Tournament of Champions 2018: Marc Leishman, Brian Harman Share Lead

Marc Leishman and Brian Harman share the lead at the 2018 Tournament of Champions after Friday's second round with a 36-hole score of 10-under par. 

Leishman opened the tournament with a 67 in the first round to have sole possession of the top spot. He was consistent throughout the round Friday with two birdies on the front nine and two birdies on the back nine, including the 18th hole. 

After ending Thursday one shot off the lead, Harman put himself in an excellent position heading into Saturday by firing a 68 that moved him into a tie with Leishman.

Dustin Johnson is one shot off the leaders' pace, with three players tied for fourth at eight-under par heading into the third round.

Here's how the top of the leaderboard looks from Hawaii:

T-1. Marc Leishman (-10)

T-1. Brian Harman (-10)

3. Dustin Johnson (-9)

T-4. Pat Perez (-8)

T-4. Chris Stroud (-8)

T-4. Jhonattan Vegas (-8)

7. Jason Dufner (-7)

T-8. Hideki Matsuyama (-6)

T-8. Kevin Kisner (-6)

T-8. Patrick Cantlay (-6)

T-8. Rickie Fowler (-6)

T-9. Si Woo Kim (-6)

Full results at PGATour.com.

Johnson looked like he might be in for a rough day after hitting back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes. He settled down with his first birdie on No. 6, which helped open things up for an excellent run on the back nine. 

Over the final 13 holes, Johnson hit seven birdies to put himself into a tie with Leishman and Harman for the top spot. He nearly ended the day with a chip-in eagle before settling for a birdie:

Stroud and Perez had nearly identical days, each moving up 13 spots with scores of 66. A double-bogey on No. 8 spoiled what was an otherwise solid front nine for Perez, but his day really clicked into place after making the turn. 

The 41-year-old Perez was perfect on the back nine with six birdies and no bogeys. His final two shots of the day summed up how well things were going:

Last season was Perez's most successful one on the PGA Tour. He won the OHL Classic in November 2016, had six top-10 finishes and his 18th-place finish at the Masters was his best in a major tournament since the 2007 PGA Championship. 

Stroud was consistent throughout the round, only hitting one bogey over 18 holes. The Texas native has been particularly effective on the green through two rounds, gaining 3.44 shots with his putter. 

Jordan Spieth made the biggest move of the day, climbing into a tie for 13th with his own 66 after struggling his way to a three-over par 75 Thursday. He got off to a dicey start with two birdies and two bogeys through five holes before catching fire on No. 6. 

The 15th hole was Spieth's final birdie of the day, dropping his two-round score to five-under par:

Since this is Spieth's first event of the season, it was certainly acceptable for him to show rust in the early going. His return to form one day after a rough start is an indication he's ready to take a step forward after some rough stretches, including three missed cuts in four events, last season. 

"I'm going to fail and learn and I'm going to succeed, but I'm the one in the arena." Spieth told reporters Wednesday. "I feel like I'm in a great place of who I am and what I'm doing going forward. And starting 2018 I'm kind of ready for anything. I'm ready for failure, for success, and everything in between."

Through 36 holes in 2018, Spieth is well on his way to success. 

After all the upward movement for players like Johnson, Spieth and Perez, as well as the consistent excellence of Leishman and Harman, this tournament remains up for grabs with moving day tomorrow going a long way toward determining who will leave Hawaii as a champion.