First triumvirate

Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson set a brisk pace in the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii only to be caught at the tape by a PGA Tour rookie.

Justin Thomas tracked down the duo with an impressive kick late Friday afternoon to forge a three-way tie atop the leaderboard entering the weekend at Waialae Country Club.

The winds stayed down and Kuchar, playing in his 12th Sony Open, went low in matching his best round at Waialae with a 7-under-par 63 to move to 12 under for the tournament.

But not quite as low as Thomas, who will join Kuchar and Simpson in Saturday’s final group after finishing the afternoon at 9 under 61, one stroke off the course record set by Davis Love III in 1994.

The former national player of the year at Alabama played his final five holes at 5 under, rolling in a 17-foot eagle putt on No. 9 to finish off a bogey-free round.

Thomas said his birdie-birdie-eagle finish was "probably the best zone and best focus I’ve ever been in."

That said, the prospect of tying for the 36-hole lead in his Sony Open debut and his placement on the Saturday start sheet were on his mind as he lined up the eagle putt.

"It was in the back of my head," said Thomas, who shot 29 in his final nine holes. "I kind of knew what the putt did, and I was just in that zone and I just kind of stepped up and hit it and when I got done I kind of realized it."

Simpson bolted out to a 62 on Thursday but spent the second round working to keep up with Kuchar. He stayed in step with his playing partner with a 4-under 66 to also finish at 12 under.

The leaders will be pursued by a pack led by Tim Clark and Troy Merritt at 10 under, with Russell Knox and Rory Sabbatini another stroke back.

Defending champion Jimmy Walker and 2010 Sony Open winner Ryan Palmer, who jumped into contention with a 63 on Friday, are part of a group of six lurking at 8 under. Marc Leishman, who finished fifth last year, also reached 8 with a 62 on Friday.

For a Friday afternoon, there was considerable drama on both ends of the leaderboard as sunset approached.

While Kuchar and Simpson jockeyed for the lead and Thomas was starting his run toward the lead, Punahou junior Kyle Suppa’s status for the weekend remained in question. Suppa shot his second straight 69 Friday morning and the cut line hovered at 2 under throughout the afternoon. But it stayed put, giving the 16-year-old a weekend tee time.

He’ll tee off at 11:50 a.m. off the 10th. The lead group will start at 12:30 p.m. at No. 1.

Kuchar posted top-eight finishes in his past three Sony Open appearances. He positioned himself for another run at his first Waialae win by matching his previous Sony Open best, when he shot a 63 in the second round in 2013.

Kuchar finished in a tie for 17th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Monday. He said Waialae’s flatter greens are easier to manage, but "hitting fairways is a much tougher task here than it is over at Kapalua."

"Here, hitting fairways is so critical and today I did a very good job of that."

Simpson sprayed his drives a bit more than on Thursday, hitting six of 14 fairways. But he birdied three of his last five holes with a sand save on No. 17 to stay within a stroke of Kuchar going into 18.

"I was 1 over through five and playing with Matty and he was playing great, so I was feeling myself wanting to press a little bit. … But just tried to stay patient and I did a good job of that," Simpson said.

"I managed to make a few putts coming in for birdie and kind of hang around where he was. He kept making birdies and my goal was to kind of stay with him if I could."

Simpson birdied No. 18 while Kuchar saved par with a fine recovery after catching the lip of a fairway bunker on his second shot, the ball skidding into the rough 69 yards ahead. He landed his approach about 25 feet from the hole and his two-putt kept him at 12 under.

The leaders are two shots clear of Merritt and Clark, who signed for his second straight 65 on Friday.

Clark, the tour veteran from South Africa, shot 66 or better in eight of his past nine Sony Open rounds, and briefly held the lead Friday morning when he finished with a birdie at No. 9.

He landed in the fairway on 11 of 14 drives, contributing to hitting 14 greens in regulation. On one of the few encounters with the Waialae rough, Clark holed out a shot from the fringe to save par on No. 1 after making the turn.

"I’ve driven the ball great, so I’ve given myself chances, and that’s what you have to do around here," Clark said. "If you’re in the fairway you can attack this golf course. If you’re struggling with the driver it’s going to play tough."

Merritt missed the cut in his past two Sony Open starts but turned in his best score out of his 10 at Waialae on Friday.