WGC Bridgestone Invitational 2017: Jimmy Walker Holds Lead After Round 2

Jimmy Walker leads the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at seven-under par after firing a five-under 65 in Friday's second round at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

Thomas Pieters is in solo second, two strokes off the lead pace after Round 2, which was delayed three times by rain throughout the day. Rory McIlroy (-4), Zach Johnson (-4), Jordan Spieth (-3) and Jason Day (-3) are also firmly in contention at the star-studded event that features 49 of the top 50 ranked players in the world.

Here's a look at the updated tournament leaderboard with 36 holes to play:

Walker posted the best round of anybody on the course Friday, a feat made even more impressive by the start-and-stop nature of play due to the weather conditions. He posted six birdies and a single bogey to make a surge after a 68 to open the event Thursday.

It's been a down year for the 2016 PGA Championship winner after being diagnosed with Lyme disease. The 38-year-old Oklahoma native recorded one top-10 finish in 18 tournaments so far in 2017 coming into the week, and that came all the way back in early January at the SBS Tournament of Champions.

Now, with his defense of the PGA title set for next week, he might be rounding back into form at the perfect time. He hit 72.2 percent of greens in regulation during the second round, and his putter was terrific en route to 3.084 strokes gained putting.

Walker also provided a time-lapse look at the conditions during one of the delays:

Johnson also made a nice move up the leaderboard Friday. His three-under 67 allowed him to jump from 15th into a tie for third heading into the weekend. It leaves him in prime position to contend for his first Bridgestone victory after four previous top-10 finishes.

The two-time major champion has been playing his best golf of the season in recent weeks. He recorded a fifth-place result in the John Deere Classic and then carded a pair of 66s in the Open Championship en route to a 14th-place finish.

The PGA Tour passed along Johnson's comments about his Round 2 effort:

And then there's Hudson Swafford.

It says a lot about the nature of golf that on a day where so many of the game's biggest stars were on display, a 29-year-old journeyman with one career PGA Tour win provided the shot of the day.

The PGA Tour highlighted his ace on the par-three 15th:

Looking ahead, Walker's biggest problem throughout the year has been consistency. Only twice has he posted rounds of 70 or better on all four days of a tournament. It's hard to project how he'll perform over the weekend, especially under the added pressure of holding the lead.

Given the amount of star power in the field, he doesn't have a lot of margin for error either. It sets the stage for what should be an entertaining battle to the finish at Firestone.