WGC Bridgestone Invitational 2015: Leaderboard Scores and Highlights from Friday

In the first round of the 2015 World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational, Jim Furyk narrowly missed out on a share of the 18-hole lead after bogeying the final hole of his round. After Friday, Furyk is all alone atop the leaderboard after moving to eight-under.

Shane Lowry, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson are all tied for second at four-under for the tournament:

On Thursday, Furyk struggled mightily off the tee, landing only three of his 14 drives on the fairway. Despite those issues, he still reached 11 of the 18 greens in regulation then averaged a solid 1.545 putts per GIR. His approach play and putting prevented what could've been a poor round for the 2003 U.S. Open champion.

Furyk's driving markedly improved Friday, with his accuracy more than doubling to 57.14 percent (8-of-14).

Even when things didn't go according to plan for Furyk in Round 2, he found an escape, as evidenced by this impressive flop shot on No. 5:

Despite leading the field as he headed into the clubhouse, the first thing on Furyk's mind was his bogey on No. 9 to wrap up his second round.

"I walked off 9 disappointed, and I said, wait a second, I just played the last three, 7, 8, 9, at 1-under," he said, per Tim Warsinskey of the Plain Dealer. "I shouldn't be disappointed. But feels like a kick in the ribs after making a good drive at 9 and getting bogey."

While nobody doubts Furyk has been the best golfer at the Firestone Country Club, ESPN.com's Jason Sobel continues to be surprised with how well he's handling a difficult course:

Historically, the 45-year-old enjoys playing at Firestone, even with its long distances, as PGATour.com's Sean Martin noted yesterday. He has found a way to compensate for his lack of incredible power off the tee.

A four-stroke lead is far from unassailable, but Furyk is in a great position to claim his first win at Firestone.

Johnson will be one of the golfers hot on Furyk's heels. The U.S. Open runner-up wasn't a major threat after the first round, shooting a one-under 69. But he surged up the leaderboard Friday with a three-under 67.

Johnson's second round concluded with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18:

Leaving aside the Open Championship and Players Championship, Johnson has been one of the most consistent performers in men's golf this year. Now that he's gotten himself into the discussion in Akron, Ohio, you'd expect him to at the very least remain in a battle for the lead through the weekend.

The same could be said for Lowry and Watson, both of whom followed up opening-round 70s with a four-under 66 in the second round.

Watson in particular was seemingly built for Firestone. He leads the field in driving average distance (352.1 yards) through two rounds, which doesn't exactly come as a surprise. His prodigious power plays perfectly to the course's generally longer holes. 

Another star whom you can't count out is Jordan Spieth. At two-under for the tournament, he's six shots back of Furyk, which is a manageable deficit for somebody like Spieth. The 22-year-old is one of the best golfers on the planet. He's easily capable of putting together an extremely low score in the third round.

Golf Channel's Justin Ray added how Spieth has a little extra motivation to win the Bridgestone Invitational:

Should Spieth fail to capture the title, it's likely only a matter of time before he eventually climbs into the top spot in the World Golf Ranking.

Chances are, he'll need to wait until at least the 2015 PGA Championship. The Bridgestone Invitational is Furyk's to lose after 36 holes.

Note: Stats are courtesy of WorldGolfChampionships.com.