Valspar Championship 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Day 2 of the 2016 Valspar Championship saw changes atop the leaderboard, with Will MacKenzie and Steve Stricker moving into a tie for first place at five under par. 

MacKenzie and Stricker began the day outside the top five, with Stricker way back in 25th place after an opening-round 71. He was one of three players on Friday to shoot a 66, setting himself up nicely for moving day. 

There's no margin for error, as three players are right behind Stricker and McKenzie at four under par. Here's how the crowded leaderboard at Innisbrook Resort stands after 36 holes:

Stricker moved into a tie for the lead with this short birdie putt on No. 16, his fourth of the day, via PGA Tour:

In addition to all of his birdies, Stricker nailed an eagle on the par-four 10th hole. The putter has been his best friend all season, and that has held true at the Valspar Championship, per PGA Tour Media on Twitter:

As good as Stricker was on Friday, though, he was not the day's biggest mover. That honor belonged to Jordan Spieth, per PGA Tour on Twitter:

Spieth came into Friday after the second-worst round of his season, opening with a 76 that left him five over par and in serious danger of missing a second cut in three tournaments. His 68 today moved him to two over par, just inside the projected cut line of three over. 

ESPN's Jason Sobel did his best to put Spieth's performance so far this weekend into perspective:

The key for Spieth on Friday, as it so often is when he's playing well, is the putter. He needed just 20 putts to get through the first 15 holes, helping make up for his below-average greens in regulation percentage (44.4), per PGATour.com.

There's still a long way to go for Spieth to be relevant going into Sunday, but his quick turnaround after a horrible start is an encouraging sign that a low score is in his back pocket. 

MacKenzie's performance through 36 holes makes for a great story, especially since he hasn't won on the PGA Tour since 2008. He's one of the most interesting people in the sport, as Sobel noted following Friday's second round:

With that kind of history for MacKenzie, putting on a polo shirt and khakis to play 18 holes of golf every week should be a walk in the park. This is easily his best run of 2016 so far, finishing outside the top 50 in 11 events dating back to the Frys.com Open in October. 

Given that body of work, MacKenzie has to come out strong early on Saturday for his own confidence. There's going to be a lot more turnover on the leaderboard simply because too many players are in such close proximity that everything remains up for grabs with 36 holes left. 

Post-Round Reaction

Before Spieth put together a strong round that allowed him to make the cut, he started Friday with a poor tee shot that landed in a bush. 

However, per the Associated Press (h/t Los Angeles Times), Spieth actually used that moment as a motivating factor: "I'm walking off that green going, 'Oh, boy. We can either somehow flip this one around today or…I don't want that to be the key of me not being able to be here for the weekend.' I thought it was really strong what we did after that."

Spieth is still trying to find himself this season, but a strong turnaround after 19 poor holes (including Friday's first hole) is an encouraging sign with the Masters just one month away. 

Even though Stricker has had a better 36 holes than Spieth, he's not taking his spot for granted right now, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com):

"

There are times I escaped with a few good breaks. Holing out on 10, you don't expect to do that. And that putt at No. 4 was going pretty quick, and that ended up going in. So some things evidently went my way. I'm starting to play a little better. Definitely putting better. And slowly, things are coming together.

"

Stricker is building good momentum coming off an 11th-place finish at the Northern Trust Open three weeks ago. His ability to keep everything in check will play well with two rounds left.