Puerto Rico Open 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

After two rounds of action in the Puerto Rico Open at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club, Rafael Campos will enter the weekend with a one-stroke advantage at nine under par.

Campos fired a one-under 71 during Friday's second round in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, but 2012 Puerto Rico Open champion George McNeill is lurking closely behind at eight under. Here is a closer look at the top of the leaderboard, courtesy of the PGA Tour's official website:

Position	Golfer	Total	Round 2
1	Rafael Campos	-9	71
2	George McNeill	-8	71
T3	Kyle Reifers	-7	70
T3	Ian Poulter	-7	66
T3	Steve Marino	-7	67
T3	Bronson Burgoon	-7	68
T3	Mark Hubbard	-7	70
T3	Alex Cejka	-7	71
T3	Will MacKenzie	-7	71
T10	Derek Fathauer	-6	68
T10	Freddie Jacobson	-6	69
T10	Jonathan Byrd	-6	68
T10	Aaron Baddeley	-6	72
T10	Frank Lickliter II	-6	72

By virtue of an eight-under 64 in the opening round, Campos entered Friday as the leader. While his performance in the second round dropped off in comparison to what he did Thursday, it was enough for him to maintain his place at the top.

The 27-year-old former Virginia Commonwealth University standout is a native of San Juan, which makes his hot start to the tournament even more special.

Even so, it was unexpected after the struggles he had during his previous entries in the Puerto Rico Open, as the PGA Tour's official Twitter account pointed out:

ESPN.com's Jason Sobel also touched on the unlikelihood of Campos being in this position after two strong rounds of golf:

Campos started on the back nine Friday and played it cleanly, with one birdie and no bogeys.

That included perhaps the best sequence of shots of the day, when he birdied the par-five 18th thanks to a remarkable approach shot and perfect putt:

The second half of Campos' day was shakier, as he bogeyed a pair of holes, but he canceled them out with two birdies to enter the clubhouse with the lead.

McNeill is Campos' closest competition after matching him with a one-under 71 to go along with the seven-under 65 he carded in the first round.

Campos' biggest worry may be further down the leaderboard, however, in the form of Ian Poulter.

The 40-year-old Englishman, who has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the world, has struggled as of late, which forced him out of the World Golf Championships-Dell Match Play tournament and into the Puerto Rico Open instead.

According to Brian Wacker of the PGA Tour's official website, Poulter viewed it as an opportunity to get back on track after a few bad months of golf:

"

The reason I'm in this situation is down to performance; I'm over the getting frustrated side of things. It's a fun challenge. Trying to plan for something you don't know is obviously difficult. We all would like to know where and what we're doing ... It's been [an] interesting seven months and those seven months hopefully make me a stronger person and keep me working harder. That's what I have found out is that I have to work even harder.

"

Poulter's hard work paid off Friday, as he had the best round of the day in the form of a six-under 66, which put him just two strokes off the pace.

The controversial veteran also made some headlines aside from his great play on the course by taking a swipe at the event he failed to qualify for:

Poulter is among the top names to watch over the final two rounds of the tournament, but with eight golfers within two strokes of Campos, he is far from the only one.

American Bronson Burgoon is also tied for third at seven under par, and he has been consistent thus far with a three-under first round followed by a four-under second.

He also has some extra incentive to win the first-place prize money, as Sean Martin of the PGA Tour's official website revealed:

Some well-known names reside a couple of strokes further down the list at five under, such as Canada's Graham DeLaet and South Africa's Trevor Immelman, who won the 2008 Masters.

The unheralded Patrick Rodgers also sits at five under following a two-under second round, and he could be a force to be reckoned with in the third and fourth rounds thanks to shots such as this approach on the 13th hole Friday:

Aside from those vying for the lead, John Daly's status was among the most intriguing storylines at the Puerto Rico Open on Friday.

While he turned in a strong second-round showing with a one-under 71, it wasn't enough to bounce back from his one-over 73 in the first round, as he fell one stroke below the cut line.

Although Daly won't be in the mix during the weekend, the fact that many golfers have a chance to win the tournament should make for a great finish.

Campos is playing great golf and figures to have the entire crowd behind him as a native Puerto Rican, but leading from wire to wire with some quality players on his tail will be a major challenge.

With Poulter, 2015 Puerto Rico Open champ Alex Cejka and many others within striking distance of Campos, it has all the makings of a tournament that will come down to the final hole.

Post-Round Reaction

Following a solid second-round performance that allowed him to maintain the lead, Campos reflected on his play and the importance of playing at some, as seen in this video via Web.com Tour:

According to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), Campos isn't feeling any extra pressure despite having to hold off so many hard-charging contenders: "It really does feel great to be in this position. I'm really relaxed. Ironically enough, I really feel very relaxed out there. Not really thinking of my swing, I'm not really thinking of the problems out there, I'm actually enjoying it. I like being in this position, I really do."

Poulter reflected on his fantastic round and discussed his comfort level regarding the course, per the Associated Press (h/t USA Today):

"

The yardage books nowadays are good enough, you don't need to be here for days and days and days trying to figure out the golf course. It's right in front of you. It's windy, you can see the bunkers, you can see the hazards.

(...)

I had to stay patient. Opening up with three birdies first thing this morning was nice. It was easy to get a little bit frustrated yesterday not making putts I would have expected to hole. ... To close with three birdies there was good and it kind of moves me up the board quite nicely.

"

Poulter has a ton of momentum on his side, and if he turns in another round like the one he posted Friday, it will be extremely difficult for Campos to maintain his spot atop the leaderboard.

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