Tiger Woods has delivered the shot that had the gallery buzzing but it was Dustin Johnson that produced the golf that left everyone chasing him at the WGC-Mexico Championship.
Johnson was so efficient at Chapultepec Golf Club on Friday that he putted for birdie on every hole, one of them from just on the fringe.
It added to a four-under 67 to lift him to 11 under and a two-shot lead over first-round leader Rory McIlroy and Matt Kuchar going into the weekend.
"Just hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens," Johnson said.
Woods started to figure out the course in his second full round and carded a 66 to leave him six shots off the pace.
His highlight was from a bunker right of the ninth fairway.
With a tree in his path, Woods sliced a 9-iron from about 130 yards that caught the left side of the green with so much spin that it zipped sideways at the pin and rolled 10 feet by.
He settled for a par.
"The ball was sitting down just enough where I didn't think I could clear that tree," Woods said.
"I ended up going back to the 9-iron and realised, 'Geez, I've really got to slice this thing'.
"So I opened up and gave it as much of a cut motion as I possibly could. And it worked out."
McIlroy (70) birdied his first two holes and quickly built a three-shot lead, only to be undone by a four-putt from the fringe at No.9 that slowed his momentum.
Kuchar, going for the Mexican double having won the Mayakoba Classic last fall, started with four straight birdies on his way to a 67.
But it was Tommy Fleetwood, who had the best start of the day.
He drove onto the green at the par-4 opening hole and made a 20-foot eagle putt.
He hit driver on the 384-yard second to about 40 yards from the green, picked his spot and knocked that in for a second straight eagle.
It was the first time a player started a round eagle-eagle on the PGA Tour since Sean O'Hair in 2009 at this WGC when it was at Doral.
He wound up with a 65 that catapulted him into a tie for fourth with Sergio Garcia (66) at seven under.
Cameron Smith is the best of the Australian contingent after his 67 took him to six under and a share of sixth.
Rickie Fowler had a 73, which included a triple bogey and a double bogey, one shank on the 10th hole that he couldn't imagine hitting and one resultant penalty that left him fuming about the new drop rules.
"I haven't heard many of the guys say that the drop from the knee has been a good thing, or that it looks good," he said.
Fowler said it was "terrible" new rule and expects it to be changed.
