Leishman shares top spot on leaderboard with Harman

KAPALUA, Maui >>

Marc Leishman didn’t do as much as the guys chasing him Friday, but his easy demeanor in a brisk breeze was enough to keep him atop the leaderboard for the second consecutive round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

But this time, he is not alone.

Second-round playing partner Brian Harman joined the talented Aussie at 10-under 136 to stay one shot clear of world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who overcame back-to-back bogeys on the front side to shoot a 5-under 68 for a two-day total of 9-under 137.

Harman carded a 68 and Leishman countered with a 69 to quiet all the noise their fellow professionals were making behind them as a dozen players are within four shots of the lead halfway through this winners-only tournament.

World No. 2 Jordan Spieth went out early in the second round and showed his fellow pros the way with a 7-under 66 that left him tied for 13th. Pat Perez and Chris Stroud followed suit with their own brands of 66 to join Jhonattan Vegas (70) in a tie for fourth at 8 under, two shots off the pace of Leishman.

“Yeah, I was really happy,” Leishman said of his round. “Bogey free around here in these conditions is pretty good. I felt like I may have left a few out there, but it’s pretty easy to do when it’s blowing this hard on the greens, it’s hard to make putts. So, no, really happy with the start and hopefully I can keep this going on the weekend.”

The tradewinds that have swept across the Plantation Course all week continued to bend the pins, particularly at the high elevations of the back nine, but it didn’t seem to matter, as 26 of the 34 golfers in this elite field shot even par or better.

Leishman managed his bogey-free round by going 2 under on the front and 2 under on the back, including a tap-in birdie at the last to remain in control of his own destiny. His biggest worry entering the weekend may be the swing of Johnson, who is playing here for the seventh time. Nobody else on the course has made more than three appearances, a clear advantage entering the weekend.

Johnson shot a 69 on Thursday but gave two of those back with bogeys at Nos. 3 and 4, followed by a 5 at the relatively easy par-5 fifth. But a birdie at the sixth got Johnson on track as he went 7 under over the last 13 holes to move into contention.

“I feel like I’m rolling it well (on the greens),” Johnson said. “A big key with these greens with them being grainy and that is putting a good roll on it. I feel like I’m doing that. Just trusting the lines you got to hit them on. The greens are tricky to read. I had a few putts today that really … good birdie putts where I thought I had a good read on it and just the ball went opposite of what I thought — it’s just going to happen out here. So for me, I’ve just got to stay patient and try not to get too frustrated.”

Harman is trying to keep a similar mind-set without the same depth of experience as Johnson. He was only 1 under for his round at the turn and was even par on the back through the first four before catching fire with three consecutive birdies, including a huge chip-in off the green at the par-5 14th. He had a little knee-knocker at the last for birdie that he dropped to keep pace with Leishman, who just missed an eagle putt himself.

“I flubbed a chip over there on 14 and then knocked that next one in (for birdie),” Harman said. “That was fun. (Today) we’re going to go a little bit early, so it will be a new challenge to see what the course is like in the morning. I played a couple of practice rounds early, so it should be all right. It should be a fun weekend, the weather looks nice and I look forward to playing with Marc again. We had a good time.”