Zozo Championship 2020: Justin Thomas Leads at 14 Under After Round 2

Justin Thomas took sole possession of the lead in the second round of the 2020 Zozo Championship. 

Thomas followed up his opening-round 65 with a bogey-free 65 on Friday. His 36-hole score of 14-under par gave him a one-shot lead over Dylan Frittelli and Lanto Griffin.

Tiger Woods looked much better in the second round after a rough opening day. His six-under par was his lowest single-round score since the second round of the Hero World Challenge last December.

There's a lot of competition chasing Thomas, with 19 players sitting behind him at 10-under par or lower. Here's what the top of the crowded leaderboard at Sherwood Country Club in Lake Sherwood, California looks like:

1. Justin Thomas (-14)

T2. Dylan Frittelli (-13)

T2. Lanto Griffin (-13)

T4. Patrick Cantlay (-12)

T4. Scottie Scheffler (-12)

T6. Abraham Ancer (-11)

T6. Harris English (-11)

T6. Bubba Watson (-11)

T6. Tyrell Hatton (-11)

T6. Patrick Reed (-11)

T6. Tony Finau (-11)

T6. Kevin Kisner (-11)

T6. Ricky Werenski (-11)

Full leaderboard at PGATour.com

The back nine continues to be where Thomas is doing the bulk of his damage. After firing a 29 on those nine holes in the first round, he came back with five birdies, including four straight, on Friday. 

Thomas is firing on all cylinders at this point. He had an 84.6 percent success rate off the tee and gained 2.26 strokes with the putter. The 27-year-old is on track for a victory if history is any indication of what happens when he opens a tournament with consecutive rounds of 65 or better:

While Thomas is in prime position heading into the weekend, the low score of the day was the trio of 63s carded by Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch. Watson and Reed have followed the same script on both days after opening with matching scores of 70. 

Watson had a terrific closing stretch after hitting a bogey on No. 14. He followed that up with a birdie and an eagle on the par-five 16th hole. 

Even though Woods isn't going to be a factor at the top of the leaderboard this weekend, he had a huge confidence-building day. The defending champion at this tournament had eight birdies in the second round. He was four-under par on the par-fives after going three-over on those holes in the first round. 

Woods is trying to round into form heading into the Masters in three weeks. Friday was an excellent indication that he could play a huge role in the outcome at Augusta. 

Things weren't nearly as good for Phil Mickelson, who was hoping to rebound after an even-par first round. Lefty finds himself near the bottom of the leaderboard thanks to a two-over par 74 on Friday. He's alone in 72nd place in a 78-player field.