Justin Thomas’s eagle finish, Rickie Fowler’s low round of the year & a surprise leader among takeaways from the 2nd round at the Zozo Championship

Like Shinkansen, the famed Japanese bullet train, Seamus Power, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler raced up the leaderboard on Friday at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in the Japanese prefecture of Chiba, 25 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Power, who is making his first start at the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship and first trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, shot 8-under 62, the low round of the tournament.

“When you shoot 62 most things go your way,” Power said. “It was interesting because it was kind of an unusual start. I ended up having to make a good par save on 1, 2 and 3.”

Then he rattled off four straight birdies in a row, including a chip in from 58 feet at the fifth. Overcast conditions and lighter wind than forecasted had the greens soft as a baby’s bottom. Power took advantage, leading the field in driving accuracy and having the best putting performance in the second round. Fowler and Thomas appear to have or to be getting their mojo back and both carded 6-under 64.

Despite going low, they’re still chasing Mexico’s Nico Echavarria, who signed for his second straight 64 and leads Taylor Moore, his college teammate at Arkansas, and Thomas by two strokes.

In case you didn’t stay up late to watch, here are five things to know about the second round of the Zozo Championship.

Nico Echavarria posted a pair of 64’s to grab his first 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

With just one top 10 this season and three missed cuts in his last four starts, Echavarria is the surprise of the tournament at the halfway mark. Starting on the back nine, he birdied No. 10 and stuck his tee shot at 13 inside 3 feet. He notched three more birdies on the back nine, all in a row starting at No. 4.

“I hit it good, I kept it in play,” he said. “Didn’t make many mistakes and the putter was still hot.”

Echavarria  topped the putting stats in the first round but on Friday he put on a ball-striking clinic, leading the field in both Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and SG: Approach the Green. He’s seeking his second Tour title and will have a comfortable pairing in the third round with college teammate Taylor Moore being part of the grouping along with Justin Thomas.