Thank you from myself and Scott for following the second round with us. We’re set for a superb weekend. Early on Saturday afternoon, the crowds will seek to inspire magic from Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy (albeit Lowry did receive a two shot penalty after his round). Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre will have high hopes. Matt Fitzpatrick will look to snipe at the leader. And you’ll be in the very safe hands of Scott for the final two days of major championship action in 2025!
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Sean Ingle on Tyrrell Hatton’s challenge.
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Andy Bull on Robert MacIntyre and Bryson DeChambeau.
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I’ve just been asking BBC Radio’s on-course reporter Alistair Bruce-Ball what it was like out there today. I suggested the squalls were a bit like being on the high seas. “Exactly,” he said. “In fact, you could smell the salt.”
“I did a lot of things well,” says Scottie Scheffler, as understated as ever.
This week his Strokes Gained rankings are:
Off the Tee 93rd
Approach 1st
Around the Greens 100th
Putting 2nd
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With rounds of 72-78 the 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith has completed a miserable year of major championship golf. In fact, he’s completed a grand slam of missed cuts - and he didn’t play in the weekend at last year’s Open either.
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Significant names that have missed the cut:
+2 Joaquin Niemann, Jason Day, Ryan Fox
+3 Patrick Cantlay
+4 Cameron Young
+5 Min Woo Lee
+7 Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa
+8 Cameron Smith
+9 Adam Scott
By the way, not everyone is finished today. In fact, the Finn Oliver Lindell is -3 for the tournament so could still get himself a late tee time tomorrow. He has three holes to play. The R&A are also planning to look into the incident with Shane Lowry and his club touching and moving his ball.
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Okay, then: what is Scottie Scheffler’s record with a solo halfway lead?
Well, there’s a bit of hope for the field. He’s only 3-for-6 at winning when ahead at this point. The only time it happened in a major, however, was in his first Masters triumph in 2022. (He’s also 6-for-18 at winning with solo and shared leads combined.)
One of the great mysteries of Scottie Scheffler’s success is that no-one knows how to explain it.
On Sky Sports Wayne Riley and Iona Stephen are trying, but it’s as hard to establish the secret of his brilliance as it is to beat him.
Riley says that the wind is expected to be no more than 6mph tomorrow and so: “I see Scheffler getting to -20 this weekend.”
Second-placed Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick on his tournament so far:
“There’s still a hell of a long way to go. Obviously the aim of the game is to stay in it for as long as possible and hopefully you can pull away right at the death. I’m obviously 50 percent there. We’ll see what the weekend brings.
“There’s nothing better than being in contention. It feels a bit uncomfortable at the time, but that’s what you’re searching for. You want to feel that. It means you’re doing something right for the most part.”
Scottie Scheffler is the 36-hole leader
His sensational second round of 64 gives the American World No. 1 a halfway total of 132 (-10).
-10: Scheffler (F)
-9: Fitzpatrick (F),
-8: Harman (F), Li (F)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (F), Gotterup (F)
-4: Finau (F), N Højgaard (F)
-3: Bradley (F), McIlroy (F), Smith (F), Westwood (F), Burns (F), Lindell (15)
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Wonderful stuff! The fans in the grandstands rise to mark the arrival of Shane Lowry on the green at 18. He smiles happily at the echoes of 2019. Scottie Scheffler hangs back to allow the Irishman his moment. Lovely touch.
Scheffler is also not done! Four front nine birdies, four back nine birdies, one bogey, and he has 15 feet for a final par breaker that would double his halfway lead.
Oh my word: it pulls up inches short. Just a par.
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Oh no! Jon Rahm has cut a tortured figure in these closing minutes. He did make a birdie at 17, but he missed the green at 18, couldn’t save par and is devastated. He’ll head into the weekend on level-par.
Here’s a fun fact for you. When Old Tom Morris won the 1864 Open he earned £6. Dave Tindall, who helped Scott with the updates yesterday, used the Bank of England inflation calculator to work out how much that is worth today.
£660.
Liam Carter emails: “Is this over before the weekend?! Scottie Scheffler is a machine.” Scheffler has played 21 majors since he became a full-time PGA Tour performer. He’s finished top 10 in 15 of them and won three. Yes, Liam! Pretty machine-like. And he’s just thrashed his tee shot at 18 down the middle of the fairway.
His fellow pros often talk of the exceptional quality of Scottie Scheffler’s hands*. And his pitch to the 17th green is a reminder of this. He holds the face open as he digs down into the dirt. It’s not pretty, but my word it is effective.
And he holes the 20-foot birdie putt! He’s the new leader.
*In the golfing sense rather than the fact that they’re soft or he has good nails.
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There’s a little bit of separation at the top of the leaderboard. And the World No. 1 has two holes to stretch ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick.
-9: Fitzpatrick (F), Scheffler (16)
-8: Harman (F), Li (F)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (F), Gotterup (F)
Sensational scenery at Calamity Corner. Shane Lowry has a long birdie putt across the green and the backdrop is just wonderful: the Valley Links course at Royal Portrush, towering dunes, and the Atlantic Ocean. The putt is a beauty but it hangs on the lip and refuses to drop. No such fears for Scottie Scheffler – he drains an 18-foot look at a two and joins Matt Fitzpatrick on top of the leaderboard.
It’s worth having a look at the state of Matt Fitzpatrick’s game coming into this week. He finished fifth in the 2024 Players Championship, but his form descended rapidly thereafter and he missed the cut in the same tournament this year after rounds of 78-72. He was still struggling when he suddenly found something in the PGA Championship. He was second there at halfway and ended the week eighth. He was eighth again in his penultimate start in the Rocket Classic and he was fourth last week in the Scottish Open.
Matt Fitzpatrick completes a 66
The Englishman hangs tough to drain that 23-foot par putt. His -5 second round of 66 gives him a -9 total of 133. That sets a new clubhouse target and he could become only the second Englishman to hold a halfway lead in the Open in the last 50 years (the other, Nick Faldo, achieved that feat three times).
Matt Fitzpatrick has missed the green at 18 to the left. The scramble in front of him is high tariff, and he’s peering anxiously at the prospect. He’s in a scruffy lie, with a steep slope in front of him and a lot of putting surface to negotiate. It’s not a great shot – he’s got 23-feet for par and to set a new clubhouse target.
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A little fist-pump from Shane Lowry as he polishes off a birdie at 15 to get to -2 for the week. He’s working so hard in this round, giving everything to “defend” the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush. The man who is actually defending the Open – Xander Schauffele – is also -2 (in his case through 16). Up ahead, Ryan Fox’s approach to 18 very nearly found the hole for an eagle-2 that would have got him into the weekend.
Jon Rahm misses the green at the par-3 16th to the left. He looks bereft and exhausted as he hangs his arm out to the left. He’s too good not to rediscover his mojo, but he really hasn’t been the proud Basque bear of a golfer we enjoyed watching for a long, long time now.
Yikes. Matt Fitzpatrick gives himself a three-foot birdie opportunity at 17 and it horseshoes out. He heads to the final tee trying to forget the frustration.
Scottie Scheffler finishes off his birdie at 13. He’s back to -5 for the round, -8 for the week, and a share of second on the leaderboard. His drive at 14 is classic Scheffler. Aesthetically extraordinary, but on the short grass. His playing partner Shane Lowry has had a frustrating day (which could get worse if that video is reviewed by the referees) but he’s still -1. A good finish and he’s still in this.
Chris Gotterup on his Friday experience shooting 65:
“Definitely an interesting day weather-wise. Felt like we played five different winds out there.
“Obviously coming off last week’s win I know where my game is at. I know it’s in a good spot. I think it’s one of those things where this is definitely more of a marathon.”
Last week’s Scottish Open winner Chris Gotterup has completed a round of 65 to reach the weekend on -5. Scott Scheffler, didn’t break par at 12, but he’s got a good chance coming up at the par-3 13th from about 12 feet.
-9: Fitzpatrick (15)
-8: Harman (F), Li (F)
-7: Scheffler (12)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (F), Gotterup (F)
The media centre has little groups of people congregated around laptops peering at footage of a Shane Lowry address. There is debate over whether the ball moved when he took a practice swing. It’s all a bit like a JFK conspiracy convention forensically analysing the Zapruder film. Hmm, this one will run a bit, you suspect.
Matt Fitzpatrick can’t get up-and-down to save par at the 14th. He drops back to -9 for the week but still leads the championship by one. His drive at 15 finds rough but TV confident that it won’t be too bad a lie.
Back at 12 Scottie Scheffler has splashed his approach to the par-5 to the edge of the green. Two more strokes from there will earn him a par breaker and get him to -8.
David Williams emails: “Enjoying your weather forecasting, Matt. Reminiscent of when Michael Fish poo-pooed notions of a storm in 1987 and hours later it ripped up trees all around Wentworth and delayed the World Match Play.”
The media centre roof index has hit quiet which has had a disquieting tinnitus-like effect. Lee Westwood’s approach to 18 rattled through the green and got tangled in gnarly grass around a bunker. He can only bunt it to 27-feet but holes the putt for par. -3 for the week is a fine return to the championship for the 52-year-old.
What of the players in this appalling weather? Matt Fitzpatrick and his caddie Dan Parrott were just shown (in evocative slo-mo) staring out, in baleful fashion, from beneath a shared brolly. Scottie Scheffler is hacking out from thick wet rough in his soggy hoodie. Lee Westwood has one hole to play and is -3 for the week. He’s seen it all before. It might have passed – using the media centre roof index (Met Office approved) it’s gone from a racket to a pitter patter.
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There are some truly astounding scenes out there right now. Folk sat in plastic ponchos. Folk squeezed beneath brollies. Folk looking sad under awnings. Folk getting drenched and laughing about it. You’d call it a sea of umbrellas but it’s very close to literally being a sea of sea.
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Meanwhile, my warnings about not being a weatherman are proving more astute than my suggestion that the course will be vulnerable in the next two hours. It has just started hosing down. REALLY hosing it down. REALLY REALLY hosing it down.
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Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan is -5 for the day through 13 and into the top 10 on -4. He thrashed a 62 to win the Soudal Open in late May and seven days later a 60 to grab second in the Austrian Alpine Open.
He has an interesting backstory. His family are supermarket tycoons in Scandinavia. Golf journalists from the region say that the Reitans would think nothing of flying a private jet down to the south of Spain for 18 holes.
A seven foot birdie putt drops for Matt Fitzpatrick at 13. He’s opened the back nine with four consecutive birdies and is now two clear of the field.
I just headed outside for a little weather recce. It looks like we’ve got a classic linksland late afternoon/early evening situation. It’s chilly and dark, but the wind has dropped and the course is there for the taking. The next couple of hours could have a significant impact on the destiny of the Claret Jug.
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We’re a Matt Fitzpatrick two-putt from having a new solo leader. The Englishman has opened the back nine birdie-birdie and has just lashed his second shot at the par-5 12th to the front edge of the green ... He completes the birdie. Three in a row after the turn and he leads the Open on his own.
-9: Fitzpatrick (12)
-8: Harman (F), Li (18)
-7: Scheffler (6)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (F)
Another squall. A local was explaining to me the other day that this region is climatically unique with Atlantic weather clashing with Irish Sea weather, and creating something unpredictable. I am no weatherman so apologies if I have made a mess of the explanation. I can, however, confidently state that the squall is currently trying to make a mess of many cards.
The dynamic for the Højgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai, is fascinating and the latter has just been talking about it as the pair head into the weekend in the top 10 (currently).
“We couldn’t handle each other’s success when we were younger,” he said. “But we can do that now and support each other, and get motivated by each other. When you get older, you get slightly more mature.”
Birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick at 10. He joins Scottie Scheffler on -7 and in a share for third. “The golf course is fantastic,” he said back in 2019. “Everyone loves it and no-one has said a bad word about it. It’s better than a few of the other Open rota courses.” He’s won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship but once said of seaside golf: “Unsure about it. I like it when it’s fair. I don’t like it when it’s unfair.”
A birdie for Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana at the 3rd gets him to -4 for the championship. You’d think that an ordained Buddhist monk flying high in a major championship would be the only sweetspot in a Buddhism/golf Venn diagram this week. But a few days ago, news broke that Thai police are investigating a woman codenamed ‘Ms Golf’. She is accused of having sex with Buddhist monks and then blackmailing them. The sweetspot is unexpectedly a bit crowded.
On the subject of world class chunterers, I was in London last week for the tennis. Not Wimbledon but Adam Riches’s one man play about Jimmy Connors at the Park Theatre (for the second time – I liked it that much). All the shots are there: the meat-slicing backhand, the shovelling-coal forehand, the oarsman-in-a-storm-on-the-high-seas double-handed backhand. Because it’s about a sportsman whose destiny was determined by one parent in particular and who, in early middle age, raged against the dying of the light, it also made me think of Tiger Woods. “Game, set and match to Mr Riches, six love, six love, six love.” The run ends next week.
Jordan Spieth spied by the TV cameras on the range. I followed him for a few holes earlier. I’m always intrigued that I don’t enjoy watching Tyrrell Hatton’s antics, but I really enjoy Jordan Spieth’s various twitches and fretful conversations with his ball. The 2017 champion jiggled his shoulders, nattered away at his shots, and he now heads into the weekend on level-par for the championship which means he is 12-for-12 at making the cut in the Open (and his last nine starts before this one have all reaped top 30s). It’s some record.
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Scottie Scheffler is back in the conversation. Did he ever leave it?! As Ewan Murray wrote in his report last night, the World No. 1 hides in plain sight. A birdie at 6 is his third of the round and he’s -6 for the championship. Haotong Li has finally made a bogey (at 14) so he drops into a tie for the lead.
-8: Harman (F), Li (14)
-7: Fitzpatrick (8)
-6: Scheffler (6)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (F)
Bryson DeChambeau was asked how he felt after opening the championship with a 78. “I wanted to go home,” he admitted. “But I woke up this morning and I said I can’t give up. My dad always told me never to give up and that’s what I did today. I was proud of the way I fought back, really persevered through some emotionally difficult moments, and to hold myself together and not get pissed and slam clubs and throw things and all that like I wanted to. I was very proud of myself. I want to be a good role model for kids, and I struggled with that in the early part of my career. I want it to be different now. That’s the reason why I do it.” He carded a 65 today and will play the weekend.
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I had a nice chat with Richard Teder’s fans this week. They taught me how to wish someone good luck in Estonian. You say “pöialt hoidma” which means “hold your thumb”. You also wave your fists in the air with your thumb tucked inside your fingers. It’s like our “fingers crossed”.
Gary Naylor isn’t impressed with the Low Amateur news. He emails: “Jeez, that’s mean-spirited of the R&A to demand that the low amateur makes the cut. Haven’t they done enough given that it’s no easy feat to get there at all? Anyone would think that the blazers lacked a bit of empathy, but that can’t be trru...” If Richard Teder can go sub-70 today the medal is his, Gary.
Tommy Fleetwood on his experience this week (which will extend into Saturday and Sunday after his Friday 68:
“I love The Open so much. I grew up in an Open town, and I think the atmosphere when you get home players like Rory McIlroy is really, really cool.”
The shot detail were incorrect for Cameron Adam but he’s not going to make a birdie. He didn’t find a greenside bunker. However, it’s all a bit irrelevant. He might well end this week the top amateur but he won’t win the Silver Medal.
We have a solo leader. China’s Haotong Li makes a fifth birdie of the day and, just as importantly, he is yet to drop a shot through 30 holes. He’s -9 and leads the 153rd Open!
Double bad news for Scottish amateur Cameron Adam: he’s in a greenside bunker in two at 18 and the cut has moved – and he’s not inside it any longer.
Robert MacIntyre on his round of 66 that leaves him -5 and three shots back of the lead:
“I’m comfortable with the golf course. I’m comfortable with what me and my caddie Mike are doing, and I just have to go out there and try and execute.”
“I feel like the last three majors I’ve put myself in good positions after 36 holes. However long my career is going to be, this is what I want to do. Until I give it up, I’m going to give it my best shot.
“I’m not scared. I’m not going to back away. It’s completely different to Oakmont. At Oakmont, (it was so difficult) I couldn’t roll the dice. It was never let’s press, let’s press. It was always, right, let’s go out here with pars.
“If I’ve got a chance here, I’m going to roll the dice.”
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A potentially big little moment coming up. The low amateur in every Open wins the Silver Medal. It’s a prestigious honour, but there is a caveat: the winner must make the cut. Scotland’s Cameron Adam has just made a bogey at 17 and is now +2 for the week and right on the cut mark (and T70). It’s a perilous position, but he is the current low amateur, albeit Richard Teder, the Estonian 20-year-old, is a shot behind with 17 holes to play.
Birdie at the 1st for Darren Fichardt. “So what?” you might ask. Well, I’m intrigued by the South African’s Open record. He’s no mug (a five-time DP World Tour winner, indeed), but his log book in this major reads: MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-80 and he’s carded a round of 80+ in six of his seven starts. He opened with a 77 yesterday and I’m cheering him on. Come on Darren!
Rory McIlroy on his second round and position heading into the weekend (currently -3 and T12):
“It was a good day. I feel like I maybe could be a couple closer to the lead, but overall in a decent position heading into the weekend.”
“I didn’t have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I’m very excited for that. I feel like my game’s definitely good enough to make a run.”
“It was 20 years ago that I played the North of Ireland here, and never in my wildest dreams did I think that I’d be coming back as a grand slam champion with the support of a nation behind me trying to win an Open. I count myself very grateful and very lucky that I’m in this position.”
Hello again, everyone. I was out at 18 when Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau completed their rounds beneath epically brooding skies. I made it back to the media centre seconds before it was battered by rain that felt a bit like machine gun fire. Good timing and I’m dry for the next five or six hours!
Scottie Scheffler sends his tee shot at the par-three 3rd over the flag, and spins it back to 20 feet. He very nearly makes the birdie putt, but the ball refuses to glide from left to right, as everyone thought it would. He stays at -4. His partner Shane Lowry knocks his tee shot a good bit closer, though, and his putt, coming in from a similar line, does move left to right. In it goes for birdie, and up go the cheers from the gallery as the 2019 winner moves to -2.
And there are more cheers from the gallery as Matt Cooper returns to take over this blog. He’ll bring you home; enjoy, enjoy, and see you tomorrow for Moving Day.
One of the shots of the week by Haotong Li at 10! He sends his tee shot into thick rough down the right of the fairway. Whipping hard out of the rain-soaked cabbage, and over a hillock, he lands his ball on top of the ridge running across the green, rolling it up to three feet. He makes no mistake with the putt, and joins Brian Harman in the lead at -8. Still yet to make a mistake this week. Is he about to go two better than 2017, when he finished third at Birkdale behind Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar? The way he’s playing so far, he might take some stopping.
-8: Harman (F), Li (10)
-6: Fitzpatrick (4)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (F)
-4: Finau (F), N Højgaard (14), Jordan (7), Scheffler (2)
-3: Bradley (F), McIlroy (F), Kaewkanjana
Scottie Scheffler’s first putt on 2, while from long range, is not all that. A 60-footer that swings seven-and-a-half feet left of the target. But he makes no mistake with the par putt that he leaves himself, and stays at -4.
Harris English doesn’t give his right-to-left birdie slider on 18 quite enough. But that’s a round of 70 to file alongside yesterday evening’s 67, and he’s in fine shape at -5. Par for his playing partner Tony Finau, meanwhile, and today’s 68 sends him into the weekend at -4.
Scottie Scheffler’s tee shot at 2 rolls into a fairway bunker. He’s forced to take his medicine and chop out. A 5-iron in from 212 yards. He finds the front of the green, but the flag’s at the back, behind a ridge, so there’s work to do for a two-putt par. Meanwhile up on 18, Harris English is pin high in 2. He’s responded extremely well to that wobble midway through the back nine. Big birdie putt coming up from 25 feet.
Birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick on 4! He steers a big right-to-left swinger, and it’s about time for a leaderboard update …
-8: Harman (F)
-7: Li (9)
-6: Fitzpatrick (4)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (F), MacIntyre (F), English (17)
-4: Finau (17), N Højgaard (13), Jordan (6), Scheffler (1)
-3: Bradley (F), McIlroy (F), Kaewkanjana
McIlroy in with 69
A two-putt par for Rory McIlroy at the last. A 69 to go with yesterday’s 70. That back nine of 33 might have saved his campaign: it looked as though he was going nowhere for a while today. At -3 he’ll have some Moving to do on the titular Day, but Portrush’s course-record holder is far from out of it. And the cries of joy from the gallery as he taps in his last putt reflect that state of affairs. Tommy Fleetwood meanwhile gives his long par putt a good roll, but it doesn’t quite drop. His first dropped shot of the day at the very last hole. It would have been worse had he lost his ball. A 68 and he’s -1 overall. Meanwhile the third member of a stellar three-ball, Justin Thomas, signs for 69; he’s -1 going into the weekend.
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A three-putt bogey for Matthew Jordan on 6. But better news for Harris English, who makes a wonderful birdie on 17. Having sent another tee shot into thick rough, he slashes out from 130 yards to nine feet, and rails in the putt. He’s back to -5.
The world number one Scottie Scheffler makes the ideal start. A tee shot splits the fairway; his second is fired from 170 yards to seven feet; the putt drops into the centre of the cup. No fuss. He’s -4. Par for his partner Shane Lowry who remains at -1. Meanwhile up on 18, Tommy Fleetwood finds himself in a bunker 70 yards from the flag, so does pretty well to smack his third over the flag to 30 feet. Big par effort coming up.
… and now the rain pours. Umbrellas up. It is teeming down. Tommy Fleetwood will be happy he’s coming up 18, towards the sanctuary of the clubhouse … apart from the small caveat of his possibly losing his ball in the thick filth down the right. He eventually finds it, but is only able to hack back out, blind over a hill, and he’s in the lap of the Golfing Gods. But his playing partner Rory McIlroy is safely on the green in regulation. God speed, Tommy.
The skies are darkening over Portrush. No clouds over Open specialist Matthew Jordan’s head, though: a second birdie of the day, at 4, and he’s currently -5. Meanwhile up on 18, par for Ludvig Åberg, who signs for an excellent 67: six birdies and two bogeys. He’s -2 overall.
Bryson DeChambeau shot 78 yesterday and 65 today. That’s a whopping difference of 13 strokes between rounds. Thirteen strokes! And yet it’s nowhere near the Open record. At Muirfield in 1966, Robin Davenport opened with 94 then took 72 in the second round. That’s a 22-stroke variation. More recently, Colin Montgomerie shot 64 in the second round, again at Muirfield, in 2002, then followed it up with an 84; a 20-stroke difference. As for Portrush itself, JB Holmes managed to follow a third round of 69 six years ago with a final round of 87, if memory serves getting right on Brooks Koepka’s nerves by taking his sweet time over every single shot. An 18-stroke plummet. Sympathy was limited.
DeChambeau cards 65; MacIntyre 66
Bob MacIntyre’s 4-iron into 18 isn’t all that. A wee tug right and it’s heading for the bank to the side of the green. But it kicks left and ends up on the fringe. Mixed fortune, because while that’s a good break, it’s strange that his ball doesn’t roll a lot closer to the flag, stopping instead on the downslope. He nearly makes the 20-foot birdie putt, but it shaves the hole on the low side, and par will have to suffice. That’s a wonderful 66 though. And it’s par for Bryson DeChambeau, who has gone one better with a 65 and will surely make it to the weekend. What an effort to haul himself back above the cutline! They’re -5 and +1 respectively. Meanwhile the third member of the group, Justin Rose, shoots a water-treading 71. He’s -2.
Harris English limits the damage with a fine up and down from the bunker on 15. Bogey, but after his shenanigans en route to the green, that’s something of a result. He’s -4.
All sorts of trouble for Harris English on 15. He skies his iron from the tee, the ball looping and dunking into thick rubbish down the left, just 194 yards up the hole. He hacks his second into another native area, advancing his ball just 168 yards this time. His third, ball above feet, hands on steel shaft, is hacked into a greenside bunker. Millimetres away on the 14th green from moving to -6; now he’ll be doing well if he leaves the 15th green at -4.
Par for Tyrrell Hatton on 18, and that’s a 69 to go alongside yesterday’s 68. At -5, he’s in a great position ahead of Moving Day, and walks off, like Brian Harmon before him, radiating a glow of mellow satisfaction.
Bob MacIntyre with a bounce-back birdie! He drains a putt from the fringe at the back of 17 to get the gallery hollering. He’s -5 again. Harris English is still -5 after a pretty unfortunate lip-out from seven feet at 14. Not sure how that didn’t drop. It looked in all the way before drifting right at the last millisecond and horseshoeing out. And back on 17, Bryson DeChambeau makes his seventh birdie of the day. He’s now +1 and the contrast between yesterday’s 78 and today couldn’t be starker. Careful down the last, and he’ll surely have made the cut.
Harman shoots 65
… and we’re going to have to update that leaderboard immediately! Brian Harman, the 2023 champion, sends his approach from 188 yards to eight feet, and strokes in the straight putt he’s left with. He walks off the green with a smile playing around the edge of his mouth, and an air of quiet satisfaction. No histrionics. But he’ll be super-pleased with his day’s work. They couldn’t catch him from this position two years ago, could they? Meanwhile opening birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick, reward for drawing his approach from 171 yards to ten feet.
-8: Harman (F)
-7: Li (6)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (17), English (14), Fitzpatrick (1)
-4: MacIntyre (16), Finau (14), Jordan (3)
-3: Bradley (F), Åberg (15), McIlroy (15), Scheffler
Haotong Li sends a high fade into the 170-yard par-three 6th. He’s 18 inches or so away from a hole-in one, the ball rolling serenely to a halt on the high side. He taps in for back-to-back birdies, and suddenly the 29-year-old from Shanghai is tied for the lead! This is a wonderful leaderboard.
-7: Harman (17), Li (6)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (17), English (13)
-4: MacIntyre (16), Finau (14), Jordan (3), Fitzpatrick
-3: Bradley (F), Åberg (15), McIlroy (14), Scheffler
“Aw s***!” Don’t worry, golfers, it’s not that unpleasant S-word. It’s just “shit”. No hosel involved. Just a garden-variety pull, as Bob MacIntyre cusses loudly, his ball disappearing into deep trouble on the thick bank to the right of the par-three 16th. Then some more effin’ and jeffin’ as his chip comes out fat, stopping 25 feet short of the cup. Two putts later and that’s a bogey which brings him down to -4.
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Rory McIlroy follows up his momentum-shifting birdie on 12 with another at 14. This one comes after a 380-yard howitzer straight down the track, and though his ball rests in a divot, he’s still able to screech a wedge from 93 yards to 17 feet. The ball stops dead – he was expecting some release, if the mime to his caddie is anything to go by – but he makes the putt anyway! He’s back to -3, and a round that looked as though it was going nowhere suddenly has life, with all of its concomitant hope and promise.
Haotong Li moves into second place with birdie at 5. He’s -6, and still remains bogey-free this week, the only player in the field who can still make that boast. Meanwhile debutant Harry Hall is back in the hutch with a fine round of 67. He’s -2. And Matthew Jordan, who has tied for 10th in the last two Opens, leaps into the top ten yet again – tied for seventh, to be precise – with birdie at 2. He’s -4.
The par-three 16th is called Calamity Corner. The swale just to the left of the green is known as Bobby Locke’s Hollow, because when the Open was played here in 1951, the South African – the reigning champion having won in 1949 and 1950 – deliberately hit his ball into it four rounds out of four, having concluded it wasn’t worth going for the green and risking all the danger elsewhere. From there, it’s a relatively simple up and down. For the pros, anyway. Tyrrell Hatton is the latest to prove the tactic works, taking putter and lagging up from the best part of 30 feet to kick-in distance. He remains -5.
Tony Finau has been coming up quietly on the rail. A 70 yesterday, out in 35 today. But he’s not so quiet now. Eagle at 12, as he walks his 25-footer into the hole. He’s -4.
… and now Harman’s lead is two again. Because Harris English makes a horlicks of the par-five 12th from the get-go, finding a bunker with his drive, then pulling an approach wide left of the green, from where he’s unable to get uo and down. Bogey is a proper misfire on a hole that’s averaging 4.64 today. That’s a lot to be giving up to the field. He’s -5.
When it’s your day, it’s your day. And at the moment, this very much looks like Brian Harman’s day. His tee shot into the par-three 16th isn’t very good. It’s heading for the gnarly bank to the left of the green. But it somehow squirts out of the thick stuff, and topples downwards and onto the fringe. From where he calmly takes two putts. Harman remains in the lead at -7, and here’s a reminder that when he hit the front after day two at Hoylake a couple of years ago, he never once looked back.
The cut is currently projected at +2. The chances of Bryson DeChambeau making the weekend looked remote at the start of the day, after his opening round of 78. But what an effort the two-time US Open champion is making to stick around for the whole thing. Out in 33 with birdies at 2, 7 and 9, he dropped a stroke at 11, but has bounced back with birdies at 12, 13 and now 14, the latest reward for nearly slam-dunking his second from 110 yards. He’s +2 and is now inside that cutline. It’s a stellar performance, and not totally dissimilar in nature to Rory McIlroy’s efforts on Friday to make good his Thursday disaster in 2019. Unlike Rory back then, Bryson is on course to make it.
Birdie for Harris English at 11. Probably time to update the leaderboard, then.
-7: Harman (15)
-6: English (11)
-5: R Højgaard (F), Hatton (15), MacIntyre (13), Li (4)
-4: Fitzpatrick
-3: Bradley (F), N Højgaard (7), Jordan (1), Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
Fans of Rory McIlroy can thank this blog for tempting the Golfing Gods by mentioning his stasis a few minutes ago. Suddenly the home hero comes to life, bashing two shots into the heart of the par-five 12th and very nearly draining the 35-foot eagle putt. Just (!) a birdie, but that’ll do to get things going again. He’s -2.
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Rasmus Højgaard had been rather staggering home, in the one-Guinness-too-many late-night country-road style. But there’s an upbeat end to his journey, as he curls in a 32-footer across 18, up and over a ridge, with just enough energy to get home. The crowd roar as he raises both arms and smiles broadly. Suddenly he’ll feel a whole lot better about himself. An excellent round was threatening to spiral out of control by 16, but he scrambled par, then did so again after a wayward tee shot at 17, and now a birdie to finish. It’s a fine 68 and he’s well-placed at -5. But it’s been an underwhelming day for his playing partner and overnight co-leader Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Just the one birdie, all the way back on 2, and three bogeys, at 1, 11 and 16. He pars the last for a 73 and goes into the weekend at -2.
News of Rory McIlroy? There isn’t anything, really. Six pars in a row, between 6 and 11. He’s struggling to kick-start his campaign, and although he’s hardly played himself out of contention at -1 overall, the gallery has gone a little bit quiet, aware that other players are making birdies and making moves.
An unforced mistake by Tyrrell Hatton on 14. A perfect drive, but he misses the green with a wedge, and pays the price. Bogey. Back to -5. Meanwhile Harry Hall makes three birdies in a row – at 15, 16 and 17 – which spring the 27-year-old Open debutant from Truro up to -2.
Bradley shoots 67
Keegan Bradley hasn’t featured much on the televised coverage – presumably the director is a Tommy Fleetwood fan. But we see him find the centre of 18 from the best part of 200 yards, then nearly steer in a right-to-left 15-foot swinger for birdie. Par to close, and he completes a bogey-free round of 67. Eagle at 2, birdies at 12 and 15. That’s filed alongside his 72 from yesterday, and he’s -3 overall. As well as competing for the Open, and winning titles back home, Bradley is battling to win a place on this year’s US Ryder Cup team, which he will also captain. Reports that he played the other 17 holes today while on stilts, playing a Polynesian nose flute, putting the finishing touches to a watercolour of the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and literally juggling all the spare balls in his bag are as yet unchecked and unverified. He’s -3.
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Bob MacIntyre effs and jeffs under his breath as his approach into the par-five 12th bounds through the green and over the back. But a soft-handed chip up to kick-in distance means he’s making birdie anyway. He moves to -4. His European pal Tommy Fleetwood is keeping up the pace as well: a blemish-free front nine of 32, with birdies at 1, 2, 3 and 7, and now he’s -2 through 11.
Tyrrell Hatton halves the gap at the top. He creams a glorious iron at the 200-yard par-three 13th to six feet, and smoothly strokes in the putt. He looks calm and confident. The same can be said for Haotong Li. Confidence especially: Li’s been known to carry a wedge, on which is etched HAOTONG IS THE MOST HANDSOME MAN IN CHINA. That’s quite the sassy claim given the estimated male population of the country is 720.89 million. Anyway, his golf is nearly as handsome as he is: birdie at 2 to move to -5, and with Justin Rose’s earlier mishaps, he’s now the only player left who hasn’t carded a bogey yet this week.
-7: Harman (13)
-6: Hatton (13)
-5: English (9), Li (2)
-4: R Højgaard (16), Fitzpatrick
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Not entirely sure that par on 16 has cleared Rasmus Højgaard’s head. He takes a fairway wood from the tee on 17 and still finds the rough down the left of the hole. Better news of his twin brother Nicolai, who birdied 2 and is currently one under for his round, -3 overall through 5. And while we’re on the subject of Danish golf, hats off to Jacob Skov Olesen, who responded to that opening-hole snowman with birdie at 2. He’s now -1 overall through 4.
Justin Rose didn’t have a bogey on his card yesterday. But he dropped his first shot at 6 earlier this morning, and now his travails on the 11th have cost him a triple-bogey seven. He crashes down the standings from -3 to level par. Olesenesque. And it’s the worst time to be doing that sort of thing, mentally, because the leader Brian Harman makes his fifth birdie of the day, this time sinking a 15-footer at 13, to stretch his lead at the top. Rose was three strokes off the pace a couple of minutes ago; now he’s seven adrift.
-7: Harman (13)
-5: Hatton (12), English (9)
-4: R Højgaard (16), Li (1), Fitzpatrick
Justin Rose’s woes are the latest example of how quickly things can change. We’ve already had the example of overnight co-leader’s opening quadruple-bogey eight – Jacob Skov Olesen sent balls one and two out of bounds, right then left, dropping from -4 to level par – and now his compatriot Rasmus Højgaard is undoing all of his excellent early work. Rasmus was four under for his round through 13, but he was unable to get up and down from the side of 14, three-putted 15, and is now very fortunate not to carve his tee shot at the par-three 16th into deep oomska on the right. The ball snags in relatively short stuff, and he’s able to chip up to seven feet and scramble his par. But that’s bogey-bogey-slightly-fortunate-par, and hopefully that last tee shot and subsequent staunch up and down has arrested the downward momentum. He’s -4.
Thanks Matt … and the news about Justin Rose isn’t so great I’m afraid. He’s lost his ball, and put his third off the tee into more trouble down the right. An iron for safety and all. He’ll find his second ball, but 11 could end up being a costly hole for last year’s runner-up.
That’s my morning shift done. Time to discover what the pie of the day is. I will leave you with news that Justin Rose’s ball has disappeared into a gorse bush. Over to you, Scott!
-6: Harman (12)
-5: Hatton (11) English (8)
-4: R Højgaard (15), Li (1), Fitzpatrick
-3: Bradley (16), Bezuidenhout (15), MacIntyre (10), Rose (10), N Højgaard (4), Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
Bryson DeChambeau has made three birdies and seven pars through 10 holes. He still has a big fight on his hands to just make the weekend, however, never mind contend because he’s +4 for the week and T106. He was eighth at St Andrews in 2022 but has no top 30 in his other six Open starts. It’s a marked contrast with his form in the American majors. The big-hitter’s Kryptonite is something found only by the British and Irish seaside.
Rory McIlroy is not close to the pin at 9 with his approach. But he’ll take the fact that he’s on the putting surface because that tee shot was a shocker. It got lucky by missing a gorse bush and sitting nicely in trmabled grass. It still needed a fashioned bunt forward, but that was safe enough.
Three birdies and one bogey through 10 holes for Tyrrell Hatton. The stroppy Englishman has an odd Open record that takes in eight failures to crack the top 50 (seven of them missed cuts) and four top 20s (including sixth at Royal Portrush in 2019). Pure feast or famine.
Meanwhile, another wild drive from Rory McIlroy. He’s absolutely all over the place. He’s only found three fairways so far this week. It’s some effort to be level for the day and -1 for the week carving tee shots like he is.
Brian Harman joins Rasmus Højgaard at the top and the leaderboard is beginning to take shape:
-6: R Højgaard (13), Harman (10)
-5: Hatton (9) English (7)
-4: Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: Bezuidenhout (13), MacIntyre (8), Rose (9), N Højgaard (3), Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
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Justin Rose is just so resilient and proud. His performance when finishing in a share of second last year was superb. As was his effort when the runner-up behind Rory McIlroy at this year’s Masters. Many a golfer would think all this banging your head on the door wasn’t worth the effort if it stays shut. Not Rosey. He drops a birdie at 9 to get to -1 for the day and -3 for the week. He’s in a share of seventh.
As one Dane (Jacob Skov Olesen) takes a step backwards, another (Rasmus Højgaard) steps forwards. The latter makes a birdie at 13 and he now leads the tournament alone on -6. He finds the fairway at 14, something Rory McIlroy again fails to do back at 8.
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A bad start for the co-first round leader Jacob Skov Olesen. The left-hander’s tee shot is a nasty pull that goes out of bounds and nestles up against the hospitality unit.
Up ahead, Rory McIlroy has spurned the opportunity to make a birdie at the par-5 7th. He can’t complete his up-and-down from short of the green and has to settle for par.
Bob MacIntyre is making a move this morning. He’s -3 for the round and the week through the 8th. That’s the same score he was at this stage in round one. He’ll be hoping he doesn’t play the final 10 holes in yesterday’s +3.
Up ahead, Rasmus Højgaard circles 12 to join Harman on -5 and a share of the championship lead.
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It feels like a significant moment is coming up. Rory McIlroy found a rare good drive at the par-5 7th and has 231 yards from the first cut. This hole has been vulnerable to par breaking and he needs to take advantage to add pep to his challenge. His approach briefly finds the putting surface, but it landed very softly and slips back to the fairway where it gives Justin Thomas’s ball a friendly nudge.
Waggle, look. Waggle, look. Waggle, look. Waggle, look. Yes, Brian Harman is back and he’s found the green at 9 in regulation. When he left Royal Portrush six years ago, his Open record read: 26-MC-MC-MC. Since then, he has added: 19-6-1-60. An impressive turnaround for the current leader.
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Harris English was T15 at Muirfield in the 2013 Open but otherwise this week is a real outlier for him by the British and Irish seaside. So far, at least. In eight other starts, he’s never landed a top 40. His round one 67 was quite a surprise too: his last four Thursday scores had been 75-76-76-75.
Rory McIlroy found sand from the tee at the short par-4 5th. He can only shovel the ball to the front of the green and has to chip to avoid a shoulder. He leaves himself 15 feet for par and it just slips past the hole so yet more Friday frustration. He’s back to level-par for the day.
-5: Harman (7)
-4: R Højgaard (10), Bezuidenhout (10), Hatton (6) English (4), JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: Glover (3), Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
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The 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year, Brian Harman, joins Harris English on -5. He played a practice round with the 2015 Open champ Zach Johnson, and Dave Tindall revealed to me earlier today that he once overheard Johnson say during a practice round that he’d “worked out links golf”. Dave isn’t sure what year this happened, but it was before the win.
Harman is quickly the solo leader following a bogey for Harris English at 4.
The Aussie Marc Leishman said yesterday’s round felt like “12 hours”. Today he played in the first group out at 6.35 and he’s just tapped in for par at 18. The speed (4 hours 45 minutes) has helped him to a round of 68. He’s -1 for the week and the clubhouse leader.
A bounce back birdie for Rory McIlroy at 4. He finally finds a fairway and his approach leaves him with just eight feet for the par breaker. He doesn’t miss. The packed galleries roar their approval. The green at 4 is a cracker, by the way. It sits behind one mound and is surrounded by three others. It’s like a big baseball mitt.
We have a solo leader. Harris English drains a 10-foot birdie putt at the 2nd to move to -5 for the week. He might find slipping into his local Portrush boozer for a quiet drink a little more difficult this weekend if he continues to impress (see 10:52).
A superb birdie putt from Justin Thomas at 2 fails to drop. Then comedy scenes as he, Rory McIlroy, and Tommy Fleetwood surround the hole, peering intently at the ball like art critics reviewing a particularly perplexing piece of modern art.
Fleetwood then makes a 20-foot birdie, his third par breaker in a row. But McIlroy makes bogey.
Friday continues to be far from straightforward for Rory McIlroy. “He’s teetering on the edge,” says Dave Tindall. That’s true literally (his ball is hanging above a bunker and well above his feet that are in the sand) and metaphorically (he’s all over the place and needs to sort himself out or risk making a mess of the week). He holds his wedge low down on the metal, like a toy club, and flips the ball onto the putting surface but has over 25 feet for par.
The Guardian’s Ewan Murray just ambled over to say hello. He had a couple of nice lines about one of the overnight co-leaders in his report yesterday:
“(Harris) English wandered into a bustling Portrush bar on Wednesday evening without so much as a head turn from locals. Harris is 54 holes from becoming the first English man to win the Open since 1992.”
Back-to-back birdies for Tommy Fleetwood. He gets up-and-down from the back of the green for a four at the par-5 2nd and is now level-par for the championship. And then a big roar as Rory McIlroy drains a 7-foot par putt. There was a fair amount of right-to-left movement and he measured it to perfection. He remains at -2 for the week and two back of the lead.
A penalty drop from the tangly mess for Rory McIlroy. His third shot is still from high-ish grass but he slashes it down the fairway and short of putting surface at the par-5 2nd. He badly needs to start finding more fairways. He’s got away with his waywardness thus far, but will surely come a cropper sooner or later if this continues.
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I just ran over to speak to the Danish journalist Mikkel Christiansen. “What’s it like to be at an Open with two Danes tied for the lead?” I giddily asked him. With marvellously dry Nordic calm he responded: “It’s early days. A long way to go.” I mentioned to him that I was at Royal St. George’s last month for the Amateur Championship and how we’d all discussed “Thomas Bjorn’s bunker”, the trap on 16 where his hopes of winning the 2003 Open came to an end. “Thanks for that,” said Mikkel. “You came with hope and left me with bad memories.” Oops.
Only high grass - very high grass – has saved Rory McIlroy’s tee shot at 2 from going out of bounds. His driving woes continue.
“Beautiful start,” says commentator Richard Boxall as Rory McIlroy’s 20 foot birdie putt at the 1st drops into the middle of the hole. Tommy Fleetwood follows him in for another birdie. Neither are too animated. McIlroy is keeping a lid on the emotion, you suspect. While Fleetwood still looks rather downbeat.
Someone else has joined the lead – the Dane Rasmus Hojgaard. He’s made birdies at 2 and 6 to be -2 for the day and -4 for the championship. He’s attempting to land the Northern Irish Royal double because he won the Irish Open at Royal County Down last September, besting Rory McIlroy in a play-off.
Rory McIlroy is on the tee. More nerves? Maybe. He takes an iron, drills one low with a touch of draw, and it finds the second cut. That maintains his first round trend of missing fairways, but it’s a big improvement on round one when his first blow found a tuft of high grass.
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Thanks Scott. I’m just back from a wander down to the range. Rory McIlroy was down there, knocking balls towards the dunes. He positioned himself away from the bigger galleries, however, so unlike yesterday there were not the huge roars of support. Folk who had been there were in awe of the noise and were sharing videos of the Rory racket. He’s now on his way to the 1st tee, crossing the bridge with a smile as the galleries below call his name. And then he emerges onto the tee itself. A mini Rory racket from those in the grandstand.
Brian Harman is still in The Zone, though. He creams his fairway wood at the par-five 2nd from 285 yards to 17 feet. Another approach arrow-straight. The eagle putt doesn’t drop, but he taps in for a birdie-birdie start that gives the 2023 champ a share of the lead.
-4: Bezuidenhout (4), Harman (2), English, JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: Leishman (12), R Højgaard (4), Hatton, Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
-2: Fowler (9), Rai (3), McNealy (1), Rose, Glover, T Kim, N Højgaard, Westwood
… and with that, I’ll hand over to Matt Cooper, who will be your guide for the next three hours. See you after all of that!
So having said Marc Leishman is in The Zone, and that his card is unblemished, he sends a hosel-rocket 70 yards wide right of the par-three 13th green! Apologies to Marc for tickling the Golfing Gods under the chin like that. Ball way above his feet, in long filth, Leishman has to grip down on the shaft to lash out. Which he does, marvellously, to eight feet. He can’t save his par, but bogey’s not a bad result given the trouble he’d found after the S-word. He’s -2.
Marc Leishman is this close to draining a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-five 12th. He taps in for birdie, his fifth of a so-far-unblemished card, and this now qualifies as a proper assault on the leaderboard. He’s in the zone. This already has the potential to turn into a thrilling championship, and there’s barely a big name to tee it up on day two as of yet.
-4: Bezuidenhout (4), English, JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: Leishman (12), R Højgaard (4), Harman (1), Hatton, Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
-2: Fowler (9), Rai (3), McNealy (1), Rose, Glover, T Kim, N Højgaard, Westwood
Joaquin Niemann – who ends up with a double bogey that clatters him back to +1 - is going round with Brian Harman. The 2023 champion splits the fairway with his opening shot, then fires a 138-yard dart straight at the pin. Three feet shy. In goes the putt – he made 58 of 59 from inside ten feet on his way to victory at Hoylake, according to Sky Sports – and with a game and mindset road-tested at the Open, you wouldn’t put a second Claret Jug in three years past the ice-cool Georgian. He’s -3.
Joaquin Niemann is the hottest property on the LIV Golf tour. He’s won four times on it this calendar year already. He’s also registered his first top-ten finish at a major, tying for eighth place at Quail Hollow in the PGA. The 26-year-old Chilean shot 70 yesterday, and is surely primed to take a tilt at the title. So … and you know where this is heading … what does he do? Flay his tee shot at 1 out of bounds down the left. An iron for safety as well. Not the start one of the best golfers in the world was looking for.
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Christiaan Bezuidenhout rejoins the group atop the leaderboard. Birdie at the par-five 2nd, which is playing a little easier today: an average of 4.67 to yesterday’s 4.846. Still, you’ve got to execute, and that’s what he does, by chipping to six-and-a-half feet and tidying up. Birdie for his playing partner Rasmus Højgaard too, and the Dane moves to within a shot of the lead. The pair follow those birdies with fuss-free pars at the par-three 3rd.
-4: Bezuidenhout (3), English, JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: R Højgaard (3), Hatton, Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
-2: Leishman (11), Fowler (8), Rai (1), Harman, McNealy, Rose, Glover, T Kim, N Højgaard, Westwood
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The 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley shot a decent one-over 72 yesterday. He’s just started his second round by reaching the par-five 2nd in two, then knocking in a 17-footer for the first eagle of the morning. Bradley is chasing Open glory while winning events on the PGA Tour – he recently pipped Tommy Fleetwood to the Travelers Championship – and battling to qualify for the US Ryder Cup team, which he will also captain. Reports that this golfing polymath made his eagle while riding a unicycle, playing blues harmonica, putting the finishing touches to his first novel, and literally juggling (batons, on fire, naturally) have yet to be checked and verified. He’s -1.
Another birdie for Marc Leishman! He wedges his approach at 10 from 116 yards to ten feet, then walks in the gentle right-to-left slider. That’s three birdies in four holes, and he’s right in the mix. It’s a bit surprising that he’s the only player making a serious move this morning, with the wind speed relatively low and Portrush’s defences down.
-4: English, JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: Bezuidenhout (1), Hatton, Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
-2: Leishman (10), Fowler (7), R Højgaard (1), Rai (1), Harman, McNealy, Rose, Glover, T Kim, N Højgaard, Westwood
Portrush. Wolverhampton’s finest. It’s going to scan, isn’t it?
So could these be the fields of Aaron Rai? The 30-year-old from ATVLand broke through on the PGA Tour last year by winning the storied Wyndham Championship – the storied Greater Greensboro Open in sponsor’s clothes – and is slowly making his presence felt at the majors. No top-ten finishes yet, but this year’s run of tied-27th at the Masters, tied-19th at the PGA and tied-33rd at the US Open shows steady progress. Throw in a tie for 14th at this year’s Players, and it’s about time for a proper major statement. A 69 yesterday was the way to start. Rai has followed that up by shaving the cup with a birdie attempt on 1. He’s -2 overall.
The big move of the morning is being made by Marc Leishman. The 41-year-old Aussie came so close to winning this title at the home of golf in 2015, losing a play-off at St Andrews to Zach Johnson. He’s also got a tie for fifth at Hoylake the year before, and a tie for sixth at Birkdale in 2017, to his name. But he’s not done much since, and he’s playing in his first Open since 2022. He missed the cut when competing here at Portrush last time, in 2019, but is looking to do something positive this time around. Birdies at 2, 7 and 9 this morning, and he’s out in 33 strokes. He’s sprung 50 places up the leaderboard to -1.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout chips back out from the thick rough at 1. No heroics. It’s the percentage play, and he demonstrates how smart the decision is by wedging his third from 118 yards to nine feet. OK, so he can’t make the par putt, but the point stands. An opening bogey that was on the cards when his tee shot diced with the OB down the right … but he nearly got away with it. He’s -3. He’s going round with Rasmus Højgaard, who late on yesterday matched his twin Nicolai’s earlier two-under score of 69. Par for Rasmus, and at last we’ve got good reason to update the leaderboard.
-4: English, JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick
-3: Bezuidenhout (1), Hatton, Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana
-2: Fowler (6), R Højgaard (1), Rai, Harman, McNealy, Rose, Glover, T Kim, N Højgaard, Westwood
Birdie for Rickie Fowler at 5. He sends his tee shot through the front door of the green at the downhill par-four, and though he doesn’t get particularly close with his first putt from 70 feet, rattles in his second from ten feet or so. That’s repaired the damage copped at 3, and he’s back to -2.
Portrush owes Christiaan Bezuidenhout a little something. When he was two-and-a-half, Bezuidenhout found a pop bottle on the street and had a swig. It contained rat poison. A nearby adult spotted what was happening and rushed the poor little lad to hospital, where his stomach was pumped, but the poison had already affected his nervous system, and the long-term effect was a stutter and anxiety. Fast forward to 2014, and when competing in the British Amateur at Portrush, he was picked for a random drug test. He informed the tester that he was on beta-blockers, taken since his teenage years to treat the anxiety and help with his public speaking. That led to a two-year suspension, later reduced to nine months when it was determined the beta-blockers were clearly not being used to enhance his performance. Bezuidenhout stopped taking the drug, and since then, the wrongs righted, has become a fixture on the European and PGA Tours. Now 31, he’s never quite managed to get it going at the majors … that is until a tie for 12th at last month’s US Open. And yesterday’s 67 has given him joint ownership of the first-round lead. He takes rescue off the 1st tee this morning, and Portrush gives him a little payback, catching the hybrid he carves towards the right-hand OB with some thick grass. Not ideal by any means, but a gnarly lie is better than teeing up a second ball.
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You can’t win the Open in the first two days; you can certainly play your way out of it, though. Here’s Bud Cauley, the 35-year-old from Florida playing in just his second Open, 12 years after finishing in a tie for 32nd at Muirfield. A 72 yesterday, and he’d have been dreaming of making a move ahead of Moving Day, and enjoying his weekend. But things can go awry quicksmart, and after sending his opening tee shot OB on the left, he finds a native area down the same side, then more thick grass on the other, and ends up with a triple-bogey to start. He’s now +4, and already concentrating more on giving the cut the bodyswerve.
A couple of amateurs going well this morning. Connor Graham, 18, from Blairgowrie in Scotland but studying at Texas Tech, is being mentored by the 1999 champion Paul Lawrie. After yesterday’s 73, he’s already got a couple of birdies this morning, the latest at 6, where he curls in a 12-footer to move to +1 overall. Weekend participation, and with it the chance to win the Silver Medal for low amateur, is within reach. See also Ethan Fang, his conqueror at this year’s Amateur Championship; the young American is +2 overall after birdies this morning at 2 and 3.
Sergio bounces back from that miserable double-bogey start. He creams a fairway wood into the front of the par-five 2nd green; two putts later, it’s a birdie and he’s back to level par. Then on the par-three 3rd, he sends a gentle draw to 15 feet, and very nearly makes the birdie putt, but the ball dies to the low side on its final turn, not quite reaching the hole. A par, though, on a hole that’s already averaging 3.25 today.
While Adam Scott was shipping a double bogey on the par-three 3rd, his playing partner Rickie Fowler was also in bother. He’d over-clubbed too, sending his tee shot on a perfect line over the flag, but over the back of the green as well. Fowler only needed one shot to get back up onto the dancefloor, but he couldn’t make his putt from eight feet to scramble his par. He drops to -1.
Adam Scott should have won this Championship in 2012. But he bogeyed holes 69 through 72 at Lytham, handing the Claret Jug to Ernie Els on a silver platter. What the genial Scott would give to play that stretch again. Ah well, he’ll always have Augusta National, nine months later. What the Big Easy would give for a green jacket. Scott started this morning on +1 after a 72 yesterday, but he’s going backwards now, after a clumsy double bogey, his first of the week, at the short par-three 3rd. He over-clubs, his ball disappearing down the swale at the back … then he under-chips, his ball coming back towards his feet. A second chip doesn’t get close, and two putts later, he’s +3 and prodding the green with his putter in annoyance, not so genial right now.
Updated
Sergio Garcia missed a five-foot putt to win the Open at Carnoustie in 2007. He had his chance to win at Hoylake in 2014 too, but failed to get out of a bunker at the par-three 15th and that was that too. At 45 years of age, it’s not too late to right those wrongs, and yesterday’s opening round of 70 offered hope. But he’s started his second round horrendously, tugging his opening tee shot into the thick stuff down the left, finding a greenside bunker, failing to get onto the green, chipping short, then failing to make the eight-footer that remains for bogey. A double, and those shoulders are slumping already. We’ve seen this story too often before. Oh Sergio. He’s +1.
So much for Zach Johnson’s fast start. A three-putt bogey on the par-five 2nd. That’s careless. The 2nd proved one of the easiest holes on the course yesterday, offering up 40 birdies, four eagles, and just 20 bogeys or worse. An average of 4.846, so if all of that is anything to go by, the 2015 champ has just given up nearly 1.2 shots to the field with three swishes of the flat stick from just 14 feet. He’s back to -1.
A good moment for Repubblica Italiana on the greens. Matteo Manassero – who as a 16-year-old played with Tom Watson in the first two rounds of the aforementioned 2009 Open, en route to finishing in a tie for 13th, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Silver Medal awarded to the leading amateur – makes a 25-footer on the par-three 3rd. Meanwhile his compatriot Francesco Molinari walks in a putt of similar distance on the par-five 2nd. A pair of birdies. Manassero is currently +2, Molinari level par.
Zach Johnson is part of a small but significant footnote in Open history. In winning the 2015 staging at St Andrews, he became only the fourth man, after Bob Martin, Willie Park Jr. and Seve Ballesteros to win the Open on a Monday. The 49-year-old Iowan has started well in his quest for a garden-variety Sunday victory this time, with a fine opening round of 70 yesterday. He’s off to a flyer today, too, sending a gentle draw into the 1st green, from 156 yards to 16 feet, taking the deep bunker at the front out of play, then tidying up for birdie, the first of the morning so far. There were only 12 birdies on the opening hole yesterday, so this is no mean feat. He’s now -2.
Rickie Fowler has had plenty of near misses in the majors. His record in 2014 pretty much tells the whole story: a tie for fifth at the Masters, a tie for third at the PGA, and second-place finishes at both the US Open and Open. He’s also competed for the Claret Jug on the final day at Sandwich in 2011 … and here at Portrush in 2019. There would be few more popular winners not named Rory, Shane or Tom, and the 36-year-old Californian has started his week well with a round of 69 yesterday. He’s off to a good start today, as well, cracking his opening tee shot down the track. He’s -2.
Updated
The weather shouldn’t misbehave as much as it did yesterday. It’s forecast to be overcast for most of the day, with some sun perhaps breaking through in the afternoon. The afternoon might also see some heavy rain at times. Chances always of scattered showers, naturally. The wind shouldn’t be too bothersome, though the occasional gust of up to 18 mph is possible. As for the weekend: it’s expected to be brighter on Saturday, and wetter on Sunday. But no risk of the thunderstorms that were threatened yesterday but thankfully didn’t materialise. We’ll get through Sunday.
Another erstwhile champion takes to the tee. Francesco Molinari became the first Italian to lift the Claret Jug at Carnoustie in 2018. This morning he displays a bit of the moxie that was required back then to see off Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy on the final day, bashing his drive down the left side of the fairway. The ball creeps into the rough, but that’s more than good enough with those internal OB markers a mere 15 yards either side of the fairway. Molinari is +1 after yesterday’s opening round of 72.
The first shot of the second day of the Open is hit by the 2009 champion golfer Stewart Cink. The US star didn’t get the acclaim he deserved upon winning at Turnberry back in the day, the unavoidable cost of beating the legendary Tom Watson in a play-off. Watson was 59, agonisingly close to breaking all sorts of records, and so Cink was cast in the role of dream-snatcher and heart-breaker, all for having the temerity to win the biggest tournament of his life with some brilliant golf. Well, he gets the love he deserves now with a warm round of applause as he sends his opening tee shot down the middle. A film of Cink’s 2009 triumph and its aftermath, Underdogs, is on Sky Sports and well worth your time. Warning: Cink’s disarming charm may make you feel a tad guilty. Anyway, now 52, Cink is +4, with a bit of work to do if he’s to avoid the cut this time round.
Preamble
… and we’re back. Less than nine hours ago, the first day of the 153rd edition of the Open Championship came to a close. Now we’re up and running again! Friday promises to be another Homeric odyssey, and we’ll be blogging about it ♫♪ all day looooooonng♫♪. Here’s how the very top of a star-studded leaderboard looked at the end of play last night …
-4: JS Olesen, Li, Fitzpatrick, Bezuidenhout, English
-3: Jordan, Scheffler, Kaewkanjana, Hatton
-2: N Højgaard, Westwood, Fowler, R Højgaard, Rai, Harman, McNealy, Rose, Glover, T Kim
-1: Mickelson, Burns, Rahm, Lowry, Axelsen, Z Johnson, Garcia, Hidalgo, Leonard, Niemann, McIlroy, Finau
E: J Smith, Kanaya, Schauffele, Svensson, Hillier, Novak, Burmester, McCarty, Im, Langasque, MacIntyre, Kimsey, Kokrak
… and here are the tee times for the second round (GBR & IRE unless stated, all times local, (a) denotes amateurs). It’s on!
0635 Stewart Cink (USA), Marc Leishman (Aus), Matteo Manassero (Ita)
0646 (a) Connor Graham, Francesco Molinari (Ita), Jesper Svensson (Swe)
0657 Daniel Brown, Daniel Hillier (Nzl), Zach Johnson (USA)
0708 (a) Ethan Fang (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA), Adam Scott (Aus)
0719 Laurie Canter, Sergio Garcia (Spa), Elvis Smylie (Aus)
0730 Andrew Novak (USA), Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Matt Wallace
0741 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Rikuya Hoshino (Jpn), Davis Thompson (USA)
0752 (a) Sebastian Cave, Shugo Imahira (Jpn), Si-Woo Kim (Kor)
0803 Bud Cauley (USA), Michael Kim (USA), John Parry
0814 Angel Hidalgo (Spa), Matt McCarty (USA), Shaun Norris (Rsa)
0825 Daniel Berger (USA), Keegan Bradley (USA), Sung-Jae Im (Kor)
0836 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Romain Langasque (Fra)
0847 Harry Hall, Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala (USA)
0903 Thriston Lawrence (Rsa), Justin Leonard (USA), Antoine Rozner (Fra)
0914 Chris Kirk (USA), Carlos Ortiz (Mex), JT Poston (USA)
0925 Brian Harman (USA), Maverick McNealy (USA), Joaquin Niemann (Chi)
0936 Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley (USA), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
0947 Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose
0958 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jordan Spieth (USA)
1009 Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas (USA)
1020 Harris English (USA), Tony Finau (USA), Nick Taylor (Can)
1031 Lucas Glover (USA), Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
1042 Brian Campbell (USA), John Catlin (USA), (a) Frazer Jones
1053 (a) Cameron Adam, Nathan Kimsey, Jason Kokrak (USA)
1104 Curtis Knipes, Curtis Luck (Aus), Daniel Young
1115 George Bloor, OJ Farrell, Young-Han Song (Kor)
1126 Padraig Harrington, Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den), Tom McKibbin
1147 KJ Choi (Kor), Guido Migliozzi (Ita), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa)
1158 (a) Justin Hastings (Cay), Marco Penge, Cameron Smith (Aus)
1209 Jason Day (Aus), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den), Taylor Pendrith (Can)
1220 Phil Mickelson (USA), Ryan Peake (Aus), Daniel van Tonder (Rsa)
1231 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Max Greyserman (USA), Niklas Noergaard (Den)
1242 Dustin Johnson (USA), Haotong Li (Chn), Jordan Smith
1253 Darren Clarke, Lucas Herbert (Aus), Davis Riley (USA)
1304 Mikiya Akutsu (Jpn), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Chun-An Yu (Tai)
1315 Thomas Detry (Bel), Chris Gotterup (USA), Lee Westwood
1326 Patrick Cantlay (USA), Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Cameron Young (USA)
1337 (a) Filip Jakubcik (Cze), Matthew Jordan, Thorbjoern Olesen (Den)
1348 Stephan Jaeger (Ger), Sebastian Soederberg (Swe), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
1404 Martin Couvra (Fra), Kristoffer Reitan (Nor), Adrien Saddier (Fra)
1415 Takumi Kanaya (Jpn), (a) Bryan Newman (Rsa), Justin Walters (Rsa)
1426 Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ryan Fox (Nzl), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
1437 Akshay Bhatia (USA), Ben Griffin (USA), Sepp Straka (Aut)
1448 Sam Burns (USA), Brooks Koepka (USA), Aldrich Potgieter (Rsa)
1459 Jon Rahm (Spa), Xander Schauffele (USA), JJ Spaun (USA)
1510 Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa (USA), Scottie Scheffler (USA)
1521 Wyndham Clark (USA), Corey Conners (Can), Tom Hoge (USA)
1532 Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Denny McCarthy (USA), Patrick Reed (USA)
1543 Ryggs Johnston (USA), Matthias Schmid (Ger), (a) Richard Teder (Est)
1554 John Axelsen (Den), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Dylan Naidoo (Rsa)
1605 Oliver Lindell (Fin), Jesper Sandborg (Swe), Justin Suh (USA)
1616 Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha), Riki Kawamoto (Jpn), Sampson Zheng (Chn)
