He is tied for 23rd at 4-over 144 in the 30-player event, 12 shots off the 8-under lead shared by Luke Donald and Jim Furyk.

That’s the competition for the $7.5 million tournament, which is also serving as the culmination of the four-event PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup.

Johnson entered the tournament second in the playoff standings, and if the tournament ended after two rounds, Johnson would finish fourth in the FedExCup playoffs. That would be good for a $1.5 million FedExCup bonus. But that’s far shy of the $10 million bonus the playoffs winner receives.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do for that [title],” Johnson said. “I’m still right there, I just have to go out and play some good golf on the weekend.”

Only the top five players in FedExCup points entering the tournament are guaranteed the FedExCup title with a win, so Johnson could conceivably still claim the Cup without a victory.

Of the top five, only No. 5 Paul Casey, who is tied for fifth at 3-under 137, and No. 3 Charley Hoffman, who is tied for eighth at 138, are under par and in the top 10 entering today’s third round.

But Johnson needs to shoot low rounds both today and Sunday to make a run at the playoffs title. He got a jump on it late in Friday’s round.

After bogeys on holes 9, 10 and 13 dropped Johnson to 6 over for the tournament, he played the final five holes 2 under.

On the 442-yard par-4 14th, Johnson hit his drive well left and off the front tire of a volunteer-transporting van parked between the 14th and 15th fairways. He hit his second shot from the pine straw over a tree to within 18 feet of the cup and two-putted for par.

He hit a 210-yard uphill shot from a fairway bunker on the 525-yard par-5 15th hole to set up a long two-putt birdie, and made a great par save on the 481-yard par-4 16th with a chip to 3 feet from deep rough in front of a hospitality chalet.

Johnson birdied the 470-yard par-4 17th hole with a 355-yard drive and wedge to 4 feet, and made a solid par on the 235-yard par-3 18th.

“I finally feel like my swing is coming back,” Johnson said. “I’m swinging pretty good, I’ve just got to get the ball in the fairway.”

Johnson hit 10 of 18 greens and just five of 14 fairways Friday. His bogey on the ninth was a result of two poor chip shots, and his bogey on the 10th came following a drive into a left-side fairway bunker.

“Nine was a bad bogey, a really bad bogey,” Johnson said. “Other than that I played pretty good all day. It’s a tough golf course. I played solid coming in. I played 2 under from like 13 in, so that’s good.”

Johnson needed 30 putts for a total of 59 over two rounds. He lipped out a 3-footer for a three-putt bogey on the 13th hole and had seven one-putts Friday.

“I think I putted OK,” Johnson said. “I missed one short one and I just didn’t play enough break. Other than that I thought I rolled it all right. These greens are so fast it’s tough to read them if you don’t get it close to the hole. It’s hard to make 15- to 20-footers.”

In six competitive rounds at East Lake in the past two years, Johnson has posted an under-par round just once – a 1-under 69 in the opening round of last year’s Tour Championship. He played the other three rounds last year a combined 10 over.

“For some reason it’s hard to see my shots off the tee here so it makes it real difficult to get the ball in the fairway, but I’m starting to get a better handle on it,” Johnson said. “I like the golf course. It’s a great golf course, it’s just hard.”

Johnson attacked the course Friday similar to the way he approached it Thursday, with a mix of drivers, fairway woods and even an iron off the tee. “Tomorrow I think I might not hit quite as many drivers,” Johnson said. “I’ll do whatever I can to get the ball in the fairway.”