Qatar Masters 2017: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

There is a logjam atop the leaderboard at the 2017 Qatar Masters, as nine golfers are tied for the lead through two rounds at Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar.

England's Andy Sullivan, South Korea's Jeunghun Wang and Kiradech Aphibarnrat are among those knotted at eight under following Friday's second round, as seen in this rundown of the leaderboard:

Position	Golfer	To Par	R1	R2
T1	Mikko Korhonen	-8	65	71
T1	Bradley Dredge	-8	64	72
T1	Jorge Campillo	-8	69	67
T1	Nacho Elvira	-8	67	69
T1	Andy Sullivan	-8	68	68
T1	Thomas Aiken	-8	68	68
T1	Jaco van Zyl	-8	67	69
T1	Jeunghun Wang	-8	69	67
T1	Kiradech Aphibarnrat	-8	66	70

According to the European Tour's official Twitter account, this marks the first time in tour history that there has been a nine-way tie for the lead after 36 holes.

Among the leaders, Wang and Spain's Jorge Campillo turned in the best rounds Friday at five-under 67, which gives them the most momentum entering the weekend.

Sullivan is arguably the biggest name atop the leaderboard, and he got there by firing a four-under 68 due in large part to shots like this approach on the par-three eighth:

The best round of the day was a six-under 66, scored by England's Jordan Smith and American David Lipsky.

Smith is one of seven golfers who are one shot back of the lead at seven under, while Lipsky trails by just two strokes at six under.

Sweden's Robert Karlsson entered the round needing a strong score to put himself in contention, and he came away with a two-under 70, which makes him four-under on the tournament.

Although it was a solid outing, it didn't live up to the expectations he set when he eagled the opening hole in the second round:

Karlsson is tied with several golfers at four-under, including Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, who finished second at the Qatar Masters last year.

Cabrera Bello also shot a 70, which he achieved by virtue of some impressive scrambling, such as this approach to set up a birdie on No. 7:

Germany's Martin Kaymer is perhaps the biggest star in the field as a former PGA Championship and U.S. Open winner.

He had a chance to put himself near the leaders with a quality second round, but he scuffled to an even-par 72.

That allowed him to narrowly make the cut at two-under overall, which magnified the importance of this tee shot on the par-three 13th:

Kaymer isn't likely to figure in the battle for first place over the weekend, but the title is very much up for grabs.

There are 26 golfers within two shots of the lead, and with two rounds left to play, it is nearly impossible to predict who will prevail.

Veteran Ernie Els is the only former winner of the event among that group at six under, and after carding a two-under 70 on Friday, he is undoubtedly a player to watch.

Saturday is known as "moving day" in golf since the competitors attempt to position themselves for victory on Sunday, and with almost no separation among the top 26, moving day figures to play a massive role in determining who hoists the trophy Sunday.