(Reuters) – Nico Echavarria surged into a two-shot halfway lead at the Zozo Championship on Friday while former world number one Justin Thomas closed with a brilliant eagle to tie overnight leader Taylor Moore for second at the Narashino Country Club in Japan.
Colombia’s Echavarria earned his first 36-hole lead on the PGA tour, matching his performance of 64 from the first round to finish at 12-under overall, sinking seven birdies to shake off the blemish of a bogey on the par-four 12th.
Thomas was bogey-free as his second shot on the par-five 18th flew over 200 yards to land just a few feet away from the hole and the eagle, along with his four birdies, helped him move up five places in the leaderboard.
“I feel like you can make a lot of birdies out here if I keep driving it like I have,” two-time PGA Championship winner Thomas said. “But so can everybody else. Just got to keep the hammer down.”
World number two Xander Schauffele was also error-free after Thursday’s unfortunate quadruple-bogey, sinking five birdies to improve to two-under overall on his 31st birthday.
A bogey on the par-four ninth saw Eric Cole drop to the fourth place, finishing at nine-under.
Defending champion Collin Morikawa bounced back from a double-bogey at the par-four 12th, his third hole of the day, with five birdies but he is eight shots behind Echavarria.
American Moore, who led by one shot after the first round, had a bogey on the par-four 11th.
“I hit a lot of fairways for the most part,” Moore said. “Missed a few coming in. Didn’t hit my irons great on the back nine… Overall I feel like I’m swinging it well… in a good position for the weekend.”
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru)
