There's a full-on logjam at the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes at the Sony Open. Five golfers share the lead at 9 under, headlined by defending champion and co-first round leader Nick Taylor (+550 at DraftKings).

It's not crowded just for the guys at the top. More than 15 golfers are within three shots of the lead, including Maverick McNealy (+850), who sits second on the odds board heading into the weekend.

The reason the leaderboard basically hit the brakes on Friday was simple: wind — and lots of it. Unlike Thursday, when the wind really picked up later in the day, the breeze was a constant presence from start to finish. The scoring reflected it.

Once again, the morning wave had the edge. Players with earlier tee times averaged -0.43 strokes under par, while the afternoon wave played +0.28 strokes over par.

Based on Saturday's forecast, we're probably in for more of the same. Winds are expected to be around 17 mph in the morning, then ramp up closer to 21 mph in the afternoon. That should make it tough for anyone to separate, and it keeps the door open for anyone to get going on Moving Day. If you made the cut, you still have a shot to win this weekend.

After Round 1, I highlighted the Strokes Gained leaders in heavy wind over the last 12 months. Six of the top 10 golfers shot 70 or better, and five finished under par, including each of the top three names on the list.

To revisit that group and see how they handled Round 2, l've listed all 10 golfers below, along with their second-round results.

Wind specialists: Top 10 in Average Strokes Gained* (Round 2 Score)

1. Corey Conners (-3)
2. Vince Whaley (-4)
3. Bud Cauley (-3)
4. Seamus Power (+1)
5. Russell Henley (+3)
6. Keegan Bradley (+2)
7. Adam Scott (E)
8. Harry Hall (-3)
9. Si Woo Kim (-4)
10. Matti Schmid (+1)

*Data via Betsperts

Top Korean: Si Woo Kim +140

Si Woo Kim (+2700) might be a bit of a longshot to actually lift the trophy on Sunday, but he's firmly in the mix. He's only four shots off the lead, and more importantly, he's stacking birdies. That's why the Top Korean market really jumped off the page for me. There feels like value in backing Si Woo Kim (-5) to finish higher than S.H. Kim (-9) and Tom Kim (-2).

There haven't been many players who showed more grit to steady things after a rough start than Kim. He was 4 over standing on the ninth tee, and from there he completely flipped his tournament trajectory. Over his final 10 holes on Thursday, he went bogey-free and buried five birdies. He followed that up with an even better effort on Friday, firing a 4-under 66 in difficult conditions. Through two rounds, he has already made 11 birdies, which tells you everything you need to know about the upside in his volatility. It helps that this is basically his kind of week: He's one of the best wind players in the field and a past Sony Open champion (2023).

Backing Si Woo here isn't a shot at S.H. Kim at all. He's tied for the lead for a reason, and his form coming into the week was legit. But Waialae doesn't feel like the best fit for his profile. He isn't overly accurate off the tee, and he doesn't hit enough greens in regulation to be comfortable when conditions are tough. Add in the pressure of being in one of the final groups on Moving Day, and that's a tricky recipe when you're staring down 20+ mph gusts.

Tom Kim deserves respect as well, because he's not completely out of it. But as it stands right now, Si Woo just feels like the guy who can do something special this weekend. If he keeps converting birdie chances and stays steady in the wind, I think he's got a very real path to finishing as the Top Korean in this field.