Scores remain low, but things are now crowded at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Here’s how things look at the halfway point, where Jimmy Walker is among four co-leaders on the Plantation Course:
Leaderboard: Jimmy Walker (-11), Russell Henley (-11), Sang-Moon Bae (-11), Zach Johnson (-11), Hideki Matsuyama (-10), Charley Hoffman (-10), Brendon Todd (-10), Patrick Reed (-10), Robert Streb (-10)
What it means: There are only 34 players in the field, but a third still have realistic thoughts of winning. The top nine players are separated by only one shot, including Walker, who won three times last season and shot a 68 to grab a share of the lead.
Round of the day: Hoffman made the day’s biggest run, shooting a 7-under 66 despite a late hiccup. The last man to qualify for this week’s event, Hoffman made nine birdies, including eight across his final 10 holes. A double bogey on the 17th hole briefly cost him a share of the lead, but the run of birdies still moved him into a share of fifth.
Best of the rest: Matsuyama found only seven fairways, the fewest in the field, but his ball-striking turned around Saturday with a 7-under 66. Matsuyama’s opening bogey was his lone blemish, and he added six birdies across his final 10 holes to move into contention for his second Tour title.
Biggest disappointment: On a day when most players were deep in red figures, Chris Kirk went in the other direction. After an opening-round 68, Kirk made the turn in even and was ultimately derailed by a triple bogey on the 14th hole. His 3-over 76 dropped him 22 spots in the standings, and at 2 under he leads only Tim Clark and Kevin Stadler.
Main storyline heading into Sunday: At the halfway point, the tournament remains wide open as low scores are expected in each of the next two rounds. Henley and Bae are comfortable playing with the lead, but a player to watch may be Johnson, who used an accurate day from tee to green to give himself a realistic chance to successfully defend his Hyundai title.
Shot of the day: Hoffman spun his approach to the par-4 10th to within 5 feet, a shot that sparked a back-nine rally. He converted the short birdie putt and went on to card seven birdies on the inward half.