PEBBLE BEACH >> Consistency overcomes almost all of golf’s obstacles. Sepp Straka is providing a stellar example through two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Shooting his second straight 65, Straka had eight birdies Friday at Pebble Beach Golf Links and holds a three-shot lead halfway through the tournament’s 84th edition.

With the opening round’s ideal weather conditions cooling and slight rain falling late in the second round, Straka has a 14-under-par 130 total. He has 16 birdies and two bogeys in 36 holes.

First-round leader Russell Henley had a 69, also at Pebble Beach, and is tied at 11-under for second with Cam Davis, who had a 68 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course.

“I was hitting the ball really well early in the round, and then missed a few putts,” said Straka, the world’s 20th-ranked player who won The American Express on Jan. 19, his third PGA Tour title. “But then I made some really nice putts, too. So it was just all around a pretty solid day.”

Henley, who started at the back nine at Pebble Beach, faltered with bogeys on two of his last three holes.

“It got a little tricky,” said Henley. “The first couple holes were just really cold, and then my last couple were just tricky. I felt like it was just kind of turned into a little bit of a bear.

“I was really happy to finish with a par on 9, driver, 4-iron for me. Looking like we’re going to get a little bit more of that (inclement weather).”

Rain is in the forecast until Saturday afternoon.

Five players are tied for fourth at 10-under, with four players at 9-under as the 79-player field moves to Pebble Beach for weekend play.

The tournament’s overall strong play also continued. Only five players in the field are over par after two rounds.

Wyndham Clark, the defending titlist, had a 1-over 73 at Spyglass Hill and is second-to-last in the field, ahead of only Brendon Todd

“I played pretty well for most of the round,” said Davis. “It was getting a little tricky to read the wind through the trees here. I think it’s a little more open down at Pebble, but out here it’s a little more swirly.

“I had a couple of more missed greens and a couple loose tee shots, but we recovered well. The bogey on the last was a little annoying, but same time 4 under felt like a pretty solid day today.”

Ludvig Åberg of Sweden who finished second in the AT&T last year as well as in the BMW Championship and Masters, withdrew from the tournament prior to second round because of the flu. Åberg had a 77 in the first round, the worst score in the field.

Rory McIlroy, the world’s No. 3-ranked player, eagled the 18th from 25 feet for a 70 at Pebble Beach. He joined Collin Morikawa, (67 at Pebble Beach) and five others at 8-under.

Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 returning to competition after hand surgery in December, shot 70 at Pebble Beach and is among a dozen players at 7-under. The 18th hole was a highlight for him as he sent his tee shot onto the beach, only to recover and save a par.

“Well, I pulled it pretty bad off the tee,” Scheffler said. “The way it looked like it landed, I didn’t see it hit any rocks, didn’t see it splashing.

“Our conversation on the tee box was like am I allowed to hit a provisional, because I don’t want to walk like 300 yards up there and then have to turn around and walk back and hit the tee shot again.”

But Scheffler found the ball on the beach and hit it back on the fairway.

Straka didn’t have anything as dramatic happen on his round. His consistent play was evident en route his title two weeks ago. He played 69 holes without a bogey until making two in the final three holes two weeks ago to win by two shot over Justin Thomas In February 2022, Straka became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour when he won The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He shot a final round 66 to win by one shot over Shane Lowry.