AUGUSTA, Ga. — A day after Charley Hoffman fired possibly the most impressive first round in recent Masters history, things returned to normal Friday at Augusta National Golf Club.

There’s a leaderboard that even the casual golf fan can get excited about, with four players tied at four-under-par 140.

There’s the rebel. Sergio Garcia, labeled the best player to have never won a major, made six birdies and three bogeys.

There’s the villain. Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, best known for shushing the U.S. crowd at the Ryder Cup, ignited his round with an eagle on No. 13 and birdie on 14.

There’s the fan favorite. Rickie Fowler, maybe the second-best player to have never won a major, holed out for an eagle on No. 2 and added four birdies for a 67, the best round of the day.

And there’s the underdog. Hoffman, who shot an otherworldly 65 on Thursday under difficult conditions, survived a run of five bogeys in six holes to stay in a tie for the lead.

Two strokes back is William McGirt. Justin Rose and 57-year-old Fred Couples are among four at one under. Former Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott are at even par. Rory McIlroy is another shot back.

It’s going to be a fun two days as the weather starts to warm up and the wind subsides.

Trying to figure out who had the most interesting day is an insult to Augusta National, which can force any golfer into an Oscar-worthy performance.

But Garcia’s 10th hole might fit. After he birdied four holes on the front nine (1, 2, 3 and 9) mixed in with one bogey, things on the 10th got a bit squirrelly.

He hit a bad tee shot left as did playing partner Shane Lowry, who promptly hit a provisional. They were both dressed in light-colored pants and a blue sweater. So, when they went near the trees on the left the scorekeeper got things mixed up. Garcia was given the penalty strokes.

“Yeah, I saw it at 13,” Garcia said. “The most important thing is I knew where I stood. I knew I wasn’t one under. I knew I was three.”

Garcia bogeyed the hole as he did the 13th. But he birdied 15 and 17. He had a six-footer on 18 for the outright lead but missed it.

“I got a couple nice breaks,” Garcia said. “So things are happening at the moment. So I want to make sure that I keep riding the wave and go out there tomorrow, be positive, be like I’ve been the first two days.”

Pieters made a nice recovery from Thursday, when he played the first 10 holes in five under and the last eight in five over. Friday he was a little more consistent. He bogeyed the first hole, his only one of the day.

He picked up birdies on six and nine but it was the nine-foot putt for eagle on 13 that jumped him up the leaderboard. He followed that with a four-foot birdie putt on 14 for a share of the lead.

“I’m a bit tired,” Pieters said. “It’s been a long two days. It’s been pretty slow out there. But I’ve been hitting a lot of good golf shots the last two days, so it’s nice to see my stats, as well.”

Pieters has modest goals for the next two days.

“I’d just like to get within three shots on a Sunday afternoon, three or four shots,” Pieters said. “Then you really give yourself a chance.”

No Belgian-born player has ever won a major.

Fowler would have the lead by himself if he hadn’t hit his second shot into the water over the green on the par-five 15th. It led to his only bogey.

Fowler foreshadowed the weekend in rather deliberate terms.

“On weekends, I tend to try and walk a little slower, make sure we’re taking our time,” Fowler said. “My tendency is to kind of speed things 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.”

Hoffman was bound to come back to earth and he did, but not until he sailed through the first five holes, even picking up a stroke with a birdie on No. 2. Then on the sixth hole the putts he made Thursday started missing.

“I started off great,” Hoffman said. “Hit the ball great. Just in the middle of the round, just didn’t hit good chips and wedge shots, and that’s the difference. Didn’t scramble that well. Made a bunch of bogeys, but that happens out here. I’m just happy to be in a position to win.”

Hoffman righted his round on 13 chipping to eight inches and making the birdie on the par five.

Hoffman and Garcia will be playing in the last group Saturday and Pieters and Fowlers will be in the penultimate pairing.

The next 27 holes should shake out the field and it’s possible a name not even under consideration now will find itself near the top.

There are 15 players within five shots of the lead, 31 within seven shots.

It’s the last nine holes, though, that will determine the winner.