The National 2018: Beau Hossler, Brian Gay, Ryan Armour Tied Atop Leaderboard

There were changes atop the leaderboard after the second round of the 2018 Quicken Loans National, with Beau Hossler, Brian Gay and Ryan Armour tied for the top spot at nine-under par. 

Gay's 64 was tied for the second-lowest score of the day. Only Kevin Streelman, who jumped up 82 spots into a tie for seventh, had a better showing with a 62. 

Tiger Woods was able to bounce back after opening with a 70 on Thursday. The 42-year-old fired a 65 in the second round, tied for his best score in 12 events this season. He's put himself squarely in contention heading into the weekend. 

Here's how the top of the leaderboard stacks up after 36 holes from TPC Potomac:

T1. Beau Hossler (-9)

T1. Brian Gay (-9)

T1. Ryan Armour (-9)

T4. Billy Horschel (-8)

T4. Francesco Molinari (-8)

6. Zac Blair (-7)

T7. Kevin Streelman (-6)

T7. C.T. Pan (-6)

T7. John Huh (-6)

T7. Marc Leishman (-6)

Full standings available via PGATour.com. 

As has been the case all season, Woods' success came down to his ability to make putts. He had 29 putts in the opening round but told reporters afterward his short game was coming around:

"I hit good putts; they just didn't go in, which is fine. I don't mind that at all. I misread two putts on the back nine, and so be it.

"But I hit a lot of good putts today on my line with the speed I wanted, so it didn't go in, but I haven't done that in a while, I haven't been doing that. So that's the positive sign, to keep doing that. Eventually they'll start rolling in."

Woods gained 2.04 strokes with his putter in the second round, a drastic improvement in 24 hours:

When Woods wasn't busy making putts, he was showing off his ability to crush the ball off the tee:

Since coming back last December, Woods has proven all the tools are still there for him to win a tournament. It's just been a matter of putting them all together for four rounds to get over the hump. 

While there is still a lot of work to be done over the next two days, the 14-time major champion has his eyes on the prize. 

Hossler is the newbie among the leaders at 23 years old. The California native is building off the momentum he built last week at the Travelers Championship when he finished second, his best showing in a PGA Tour event. 

During the Travelers Championship, Will Gray of the Golf Channel did offer an alarming stat that doesn't bode well for Hossler as he tries to secure his first victory:

Gay is looking to end a five-year winless streak. He has come out on top four times in his PGA Tour career, but his last victory was at the Humana Challenge in January 2013. 

A 24-year PGA Tour veteran, Gay put himself in a tie for the lead Friday with an excellent performance to start the round. He began on the back nine and birdied five of his first seven holes to make the turn with a 30. 

Armour wasn't as crisp Friday by hitting just 57.1 percent of his fairways off the tee and losing .271 strokes with his putter, but he was able to get away with by not hitting any bogeys. 

Based on how things have played out so far, with 27 players at four-under par or better, there is going to be a lot more movement on the leaderboard after Saturday's third round. 

Gay, Armour and Hossler have no margin for error as they chase a victory. There have been plenty of low scores across the board to this point. Moving day is going to be critical for someone to create separation from the rest of the pack.