U.S. Open winner Dustin Johnson showed on Tuesday that he can up the pace at the wheel of a BMW M2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “DJ” also shifted up a gear in round two of the BMW Championship.

The American’s round of 63 (-9) was the lowest ever at the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Johnson’s sublime round saw him draw level with overnight leader Roberto Castro (USA) on 14 under par.

The 32-year-old, who won the 2010 BMW Championship, carded two eagles and five birdies on Friday. He consequently climbs from third to first place in the projected FedExCup ranking.

Castro’s performance was no less impressive. Anyone watching the 31-year-old over the past two days would never believe that this is a professional who is yet to win a tournament on the PGA TOUR. Castro matched Thursday’s opening round of 65 (seven under par) and was bogey-free on day two. Unlike “DJ”, the Texan, who came into the tournament ranked 53rd in the FedExCup, is playing for a place at the season finale. Only the top 30 players after the BMW Championship qualify for the TOUR Championship.

“It’s pretty simple for me, I have to basically win the tournament to make it to East Lake,” said Castro. “There is not a lot of shuffling or points thoughts for me.”

The best of the chasing pack is Paul Casey (-11). The Englishman, who finished runner-up at last week’s Deutsche Bank Championship, remains in top form and also came through Friday’s play without dropping a single shot. A small gap has opened up behind J.B. Holmes and Chris Kirk (both USA, -10). Matt Kuchar (USA), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Ryan Palmer (USA) and Kevin Na (USA) are seven under par for the tournament, seven shots off the lead.

Defending champion Jason Day (AUS, -4, T19), who took a disappointing 73 shots for his opening round, flipped the switch on Friday, carding a much-improved 67 (-5). In contrast, numbers three and four in the world, Rory McIlroy (NIR) and Jordan Spieth (USA, both -4), found themselves treading water, both returning to the clubhouse after level-par rounds of 72. They are currently tied in 19th in a group that includes FedExCup leader Patrick Reed (USA), who carded a second successive round of 70.

Play resumes Saturday at 11 a.m.