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AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Friday was a business day for Rickie Fowler. The four-time PGA Tour winner went out and fired a 67 on Friday in Round 2 of the 2017 Masters, which doubled as the best round in the field. He sits at 4 under after 36 holes and co-leads the tournament with Charley Hoffman, Thomas Pieters and Sergio Garcia.

Fowler started smoking hot with a par-eagle-birdie first three holes and turned in 32. He birdied No. 13 and looked destined for a bit to be the solo leader on Friday night. But a juiced-up Fowler ripped his second shot off the top of the knoll on the par-5 15th over the green and into the pond on No. 16. 

What followed was the shot of the day from him.

He slacked a wedge from an impossible spot back onto the green at No. 15 that made the crowd cringe. It looked to be short of climbing back to the green, but Fowler had played it perfectly and the ball glided to eight feet from the cup. He missed that putt for par, but it was emblematic of his round. 

He then hit his tee shot to 15 feet on No. 16 and got the stroke back. Two pars for the 67 followed.

When Fowler got done with his round he knew he co-held the lead, but his march to sign his scorecard was bereft of grins and joviality. There is a long way to go, and Fowler is not here to top 10.

“I love being in that position where you kind of know exactly where you’re at,” said Fowler. “Whether it’s the matches we have early in the week of practice rounds and you have a putt on the last hole to win; you know ... it’s like having a ball at the end of the game. I like that position.”

It should not be super surprising that Fowler and Garcia are leading this week. Those two excel in bad weather tournaments like Open Championships, which is what this week has felt like in a lot of ways.

“This is number one, no question,” said Fowler when asked which course tests his artistry most throughout the year. “With kind of the slopes and backstops and the wind, whether you’re into the wind or off the side, you kind of use it as like a backboard. It’s fun. There’s definitely some fun shots when you’re out here in the wind and there’s some scary shots. But when you pull off those scary ones, it’s rewarding.”

Garcia and Fowler are so similar in so many other ways. Both men have a Players Championship. Both are somehow equal parts overrated and underrated. Both have come up short time and time again at major championships. Both are overshadowed by more talented, better players in their respective generations.

Fowler’s trophy case doesn’t have as many near-misses as that of Garcia, but it also doesn’t have as many trophies. One of those has maybe his best chance at winning major No. 1 this weekend.

Their similarities also converge stylistically. Garcia is known for being a showman on the course with his bent missiles from hundreds of yards away. Fowler is a showman (and a spokesman) off of it. His brand-building career has thrived from Day 1 away from fairways and greens.

He has caught loads of flack because of this, but it has also resulted in the unintended consequence of his game being misunderstood by golf fans. Most think that because he reps Red Bull and sports camouflage gear, his golf game must reflect that. He must go for pins from 300 yards away and try to ram home every putt. That’s largely a misperception, though. His on-course goods are as deliberate as his brand is exciting off of it. 

Fowler is disciplined, consistent and detail-oriented. He doesn’t get shook. He bounces back easily. He keeps his head down. The marketing behemoth grinds as hard as any of the top 20 golfers in the world. And this is endlessly intriguing to me. 

“On the weekends, I tend to try and walk a little slower, make sure we’re taking our time,” said Fowler. “Because my tendency is to kind of speed up and go a little too quickly. So the more that I can slow down thoughts, my walking, and make sure that I kind of think through everything and not get too quick out there, that’s one of my keys.”

This is the first time Fowler has ever led a major championship after 36 holes. What’s going to be interesting, for both Garcia and Fowler, is how they play to the field when the weather returns to normal on Saturday and Sunday. The built-in advantage both men shared in the first two rounds will be effectively erased as the wind dies and returns to normal this weekend. The golf course will be torch-able.

Can Fowler hold on?

“I love looking up and seeing the big leaderboards,” said Fowler. “It’s a cool thing about Augusta, very old school with the non‑electronic leaderboards out there. It’s a lot of fun to see your name up there, so hopefully I can go ahead and keep it up on the big leaderboards.”

He’ll have to earn it. There are 17 combined major championship wins in the final nine pairings on Saturday. None of those are in the final three tee times. The hunt will be on early and often on moving day.

Fowler needed just 23 (!) putts on Friday to touch off the 67. If he’s anywhere close to that in the next two rounds, he’ll wear green with his orange on Sunday evening. The evolution of Rickie Fowler has been outstanding. He has gone from potential star to #brand to global superstar. The next step is a major championship.

This is his best chance yet.