Traffic jam at the top of Masters leaderboard

The cream hasn't just risen to the top at the Masters Tournament.

It's boiled over in a cauldron stirred by some of the game's biggest stars.

British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy, 2015 PGA champion Jason Day and three-time major champion Brooks Koepka grabbed shares of the lead early Friday, 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen joined them late. Then, four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods brought the drenched patrons to their feet in the early evening after a 29-minute rain delay to set up the prospect of a delicious weekend battle at Augusta National Golf Club.

Photos: 2019 Masters Round 2

The second round ended with a five-way tie at 7-under-par 137. Woods who shot 68 despite missed birdie-putt attempts of 9 and 14 feet on the last two holes, is tied at 6 under with Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and first-time Masters participant Justin Harding.

Jon Rahm and Ian Poulter are tied at 5 under and Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Augusta native Charles Howell and Patton Kizzire are at 4 under, meaning 15 players are separated by only three shots entering today's third round.

"This really is stacked," said Scott. "I think it's going to be an incredible weekend no matter what happens now, there are so many great players in with a chance."

Woods provided most of the thrills on the second nine. He was even par for the day after a disappointing bogey at the par-5 eighth hole, but ignited his comeback with a 37-foot birdie putt at No. 9.

He then made the only birdie of the day at No. 11, on a 13-foot putt, and lifted his tee shot at No. 12 to within 6 feet.

The horn blew because of dangerous weather approaching the area and Woods had to wait more than a half-hour to attempt the putt. He missed, but the best was yet to come.

Woods drove into the trees on the left of the 14th fairway. He punched out through the trees and, with the ball rolling onto the green, was nearly injured when an overzealous security guard, trying to keep patrons at bay, fell and clipped the back of Woods' leg.

He grimaced for a few seconds, then walked onto the green and dropped a 28-foot putt for birdie.

Woods laid up at the par-5 15th hole but his third shot stayed well below the hole. No matter ... he dropped a 30-foot birdie putt to get within a shot of the lead.

Woods stayed there, two-putting the last three holes. The putt at No. 17 was an especially agonizing miss, grazing the edge.

"It was fun ... I felt like I left a few shots out there but overall it was a solid day," Woods said during a post-round TV interview. "I hung in there, trying to make a birdie when I could and left the ball below the hole. That's the key here."

Scott, playing three groups ahead of Woods, briefly took the lead at 8 under after he made a 4-foot eagle putt at No. 15.

Scott was waiting to hit his second shot from 231 yards out when play was suspended. When he returned to a wetter course and a shifting wind, the 4-iron he had selected for the second shot became a 2-iron.

He still went for the green in two.

"These are the kind of momentum things you sometimes have to make happen," he said. "When you're swinging well you have to go for it. I don't know if it was the smartest decision but it paid off."

Day's creaky back, which flared up  Thursday when he bent down to kiss his daughter, didn't prevent him from shooting his best round at Augusta since the first round of 2015. He birdied every par-5 hole and is 9 under on those pieces of Augusta real estate for the week. He had one of only five birdies at the beefed-up fifth hole and added a birdie at the par-3 16th.

Day said he has been battling back pain all year but has five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. He is undergoing therapy, chiropractic treatments, epidural shots and one treatment that he admitted "sounds very insane" -- blowing up balloons in various positions to get his rib cage in alignment.

"I'm just doing whatever I can to feel good," he said. "If blowing in balloons is what I need to feel good, then I will do it all day long."

Molinari, who hasn't had much success in the past at Augusta, shot in the 60s for only the second time in 26 rounds and the first time since a first-round 69 in 2012 that led to his best previous Masters finish, a tie for 19th.

His score is a whopping seven shots better than his previous best 36-hole start.

Then there was Koepka, winner of two of the last three major championships who began the day tied for the lead with Bryson DeChambeau. Koepka double-bogeyed the second hole after needing three shots to get out of the trees on the left, bogeyed both par-3 holes on the first nine and was 2-over for the day through seven holes.

However, Koepka battled back. He made no more bogeys after No. 6, birdied Nos. 8 and 15, then dropped an 8-foot birdie putt at No. 18.

"You're going to get tested in a major championship one way or another," he said. "I've just got to deal with whatever comes. I hit a bad shot, just got to suck it up and just keep going on. You've got some holes left, and you can make up some ground."

The 3-over cut claimed 10 of the 19 past Masters champions in the field, including Sergio Garcia (4-over) for the second year in a row, Danny Willett (4-over), Charl Schwartzel (5-over) and Fred Couples (5-over).

Also departing was world No. 1-ranked Justin Rose (4-over) who missed the cut at Augusta for the first time in 14 starts, and Paul Casey (10-over) who won on the PGA Tour only three weeks ago.