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Mark Schlabach, ESPN Senior Writer
TROON, Scotland – Stronger winds and tougher conditions made the second round of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club on Friday even more treacherous for the world’s best golfers.
So many favorites won’t make it to the final 36 holes.
“I have to sleep in a dark room,” England’s Matthew Southgate, who missed the cut after limping through a 7-over 78 on Saturday, said. “It’s brutal out there. It’s one of the hardest experiences I’ve had on the golf course. It’s crosswinds everywhere and the pins are on the same side where the wind is coming. Really.”
Local knowledge and links golf experience has been excellent so far. For the first time since 1951, the top three golfers in the rankings at the midpoint are from England and Ireland. Ireland’s Shane Lowry, with a 36-hole total of 7-under 135, has a 2-shot lead over Britain’s Justin Rose and Daniel Brown.
Here’s what to watch for in the third round of The Open:
Will Lowry be the leader?
Lowry was asked Friday if he considered himself a good front runner.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a good runner,” Lowry joked.
This is Lowry’s fourth career 36-hole lead or co-lead of his PGA Tour career. He went 1-for-3 in his previous closes, winning the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland and finishing third at the 2019 RBC Legacy and Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
“For me, it’s just about going out there and playing my own game, getting the best score I can, and then seeing where it leaves me,” Lowry said. “Try not to worry about what other people are doing and just try to take care of your own personal things. I don’t know. I put myself in some big tournaments, and I managed to beat the dead.”
Good news for Lowry: Three of the past four 36-hole leaders or co-leaders at The Open have lifted the Claret Jug. He did it in 2019, then Cameron Smith in St. Andrews in 2022 and Brian Harman at Royal Liverpool last year.
Having grown up in Ireland, Lowry seemed better than most to play in the wind and rain. He survived torrential rain in the final round of the 2019 Open Championship to run away with a 6-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood.
“I get situations like this, and I know I can do it, I know I can handle it,” Lowry said. “It’s quite difficult to stand up there from 190 yards and make yourself hit the 4-iron as low as you can. It’s quite difficult to tell yourself that. I feel like three weeks I’ve been at home, golf I’ I’ve played in Ireland, coming here, and doing (research) here for the past few weeks, I think it’s helped.
Can Scheffler catch Lowry?
Lowry doesn’t have to look far down the leaderboard to see that world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is lurking near the top again.
At the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida, Scheffler birdied the final seven greens to tie Lowry for the third-round lead. On Sunday, Scheffler posted a 6-under 66 to pull away for a 5-shot win over Wyndham Clark. Lowry shot a 72 and is six strokes behind.
“Honestly, I’m not sure Scottie Scheffler is too worried about anyone in shape,” Lowry said. “He’s obviously on the leaderboard, and he’s one of the people we’re going to talk to.”
Scheffler is looking for his seventh win of the season and second major after winning his second Masters this April. He posted a 1-under 70 on Friday for his second straight round and was five shots behind Lowry.
Scheffler’s putter also looks warm. He had an 11½-foot birdie putt on No. 4, 35½ feet at No. 14 and 5 feet in No. 16. He also had a nice 15-footer to save par on No. 16.
After losing about half a stroke to the field on the greens on Thursday, he gained about 1½ in the second round.
“I said after yesterday’s round, sometimes it’s a numbers game,” said Scheffler. “Just getting the ball around the hole, and the more often I get closer to the hole, the more putts I’m going to hole. edge, I think it’s more likely I’ll make more putts in the future.”
Scheffler came from behind after 36 holes in six of his 11 stroke-play victories in his PGA Tour career, including three when he trailed by six strokes or more: the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship in March.
“It doesn’t matter to me what they do,” Scheffler said. “I tried to do my best to hit good shots and put myself in position. Going to the weekend, five shots back, I feel like I’m in a decent position.”
Will Brown stay?
Brown, playing in his first major, held a 1-shot lead over Lowry in the first round and had enough to stay near the top of the leaderboard in the second. He made the turn at 2-over 38 but had two birdies and one bogey at the end to stay 2 behind Lowry.
Brown in the rarefied air. Since 1900, the only players to have won the first major championship in their debut are Francis Ouimet (1913 US Open), Ben Curtis (2003 Open) and Keegan Bradley (2011 PGA Championship).
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Brown is the first golfer since SK Ho in 2003 to be in the top two through 36 holes in his major debut. Rose (1998), Gerry Taylor (1987) and Ian Baker-Finch (1984) also did.
Even when sleeping in the lead, Brown said he got plenty of rest before the second half.
“I can get seven or eight hours,” Brown said. “I’m knackered. I don’t think I’ve been late like that in a long time.”
Brown, a DP World Tour regular, knows he’s only halfway there.
“I’ve always been pretty laid back really,” Brown said. “I’m also a bit of a realist. I know I’m not going to get ahead of myself and think, ‘Oh my God, I’m leading The Open or I’m second in The Open. or whatever.’ With 36 holes to go, I can probably have a good round on Sunday.
The star is going home
Links golf tends to neutralize the distance advantage that the world’s best players can have, especially when the wind is strong, and the greens are strong and fast. That was certainly the case at Royal Troon, where some of the game’s top golfers were dispatched after 36 holes.
Among those who missed: Will Zalatoris (7 passes), Tyrrell Hatton (8 passes), Ludvig Åberg (9 passes), Fleetwood (9 passes), Bryson DeChambeau (9 passes), Viktor Hovland (10 passes), Tony Finau. (10 over), Tom Kim (11 over), Cameron Smith (12 over), Rory McIlroy (11 over), Sahith Theegala (14 over), Tiger Woods (14 over) and Clark (16 over).
After struggling through a 7-over 78 on Saturday, McIlroy didn’t have much room for error. He had a bad start to the second round with bogeys on No. 3, 5 and 6 and a triple-bogey 8 on No. 4. He was 6 over six holes. He played the final 12 holes in 2 under without a bogey.
“When I look back at the two majors where I didn’t play my best, here and the Masters, the wind got better on Friday at Augusta, then the wind got better than me the last two days here,” said McIlroy.
“I didn’t adapt very well to the left-to-right wind yesterday on the back nine, and then this afternoon I went out in the gusty wind on the front, like I said, I got better, and I felt uncomfortable in some shots.”
McIlroy is tied for 12th at the PGA Championship and tied for second at the US Open, but it still looks like a lost major season. He will end a drought of more than 10 years in the majors going into the 2025 Masters.
McIlroy will compete in the Olympics in Paris in a few weeks and he is in contention for the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour.
“I think we say this every Open Championship, but it’s not like we only play four events a year,” he said. “We play like 25, so there are still a few things left to play for. Obviously, majors have come and gone, but to sort of refocus and try to reset for the Olympics, which will be another cool experience, and try to play. there.
DeChambeau is the second golfer in the last 10 years to miss The Open after winning the US Open the same year (Gary Woodland, 2019).
The weather forecast improved
The weather in Scotland is unpredictable, and it was again this week. The Met Office forecast for the weekend calls for a wet Saturday and a mostly dry Sunday. A sunny morning is expected on Saturday, followed by more heavy and persistent rain in the afternoon. Winds from the south to southwest at 7-10 mph with gusts of 12-15 mph.
There is high confidence for a “drier and brighter day” on Sunday. Winds are forecast from the southwest from 7 to 10 mph with gusts of 11-14 mph. High temperatures are expected to be in the mid-60s.
Race for the Silver Medal
Four amateurs made the 36-hole cut and will battle it out in the final two rounds for the Silver Medal. Scotland’s Calum Scott, who plays at Texas Tech, leads the way in 4 overs.
“I feel like I’ve done really well, but at the same time I just want to see where my game is compared to,” Scott said. “Obviously, the best there is, and obviously this course is one of the best in the world, the major on the golf course is set up like a major. With the Scottish weather conditions, it’s even more like a major.”
Jacob Skov Olesen, who in June became the first Dane to win the British Amateur, is one shot back. The former TCU and Arkansas golfer carded a bogey-free 71 on Friday. He will also play in the Masters and the US next season if he remains an amateur.
Spain’s Luis Masaveu, who survived the 36-hole final qualifier playing with his old club because the new one was missing, and University of Texas golfer Tommy Morrison were on the cut line at 6 over. Morrison, 6 feet, 9 inches, became the first American to win the European Amateur Championship on June 29.
