogey.

Here is a look at Watson's round, courtesy of PGATour.com:

While Watson acknowledged that the conditions were more difficult in the second round, he explained his ability to compensate, per ESPN.com's Kevin Maguire:

"When I hit a bad shot or a shot that went just off the fairway, I played smart," Watson said. "The wind was different than yesterday, so it made the golf course a lot longer. Made it tougher getting the ball close. So I just stayed patient and just kept playing steady."

Watson was previously victorious at the Travelers Championship in 2010, and if he is able to pull off a second career win this weekend, he will enter an elite class, according to PGA Tour Media:

History is on his side, as Watson has handled the pressure of having a 36-hole lead quite well at even bigger events, per Golf Channel:

Although Watson is in control for the time being, he can't afford to rest on his laurels entering the third and fourth round. A host of worthy challengers are lurking closely behind, including Brian Harman, Brian Stuard and Carl Pettersson, who are all just two strokes behind at nine under par.

Also, Chris Stroud is among those who are three strokes back at eight under par. He is of particular interest as he matched Watson with a three-under 67 Friday, and has a history of excelling at the Travelers, according to PGA Tour Media:

Also, 41-year-old veteran Jason Gore is sitting pretty at eight under. While he would obviously love to win the tournament, there is something even bigger at stake for him.

A strong finish would allow the journeyman to qualify for the Open Championship, which is something he has never done, per Amanda Balionis of PGATour.com:

The fact that the cut line sits at two under par speaks to how favorable the course has been thus far, but some pretty big names weren't able to remain in contention entering the weekend.

Fresh off his incredible near comeback at the U.S. Open, Louis Oosthuizen missed the cut with a score of two over. Also, 2007 Travelers Championship winner Hunter Mahan will be heading home early at one over par.

Despite some star power being left behind, the final two rounds of the 2015 Travelers Championship promise to create plenty of drama as 14 golfers are within at least four shots of Watson's lead.

Watson is often a marked man due to the fantastic amount of success he has enjoyed over the course of his career, and he has managed to handle that pressure well.

He'll get everything he can handle from a bevy of competitors, but his experience in big situations may ultimately tip the scales in his favor.

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