PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The best players in the world know staying away from bogeys is the key to contending in a U.S. Open. Gary Woodland has done that for 27 consecutive holes, and he’s thrown in a bunch of birdies for good measure on his way up the leaderboard.

Woodland jumped out to a two-stroke lead at the halfway point of the the year's third major thanks to his 6-under 65 on Friday, which tied the lowest round ever for a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

The three-time PGA Tour winner has been trending in the right direction at major championships. He grabbed the solo 36-hole lead at last year’s PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club, and although he faded and eventually tied for sixth, his two top-10 finishes in his last three attempts are his best results on the game’s biggest stages in the journeyman’s decade-long career … by a lot.

Before last year’s PGA, when he played his way into the final round’s penultimate pairing with Tiger Woods, Woodland had gone 27 straight majors without a top-10.

"Obviously it was nice to finish [in] the top-10 and get that monkey off the back," Woodland said after his round on Friday. "It's not something that you're proud of. From all those experiences, too, you learn. I've been in this position before. Last year in August at Bellerive and didn't come out where I wanted to but I learned a lot from that. I don't have to be perfect with my ball-striking, because I have other things that can pick me up, that's been a big confidence boost for me, knowing I don't have to be perfect; I can still contend and have a chance to win."

The 35-year-old now gets another shot at that elusive major title as he sits on top of a U.S. Open leaderboad by himself with two more rounds to play at one of the game’s most iconic venues, and with experience on his side, for a change.

"Being in that position, you learn you have to stay within yourself. You can't get caught up in what's going on around you. Obviously there's a lot more noise going on. Playing with Tiger on Sunday, I'd never seen anything like that. I'd never been in that atmosphere," recalled Woodland. "But you learn to slow your breathing. Adrenaline is a huge deal. All of a sudden you start hitting the golf ball a little bit farther. You learn to stay within yourself and what you have to do to calm yourself down and stay within your game plan."

Woodland hasn’t made a bogey since the ninth hole on Thursday, staying flawless during his second round. Starting on the back nine, Woodland made birdies on the par-3 12th hole and the par-4 16th to go out in 34. He was only getting started, though.

The 25th-ranked player in the world caught fire on the front nine and came home in 31, birdieing four more holes with circles on Nos. 1, 5, 6 and 9.

His most important shot, however, may have been his  15-foot par save on the par-4 eighth hole after he found the rough with his approach shot.

"It was huge, because like I said I played beautifully all day. And just didn't want to give a shot back. I made a bad swing from the middle of the fairway and didn't have – wasn't in a good spot. I was trying to use the backstop there, I got hung up, left it in a horrible spot," said Woodland. "I tried to pick the highest point where I knew it could go in. That's one you're hoping to get close, but it's nice when it goes in. It was a huge confidence [boost] going into the last. And that was probably the biggest shot of the day."

Whether Woodland can stay perfect through the weekend at the U.S. Open remains to be seen and it would be a tall task for anyone, let alone a guy being chased by major winners Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, but he doesn't sound like a guy who is lacking for self-assurance.

"I know we have my stroke where I want it. I'm not searching anymore. Now it's more about learning the speed, learning the greens," he added. "I'm not focused on my stroke. And that's a big deal with confidence."

If Woodland gets his way, things will be different this time around.