Arnold Palmer Invitational 2017: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Charley Hoffman leads the 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational at 10-under par heading into the weekend after shooting a six-under 66 in Friday's second round at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida.

The stage is set for a competitive final 36 holes with 11 other golfers within six shots of the top spot on the leaderboard. It's a group that includes Matthew Fitzpatrick, Francesco Molinari and Paul Casey in one of the final warm-up events before the Masters in early April.

Jason Day and Justin Rose also remain on the radar at three-under par.

Here's an updated look at the top scores following Round 2:

Hoffman's day got off to an inauspicious start when he bogeyed the opening hole, but that ended up being the only blemish on his card.

The 40-year-old California native posted seven birdies over the final 14 holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard. A victory this week would mark his first since last April in the Valero Texas Open and the fifth of his PGA Tour career.

His putting has led the way. It's been an area of concern throughout the season—he came into the week ranked 188th on tour in the category. But he's gained just over 2.6 strokes on the greens through two rounds, a substantial uptick in efficiency.

The PGA Tour passed along his comments after the terrific round:

Jason Sobel of ESPN pointed out a swing in emotions for the leader:

Emiliano Grillo had an opportunity to overtake Hoffman for first place late in the round. He reached 10-under with three holes to play. A bogey on the 17th dropped him back one shot, but he's still solo second and in the final group Saturday.

The Argentine rising star did most of his damage across a five-hole stretch on the back nine, where he posted two eagles. In both cases, his third shot on the par-five holes came from off the green and he still found the bottom of the cup.

He also had a bit of good fortune as his chip at No. 16 was either going in or leaving a tough comebacker for birdie, as the PGA Tour highlighted:

Marc Leishman and Tommy Fleetwood also had strong showings Friday, tying Hoffman for the best round of the day with their own six-under 66s.

Henrik Stenson, Graham DeLaet and Webb Simpson were among the high-profile names to miss the cut, which was three-over par.

Meanwhile, the most entertaining moment of the day wasn't actually a golf shot. It came courtesy of Smylie Kaufman, who got quite a scare when he unknowingly walked right toward an alligator, which the PGA Tour showcased:

Looking ahead, the tournament is wide open with two rounds to play. Hoffman would be the clear favorite if he could guarantee he'd continue to putt like he has over the first couple rounds, but that's far from a sure thing given his season statistics.

Ken Pomeroy's PGA win probability projection also pegs the title as up for grabs:

All signs point to a crowded leaderboard deep into Sunday afternoon before a winner finally emerges. Don't be surprised if it's Day or Rose, especially if one of them can get red-hot on moving day to get within a few strokes of the lead for the final round.