Farmers Insurance Open 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Gary Woodland and K.J. Choi have played identical golf through 36 holes at the Farmers Insurance Open, following up their opening-round scores of 68 with matching 67s on Friday to carry a one-stroke lead into the weekend. 

The second round at Torrey Pines saw a lot of movement with Dustin Johnson, Martin Laird, Si Woo Kim, J.B. Holmes and Chad Campbell all rising at least 10 spots. Brown still remains in contention after an even-par 72, just two shots behind the leaders. 

Here's the full leaderboard after the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open:

Even though there are still 36 holes to play, Johnson's performance in the second round on the north course at Torrey Pines does fall in line with other recent winners, per Justin Ray of the Golf Channel:

A victory by Johnson at this tournament would also have some semblance of poetry. He started 2015 at the Farmers Insurance Open, missing the cut thanks to an opening-round 74, his first blip in an otherwise successful season that includes three top-10 finishes in four major tournaments. 

Taking the course early allowed Johnson to get in the clubhouse early. The problem is that it left plenty of time for others to play catch-up, which Woodland was able to do. 

The 31-year-old Woodland looked like he was going to post a great score, reaching 10 under par after 14 holes, but consecutive bogeys on 16 and 17 left a blemish on his resume. 

Woodland and Kim were the only players on the south course who finished with a score in the 60s on Friday, continuing the north course's dominance. In fact, 14 of the 16 lowest scores in the second round came on the north course. 

Kim, as noted by Ray, is starting to make a lot of noise on the PGA Tour with his performance early this season:

The South Korean sensation became the second-youngest player to win an event on the Web.com Tour last July when he defeated Jamie Lovemark and Wes Roach on the first playoff hole.

No player aged 20 or younger has won a PGA Tour event since Jordan Spieth won the 2013 John Deere Classic at 19 years old, so Kim is chasing history along with his first victory. 

Torrey Pines' south course did eat up some of the world's best players. Jason Day missed the cut after firing a 74 on Friday, with Ray noting two long streaks were broken in the process:

Rickie Fowler did come back with a solid 71 after ending Thursday one over par, but it wasn't good enough to keep him from missing the cut. The 27-year-old blew a golden opportunity to stay alive, bogeying the 17th hole after hitting a birdie on 16. 

Adding salt to the wound for Fowler is how close he came to making a nice shot out of the bunker on 18 for birdie that would have given him life for the weekend:

The news was not all good on the north course, either. Phil Mickelson, coming off five straight rounds under par dating back to last week's CareerBuilder Challenge, blew up on Friday with a 76 that left him one over through 36 holes. 

That score also marked a personal low for Mickelson, per Ray:

Mickelson's 18th hole turned into a disaster, with a double-bogey on the par five, but it provide one of the tournament's most memorable shot selections:

Even in misery, Mickelson still manages to entertain. He started off great with back-to-back birdies on the first and second holes, but five bogeys over the next 10 holes would derail things for Lefty as he joined Day and Fowler on the early bus home. 

Coming off Thursday's opening-round 69, Mickelson sounded confident about where his game was at, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com: "It's not an age thing. In fact it's the opposite. I've hit so many millions of golf balls over the years that there's never a shot I'll have to hit for the first time. All those shots I've hit in the past now should make it easier to play and perform at a higher level today."

Golf is a game that can humble even the best players, as Friday proved with Mickelson, Day and Fowler struggling. 

Their absence does open things up for an exciting finish over the weekend with Johnson seeking his first win of the season, Choi in contention for his first title since 2011, Woodland looking for his first PGA Tour title since 2013 and Kim looking to keep his streak of rounds under par alive.