Deutsche Bank Championship 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

At the halfway mark, Kevin Chappell owns a one-shot lead at the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts.

Chappell is 11 under par through the first two rounds, while Paul Casey and Jimmy Walker are tied for second at 10 under.

Chappell began his round well Saturday, posting a six-under 30 on the front nine.

He birdied the first and fourth holes before picking up four more strokes between Nos. 6, 7 and 8. His chip on the seventh hole, which resulted in an eagle, was one of Saturday's best shots:

The 30-year-old fell back to earth a bit on the back nine, earning three straight pars after making the turn and bogeying the 13th hole. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 gave Chappell sole possession of first place, though.

It looked like he might have some company atop the leaderboard. Dustin Johnson surged into contention after getting seven birdies through his first 16 holes. As bet365 tweeted, few golfers enjoyed a hotter start:

The PGA Tour shared Johnson's impressive tee shot on No. 16:

The U.S. Open champion had a chance to earn a share of the lead over the final two holes but fell apart on No. 18. He double-bogeyed the hole to fall from a tie for second into a tie for fifth place.

Johnson's second shot flew well to the right of the green and brought a one-stroke penalty. After getting onto the green, he three-putted before wrapping up his round. It was a disappointing finish to what had otherwise been a great Saturday.

Walker, on the other hand, closed excellently to move into second place. He picked up four shots over his final four holes to move to 10 under. The 37-year-old might have been tied with Chappell were it not for a bad bounce against the flagstick, as the PGA Tour showed:

While Saturday elevated the golfers who are title contenders, the field also shrunk by 25.

Jason Day's tournament nearly ended prematurely, but he birdied No. 15 to move to one under and carded pars on his remaining three holes to remain above the even-par cut line.

Phil Mickelson was among the more notable names who failed to make the cut. The five-time major winner began his tournament with an opening-round 75, giving him a lot of work to do Saturday if he was to climb above the cut line. Instead, Mickelson finished one over for the day and five over for the tournament.

For Bubba Watson and Graeme McDowell, the Deutsche Bank Championship ended earlier than expected as well. Watson never got into a groove, parring all but one hole, with a bogey on No. 18 being the lone exception. Meanwhile, a furious comeback—three birdies on his final four holes—wasn't enough to save McDowell.

With 11 golfers within four strokes of Chappell, the final two days of the Deutsche Bank Championship shouldn't be short on entertainment and drama. Chappell will have a rough fight on his hands as he attempts to secure his first PGA Tour win.

Post-Round Reaction

Chappell has three second-place finishes in his 24 PGA Tour events this year. Whereas having so many close calls would be dispiriting for some golfers, he takes the opposite approach, per Jason Sobel of ESPN.com:

"

It's hard to be frustrated when you're having the best year of your career. That's really how I try to look at it. Last year when I stood here, I was trying to get to the next event and this year I stand here and it sounds like I'm pretty much a lock to get to the last event at East Lake. You can't be disappointed with that. I would love to have won and won multiple times, but I've learned from those experiences and my team and I keep addressing the weaknesses that come up from those situations.

"

Chappell discussed the forthcoming final two rounds, per Reuters' Andrew Both.

"

The next 36 holes are going to seem like a long time for me but I feel comfortable in this situation and each time I get near the lead I feel more comfortable. I feel like I've handled myself well in the situations I've been in this year and can really pull from that. At some point in the next 36 holes it's not going to go my way, and it's going to be about how I handle that.

"

Walker is confident he knows the solution to stay in contention and overtake Chappell, per Both: "Things got a little out of whack. I'm just trying to put it all back together. I've been chipping and putting really solid. It was just a matter of finding a few more fairways."