TOUR Championship 2020: Dustin Johnson Leads by 1 Stroke After Round 2

Dustin Johnson remains atop the leaderboard thanks to the staggered scoring system after the second round of the 2020 TOUR Championship.

Following an opening-round 67 Friday, Johnson finished with an even-par 70 Saturday. He began the tournament at 10 under par thanks to having the most points in the FedEx Cup standings.

Sungjae Im posted the low score of the day with a 64 to finish 12 under par overall, one shot behind Johnson for the lead.

Here's the top of the leaderboard halfway through the TOUR Championship, via PGATour.com:

1. Dustin Johnson (-13)

2. Sungjae Im (-12)

3. Xander Schauffele (-11)

4. Justin Thomas (-10)

T5. Jon Rahm (-9)

T5. Collin Morikawa (-9)

T5. Tyrrell Hatton (-9)

Saturday marked the second time in his last 18 rounds that Johnson has broken 70. He opened the BMW Championship with a 71 last week before rebounding with three rounds of 69, 69 and 67 to reach a four-hole playoff that he eventually lost to Jon Rahm.

Johnson ran into some bad luck on the back nine, particularly with this putt attempt to save par on No. 15:

The front nine was a mixed bag for Johnson, though things did get off to a solid start. He birdied two of the first six holes, including a 37-footer on No. 3:

Johnson finished his first nine holes with three birdies and two bogeys to head into the back nine at one under par for the day. He struggled down the stretch with two more bogeys that forced him into a tie for the top spot.

Im has done a terrific job of climbing up the standings over the past two days. He began the tournament as part of a five-way tie for sixth place at four under par using the staggered scoring system.

Following a solid 68 in the first round, Im made a charge up the standings Saturday. The South Korean star had seven birdies overall, including four on the back nine.

Im has had an inconsistent run since the PGA season resumed in June. He's finished outside the top 35 or missed the cut nine times in 11 events during that span. The 22-year-old finished ninth three weeks ago at the Wyndham Championship.

Im's only PGA Tour victory to date came back in March at the Honda Classic. He's still got work to do in order to pass Johnson, but the results thus far have been very encouraging.

Among the top contenders, Rahm had the most difficult day on the course. The 25-year-old dropped four spots into a tie for fifth thanks to a four-over-par 74.

The back nine completely undid Rahm in the second round. He finished with a 39 on those nine holes, including a combined three over par on Nos. 15 and 16.

There is reason for Rahm to be optimistic about being able to rebound. He was six-over-par through two rounds at the BMW Championship before finishing a combined 10 under par over the final two rounds.

No one has been able to take full advantage of the staggered scoring system when the tournament began. Johnson is still in control of things, but the field remains wide-open with nine players within six shots of the top spot and 36 holes to play.