Report, reaction and analysis
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And that’s it for Friday at the Open. The weekend promises much. Can Shane Lowry win the Claret Jug and return to Royal Portrush with it? What a delicious prospect. Will Justin Rose triumph in his 40s? Can Dan Brown surprise the world? Will Scottie Scheffler reel them all in? So much to look forward to and Scott Murray will be your guide. Thanks for reading and for the great debate about the course and conditions. It was terrific fun.
Rory McIlroy on his good friend, and the halfway leader, Shane Lowry: “I can’t wait to watch this weekend. He’s so creative. That little squeezy cut that he can hit, especially going out in that front nine, is going to be really helpful to him. Yeah, look, he relishes these conditions. He loves playing these conditions. The Open Championship is his favourite tournament in the world. He gets more up for this than anything else. I’m looking forward to cheering him on and hopefully him getting his second jug.”
Rory McIlroy (78-75) admits his hopes were shot early in the second round. “I think once I made the eight on the 4th hole, that was it. 22 holes into the event and I’m thinking about where I’m going to go on vacation next week. From then I’d sort of resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to shoot, whatever it is, 4- or 5-under from there on in to make the cut.”
Shane Lowry is the halfway leader of the 152nd Open
Here is the state of play at Royal Troon with just a few holes left to be played. (It is unlikely anyone will alter these top-of-the-leaderboard standings.)
-7: Lowry (F)
-5: Brown (F), Rose (F)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Scheffler (F)
-1: Conners (F), Day (F), Schauffele (F), Cantlay (F)
E: Jordan (F), Niemann (F)
+1: D Johnson (F), Koepka (F), Morikawa (F), Hughes (F), Rahm (F)
Robert MacIntyre on his remarkable day: “That was carnage. When I made that eight on 4, my head was completely gone. I was staring 90 in the face. I was hitting stupid shots, hitting terrible shots. It was literally damage limitation at one point. Once we started hitting good shots, we just built on it. With that start, I felt like I was letting everyone down, not just myself, but my team and the fans. But it was just about fighting, and they helped me a long way.”
Jim R asks: “What’s the forecast for tomorrow?” 80% chance of light rain from 1pm onwards with much lighter winds than today. Sunday should be sunny and windier, but not the equal of today.
Meanwhile, the debate rumbles on. Terrific stuff. Richard Hirst writes: “So much more interesting and exciting watching players having to play difficult shots than the target practice on US courses, where it all comes down to who is the best putter. Having earned my golfing nickname of ‘random’ on the Postage Stamp, as I took random swipes from bunker to bunker, I’m all for the pros having the same difficulties!”
A sadder Friday evening for Rory McIlroy, however. Unlike his playing partner Homa he will be finding something else to occupy his thoughts this weekend. Another major, another year, slips by. Next year it will be 11 years since he last won a major. Frustrating for fans, it must be infuriating for him. (Replays of Homa’s reaction are superb, by the way – wonderful passion to just make the cut!)
Terrific late scenes on 18 as Max Homa drains a birdie putt to makes the cut on the number (+6). A huge roar from the crowds, a fist pump from Homa and he looks exhausted. He made a triple bogey-7 early in his back nine but also birdied 16 as well as 18 to secure a weekend berth.
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Matthew Hobbs joins the debate, one I’m anjoying because there is disagreement but in polite fashion: “Must respectfully disagree with Ian. Look at Justin Rose’s round today: only Lowry hit more greens in regulation today despite Rose getting the worst of the conditions in rounds one and two. Wind, firm greens, thick rough - it’s a true test of creativity and skill, rather than who can hit the ball the furthest.”
Jon Rahm was in quite a philosophical mood after his round: “I’ve got a chance,” he said. “I’m just a little frustrated I couldn’t finish off the round. It’s always a bad feeling to not make a bad swing on a par-5 and end up with a 6, and just not making that putt on 18. But overall it was a very good round.”
Geoff Wignall joins in the debate kicked off by Ian (below): “I’m not the greatest golf fan or follower, but I do know that a succession of golfing greats have long been vocal in their love of links golf and the challenge of the Open. I think I’ll take their opinion as the best available. Some of the lesser park course players might struggle, but so what?”
Tommy Fleetwood is one of the many stars who has missed the cut with a +9 36-hole total. Afterwards he said: “It was tough. Conditions are tough, the golf course is tough. But it’s your job to figure it out and to put in a score, and I just couldn’t do that.”
Billy Horschel is currently T4 and he’s quite bullish about his apparently lacklustre links record (one top 25 finish in nine Open starts): “I’ve been unfortunate enough to be on the bad side of some draws like Hoylake in 2014,” he said. “Here in 2016, I shot 4-under the first round, and then I proceeded to shoot 85, but if everyone remembers, the weather was pretty nasty. I got to 9 and the weather to that point was the nastiest weather I’ve ever played in. It was a brute that day. So, the record can be a little deceiving.”
The poor finish continues for Jon Rahm. After the silly bogey at 16, he does save par at 17 but then he misses an eight foot birdie opportunity at 18. He finishes -1 for the day and +1 for the week. Not out of it but he could have been well in it.
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Andy from Glasgow does not agree with Ian, however, and he emails: “It’s not meant to be easy. You’re playing the course, the conditions and yourself, that’s the point.”
Nick Gibson agrees with Ian Bahrami and emails: “He is correct and successive Open secretaries seem to relish putting American professional golfers in misery … it’s a golf snobbism writ large … very boring.”
The biggest roars of the day are for Bob MacIntyre in recognition of his fight. He heads up 18 knowing he almost certainly won’t win this Open but his head is held high and he’ll play the weekend.
I don’t agree with Ian (below) but I’m enjoying this line: “great players playing bad golf on an ugly course in terrible weather”. I prefer links golf and find it more aesthetically pleasing to watch and view, but I’m happy for Ian to disagree. Here’s a different thought to Ian’s from a colleague: “Today’s golf has shown a lot of these players are flat track bullies.” Good discussion.
Ian Bahrami is not happy and emails: “Am I the only one who thinks the Open is by a country mile the worst of the 4 majors? Where is the pleasure in watching great players playing bad golf on an ugly course in terrible weather? Are we similarly enthralled when Messi plays badly on a cabbage patch of a pitch in a hurricane? Are Todd Hamilton, Justin Leonard and Darren Clarke great major winners? Of course not. Perhaps that’s why the stands look so empty.” Thoughts everyone?!
Rahm appears to hit his tee shot at 17 on a great line. But the wind doesn’t touch it and he finds a greenside bunker. He waves theatrically at the skies and wonders why nature left his ball alone.
Bogey for Jon Rahm. For the first time in the 2024 majors, the Spaniard had a glint in his eye and he’s lost it in 10 silly minutes. He misses a short par putt and needs to regroup for 17 and 18. No such problems for Bob MacIntyre who has fought back in wonderful fashion from a disastrous start to the round and makes birdie at 16 playing with Rahm. He was +8 through four but is now +4 for the day and +5 for the week. Not what he hoped for but an effort to be proud of.
The cut line is bobbing up and down like a tug boat in the Firth of Clyde this afternoon. First it’s +5. Then it’s +6. Then it changes again. And again. And again. It’s currently +6. Safe to say that no-one on +6 is currently checking out of their accommodation. A lot of refreshing of leaderboards going on though. Especially for the Spanish amateur Luis Masaveu
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Wow. A mistake from Jon Rahm at the par-5 16th. The drive is tricky: downwind with a burn across the obvious landing area. Rahm opted to lay up and the ball came to earth far too close to the burn and dribbled in. He looks wounded because that’s a big error and self-inflicted.
And here is Rose on the conditions today: “I think today it tipped over the edge where the elements were in control, meaning that you were aiming right of a pin and slicing the ball and seeing the ball hook. So the wind had all the control on the ball. The player couldn’t have control over the wind. I think that’s the tipping point today. Yesterday I felt like it was playable, a fair fight. Today just kind of was a bit more survival.”
Justin Rose was in understandably chipper mood talking to the press. “Obviously I celebrated (because) there was the realisation I didn’t have to hit another shot. I could really kind of let my guard down because it was a really hardworking, good round of golf.”
Rahm raid: At the 502-yard par-4 15th Jon Rahm wallops a 402-yard drive, flicks a wedge 100 yards onto the green, and holes from 13 feet for birdie. He’s -2 for the day, level-par for the championship and there is the par-5 16th to come.
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By the way, Southgate’s description of today’s round (below) really puts Justin Rose’s round into perspective because they played in back-to-back groups.
Matthew Southgate finished 12th at Royal Troon in the 2016 Open but carded a 78 today to miss the cut. “I need to lie down in a dark room,” he said. “It’s brutal out there. That’s one of the toughest experiences I’ve had on a golf course. It was cross-winds everywhere and pins on the same side where the wind was coming from. It’s just so, so difficult. It was like survival golf really. It’s definitely the toughest round I’ve ever played in an Open, but I don’t think that necessarily has anything to do with Troon as a golf course. You just had a brutal day of weather.”
Jon Rahm maintains his move. Close to a tap-in biride at the 197-yard par-3 14th. He makes no mistake and is now -1 for the day and +1 for the week.
Joaquin Niemann continues to defy conditions, defy a terrible major record (not one top 10) and defy the body blow of taking eight shots at 8. He’s made four birdies on the back nine and is level-par for the week.
A wonderful email from Gary Naylor, in response to my 1970s golfers and galleries post: “I saw Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation on Wednesday. The entire cast looked like Hale Irwin.”
Dustin Johnson carded a 69 today and is still in this championship at +1. He’s here but not his wife. “Her and a couple of friends are in Saint-Tropez,” he said. “I’ll meet her on Sunday.” She doesn’t like Scottish weather someone asked. “I don’t blame her,” DJ replied.
Some five hours ago I sent Scott a weather report. I was using the media centre roof as a gauge and said the wind was up and the roof might soon be too. An update: the roof has largely stopped flapping and creaking. More standard measures, those utilised by the Met Office for example, agree that the wind is dropping for the late starters.
I’m a huge fan of photos of 1970s Opens. It’s not really the golfers – it’s more the galleries. The haircuts, the glasses, the outfits, the vibes. There is one of Seve Ballesteros thrashing at a ball with a steep bank behind him and every fan there looks like a CIA operative or a bank robber in disguise. A modern version of this golfer/fan backdrop is created just now as Jon Rahm attempts to save par from behind the green at 11. Job done: he stays at +2. A big two hours coming up for his hopes of any kind of major championship fun in 2024.
You might be wondering who Minkyu Kim is. He turned pro aged 16 in 2017, he was a sensation on the minor tours in the UK, and he added victory on the Challenge Tour a year later. The future was golden but he lost his way. A second win in the Korean Open last month earned his spot in the Open and he’s currently -1 through 5 and +1 for the championship.
One of the best efforts of this afternoon has come from Chile’s Joaquin Niemann. He opened with two birdies in the first three holes but stumbled big time with that 8 at 8 (the par-3) that Scott discussed earlier. But he’s started the back nine as he started the front nine: with two birdies in three holes. He’s +2 for the day and the week.
A remarkable Friday afternoon leaderboard. It is not yet 6pm and no-one on the top page is still out on the course! There are two players at +1 (Russell Henley and Minkyu Kim) and six at +2, including Jon Rahm.
-7: Lowry (F)
-5: Brown (F), Rose (F)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Scheffler (F)
-1: Conners (F), Day (F), Schauffele (F), Cantlay (F)
E: Jordan (F)
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A huge roar from 18! A closing birdie for Justin Rose and the grandstands cheer and applaud their approval. A tremendous way to finish the day. What a marvellous experience for the veteran and what a weekend he has ahead of him.
One more big shot for today for Justin Rose: his approach to 18. As usual, he eyes it up from behind, club held ahead of him, one eye closed. It plunges deep into the green and holds the back half. A two-putt from there and he’ll be due a very hearty and well-deserved dinner.
A few Q&As from Dan Brown’s chat to the media half and hour ago.
Q: These names are way before your time, but do you know the names Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton from this tournament?
A: Yes.
Q: Have you read any of your namesake’s books?
A: I haven’t. I’m not a big book reader.
Q: Do you prefer Dan or Daniel?
A: Dan. Daniel is usually when I’m getting told off by my mom and dad.
Bryson DeChambeau closes out his front nine with a delicious little chip in at 9. He’s +1 for the day and +6 for the championship - and that number has just become the cut line. The wind is predicted to drop a little which might see it go back to +5. But so many golfers are tired and bedraggled it may also remain the case that +6 plays the weekend.
Here’s a stat from the R&A’s number man to highlight the brilliance of Dan Brown’s first round effort. He scored 9.4 shots better than the field average which makes it the best Open effort (measured by such parameters) since Henrik Stenson’s 63 to win here at Royal Troon in 2016.
Having found the bottom of the cup for birdie at 16, Rose finds the heart of the green at 17. He’s now -4 for the week and to have made just one bogey all day is simply sensational from the veteran.
The Texas wedge for Justin Rose at 16. His second blow at the par-5 came up 25 yards short of the green and his shot selection is very smart. He’s left himself 4 feet for birdie. “Fantastic golf from Rosey,” says a sage voice in the media centre. “Just terrific.”
Somebody, somewhere will be saying “Spanish hands” as Jon Rahm holes out from 49 yards short of the green at 9 for a birdie-3. It’s a lovely shot and no Spanish golfer is allowed to show short game skills and not have his hands referenced. It’s an absurd cliche but Rahm doesn’t care. He’s +2 for the week and a good back nine will have him sniffing a fun weekend.
More Postage Stamp woes, this time for Tom Kim. The Korean found three different greenside bunkers on his way to a double bogey-5 at 8. Second last year, he is +9 for the championship and needs something spectacular to play at the weekend.
Amid all the wind-strewn mayhem, Justin Rose has stood firm. It’s a marvellous effort and a birdie putt from 11 feet has just lipped out at 15. He is the only golfer out on the course who is level-par or better for the championship. He’s -3.
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Thanks Scott. It’s been quite a few hours since I was last with you. I walked the course in the middle of that break and the wind was really fierce at times. There were more than a few golfers looking forlorn. I watched Adam Schenk, for example, think, and think, and think again about an approach. It plopped 30 yards short of the target and he said sadly: “A 120-yard 5-iron … wow.”
… so with that, I’ll leave you in the loving arms of Matt Cooper. He’ll take this baby home. See you tomorrow.
Sky have just flashed up a wonderful graphic, noting the worst score made on each hole today. Gather them all together into one super-nightmare round, and it’s a cumulative total of 126 (as I think they’ve missed Aguri Iwasaki’s seven on 18). Anyway, here goes.
Out: 7-6-6-9-6-7-6-8-7 (62)
In: 6-7-7-9-9-7-7-5-7 (64)
Total: 126
A lot of players suffering out there, if not on Iwasaki’s scale. Maverick McNealy opens 5-6-5 and drops back into the pack at +4. Tyrrell Hatton hacks his way up the rough to the side of 4, running up a double-bogey seven, then drops another shot at 5. He’s +4 as well. Younghan Song, who briefly led the Open yesterday, has played the front nine in 41 strokes. Birdie at 16 gives him a little wriggle room in the hope of making the cut. He’s +4 as well.
Iwasaki shoots 91
Aguri Iwasaki earned a place at the Open for the very first time with his victory at the 2023 Japan Open. His record since hasn’t been great – he’s missed the cut six times in nine starts on the Japan Tour this year – but he posted a decent round of 74 yesterday. The 26-year-old from Shizuoka will have been dreaming of the weekend. But he’s come a proper cropper here today. Back-to-back nines, at 13 and 14, the first the result of sending two tee shots into unplayable areas, the second some Niemannesque sand-based shenanigans. Throw in a triple coming up the last, and the poor guy played the back nine in 52 strokes, 17 over par. He ended up with a 20-over round of 91. (He’s +23 overall.) That equals the worst Open round of the 21st century, David Duval’s 91 at Portrush in 2019. But never mind, Aguri, it could be worse …
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Five bunkers surround the Postage Stamp. Joaquin Niemann visits three of them as he runs up a quintuple-bogey eight. He clatters down the standings to +4. But if you think that’s a painful one, well, just wait a minute …
That birdie at 10 may have changed things around for Justin Thomas after all! He chips in from the side of 12, a second shot picked up in three holes, and despite going out in 45, he’s now back up to +4. He plucks his ball out of the hole and gives it a little peck on the dimple. Some gallows humour maybe … or more likely, his champion’s mindset kicking in, a sign that he still believes anything is possible.
OK, so Rory McIlroy didn’t send his fourth shot into deep filth. More accurately, he sent his ball up against it. The lie’s not as bad as feared, but his backswing is compromised, and he knifes his chip through the green and into a bunker on the other side. He splashes out to three feet, but Pinehursts the short putt and that’s a triple-bogey eight. A snowman that sees any slim chance of weekend participation melt away. He’s +11.
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Brown consolidates with 72
Daniel Brown crashes a 366-yard drive down 18. Like Jordan Spieth earlier, he can’t take advantage of a stellar tee shot, and has to settle for par, but that’s a street-fighting round of 72, and the 29-year-old debutant, a struggler on the DP Tour for most of the season, will be going out late tomorrow. Perhaps in the final group? Very possibly, because back on 12, Justin Rose finds a deep greenside bunker and can’t get up and down. There goes his first dropped shot of the week, and there’s a wee bit of separation at the top of the leaderboard now. Rose had been put off by someone in the gallery as he took his sand shot; that’s not the first time he’s been irritated by the crowd this week. His ears are twitching like peak-era Monty.
-7: Lowry (F)
-5: Brown (F)
-3: Rose (12)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Scheffler (F)
There’s really nothing to be gained by missing the fairway by 35 yards to the left. That’s what Rory McIlroy does on 4, and he needs two agricultural scythes to extricate himself from the waist-high grass. Weekend participation was already looking unlikely after yesterday’s 77; it’ll be approaching pipe-dream territory if he can’t magic an up and down from the best part of 170 yards … and he won’t be doing that, because from the centre of the fairway, he tugs his fourth shot over the gallery to the left and into even deeper filth. The big number when we have it.
Bob MacIntyre breaks his horror run with par at the par-three 5th. Baby steps, all that. “Hope Bob’s caddie packed plenty beer and fags in the bag,” writes Simon McMahon. “Bob can at least console himself by thinking back to last Sunday, and what followed on Monday, Tuesday, probably Wednesday too. And he can look forward to spending this weekend in Oban as well.”
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Daniel Brown hands the shot back immediately. His tee shot into the par-three 17th bounds over the back, and his chip up is not commanding, eight feet short. His par attempt is always missing high on the right, and that careless error means he slips back to -5, two shots off Shane Lowry’s lead.
Rory McIlroy makes his first move of the day. Unfortunately it’s a move in the wrong direction. He’s unable to get up and down from the back of 3 and drops to +8.
Tell you who isn’t finding golf hard right now: Daniel Brown, that’s who. The man who has spent most of the season struggling on the DP Tour is flying here at Troon, and he birdies 16 to move to within a shot of Shane Lowry! Meanwhile a 77 for his fellow debutant Joe Dean. On the one hand some disappointment after yesterday’s 69, but the 30-year-old from Chesterfield punches the air, having birdied the last. That means he’s +4 overall and will surely be here for the weekend.
-7: Lowry (F)
-6: Brown (16)
-4: Rose (10)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Scheffler (F)
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Golf Is Hard pt.XXXVIII in an ongoing series. Justin Thomas, having bogeyed 2, 3, 4 and 6, a run only broken by a double on 5, drives into a bush at 9 and runs up a triple. Out in 45 strokes, nine over for his round. So of course he nearly holes out from 123 yards at 10. No eagle, but he strokes in the ten-footer that remains, and he’s +5 overall. He allows himself a wry, knowing smile as he walks off the green. A momentum shifter? Stranger things have happened. Golf is hard.
Bob MacIntyre ends up with a triple-bogey eight on the par-five 4th. This wind is doing a number on a good proportion of the field, but none more so than the dramatically out-of-sorts Scottish Open champ. He’s started 7-5-5-8. He’s eight over through four holes today! Oh Bob. We feel your pain. He’s +9 overall. It can happen to the best of them. Golf is hard.
Some decent damage limitation elsewhere. Joaquin Niemann nearly carves his tee shot at 5 out of bounds, but manages to hack out from thick rough onto the green. Not closely enough to save his par, but he’d have eagerly taken bogey when watching his first shot sail off in the direction of the beach. He’s -1. Meanwhile Rory McIlroy, requiring something of a miracle in these conditions to survive the cut after yesterday’s 78, misjudges a wedge into 2, the wind holding it up and stopping it 20 yards short. But he scrambles hard to save his par and remain at +7.
Bob MacIntyre wasn’t able to save his par on 3, so that’s a 7-5-5 start. He then watches in horror as his tee shot at 4 sails off towards the jungle down the right of the hole. Some choice invective which makes the B-side of Alexei Sayle’s Ullo John! Gotta New Motor? sound like a Flanders and Swann revue is released into the ether. He then takes a wild swipe which hardly moves the ball. Forced to take an unplayable, he chops out across the fairway into more filth. This is getting really ugly. More updates when we have them, and no I’m not linking to that magnificent Alexei Sayle swear-a-thon, I just can’t.
The wind is seriously picking up now. Over 30mph, and it’s causing all manner of bother for the players on the front nine. Shane Lowry will have the metaphorical feet up by the fireplace, a ball of single malt rolling around a large tumbler, stroking the cat on his lap, cackling. Mind you, Daniel Brown is hanging onto second spot heroically, having made a series of missable par putts across the back nine. To think he’s missed the cut in six of his last eight appearances on the DP Tour, and withdrawn from one other. He did finish 61st at the Scottish Open last week, though, so he’s trending in the right direction all right. Brown remains at -5 through 15.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, boom … it’s tantrum o’clock at Troon! Bob MacIntyre follows up his opening triple bogey by dropping another shot at 2 to slip to +5, then finds a fairway bunker from the tee at 3. Having been forced to chip out sideways, his third into the green is nowhere near the pin, and so he buries the head of his wedge deep into the Ayrshire turf. Meanwhile up on 9, Justin Rose watches in horror as his high approach is held up by the wind, stopping 30 yards short of the green. His blemish-free record this week now in jeopardy, he tries to slam his club back into his bag with great feeling … only to miss the bag altogether, the handle bouncing off the turf and away at a comedic angle. He retrieves the club sheepishly. Hey, if you’ve got to miss something, better to miss that … and so he wedges to seven feet before tidying up to maintain his bogey-free run! He turns in 34, at -4 overall.
John Daly has withdrawn. A response to yesterday’s 82? Or perhaps the efforts to put on Tuesday’s entertainment spectacular at the Gaiety theatre in Ayr – interview, meet and greet, raffle, premium seating – have finally taken their toll. Best wishes to the 1995 champion; hopefully the Dreamboys (see 1.55pm) are holding up better.
An extremely satisfied Shane Lowry speaks to Sky. “That was pretty good … it’s tough out there … the wind got up pretty quickly … quite tricky … I’m very happy … I handled that mistake [on 11] very good … there was a cameraman, I should have moved him … me getting in my own way … I hit a great second shot and didn’t really want to find my first ball! … driver and 4-iron on 12 settled me down … two of the best shots I’ve hit this week … walking down 18, it doesn’t get any better than this … this is what we play for, the reason we get up in the morning, the reason we go to work … I’m very excited.”
Par at the last for Jordan Spieth. A 73, and at +3 he’ll be here this weekend. He covers his face with his cap, irritated at not snatching back a shot after nearly driving the green. Scottie Scheffler is similarly annoyed, ending his round with a bogey, the result of finding a fairway bunker with his tee shot. A 70 leaves him at -2 after 36 holes. Considering he’s not reached his usual towering heights this week, that’s not bad going, and you can bet your last bronze cent the rest of the field have their beady eyes trained on him, just waiting for the world number one to finally hit his straps.
-7: Lowry (F)
-5: Brown (13)
-4: Rose (8)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Scheffler (F), Niemann (3), Henley (2)
-1: Conners (F), Day (F), Schauffele (F), Cantlay (F), Noren (11)
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A weather update, from our man at the scene, Matt Cooper. “The wind is getting up. With the media-centre roof as a gauge, this is the windiest of the week by some margin. It’s flapping all over the place.”
Justin Rose sends his second into 7, using the camber of the green on the right to gather his ball to six feet. He walks in the birdie putt, then finds the heart of the Postage Stamp safely, and 26 years after announcing himself with that chip-in at Birkdale, Hartley Wintney’s finest looks in the mood to seriously challenge this week. There’d be few more popular winners.
-7: Lowry (F)
-5: Brown (13)
-4: Rose (7)
-3: Scheffler (17)
The local hero Robert MacIntyre makes an awful balls of the 1st. A tee shot carved into the thick stuff down the right. The grass wrapping itself around the shaft for his second, sending his ball even further right. The third dunked into a bunker. Two to get out. Two putts, and it’s a triple-bogey seven. Oh my. How quickly dreams of contesting for the Claret Jug can turn into mere hopes of survival. He’s +4 and that is a total shocker for the new Scottish Open champion.
Scottie Scheffler’s tee shot at the par-three 17th is gobbled up by the bunker guarding the front left of the green. His splash out stops 12 feet short, but the par putt drops, even though it needs every last joule of energy to do so. That’s a big save that keeps the world number one at -3. His playing partner Jordan Spieth is having a bit of a hard time, though: having been forced to settle for par on 16 after missing a short putt, another slips by the side here and he drops back to +3. The cut is currently projected at +4, and expected to go further out, so the 2017 champion should be safe unless he somehow manages to mess up the relatively gentle 18th.
Lowry shoots 69
Shane Lowry’s response to that double bogey on 11 has been immense. Four pars to settle himself, now two birdies in the last three holes! An iron and a wedge sets up a straight 20-footer across 18, and in it drops. A raised clenched fist of triumph, and a repeat of his heroics at Portrush five years ago is very much on!
-7: Lowry (F)
-5: Brown (12)
-3: Scheffler (16), Rose (6)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Henley (1)
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From the centre of the 6th fairway, Justin Rose pulls an awful approach into deep oomska down the left. Short-sided and up a bank, all looks lost, but he swipes out to 25 feet, about the best he could do, then rattles in the par saver. And what a saver, because it means he retains his status as the only player in the field yet to drop a shot. He’s gone 24 holes without blemish now, and stays at -3.
Collin Morikawa is in with a 70. Some slight disappointment, having missed a short birdie putt on 18. But the 2021 champion is +1 and well in contention. Back on 16, Scottie Scheffler gets up and down from greenside sand to card his second birdie in three holes; pretty much as expected, he’s quietly coming up on the rail. He’s -3.
Shane Lowry, having nearly steered in a 60-footer for eagle on 16, shaves the cup at 17 with a 55-foot birdie tramliner. He holds his head in his hands while smiling wryly. He’s having a good time, rediscovering his spirit well after that gorse-infused nightmare on 11. No wonder, his putter is working wonders this week, and when Lowry’s putter is hot, so is he. If he keeps this up, he’ll take some stopping this weekend.
Xander Schauffele pars 18 to sign for a 72. He’s -1 at the halfway mark, as is Patrick Cantlay, who ends with par for a 68. Meanwhile Justin Thomas continues to suffer, sending a hosel rocket into deep rough down the right of 5, then duffing the next shot. It soon might be time to avert the eyes.
Exit Tiger ... for now
A huge reception for Tiger Woods as he makes his way up the 18th fairway. You could be forgiven for thinking he’s playing in the last match on Sunday afternoon, such is the outpouring of affection for the 15-time major winner. Hey, it’s going to be the last time the gallery can show the great man the love this week. The last time at the Open ever? You heard what he told Monty earlier in the week. Par, a 77, and a final total of +14.
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Shane Lowry finds the back of the 16th green in two confident swipes. He nearly curls in a left-to-right 60-footer for eagle, but a tap-in birdie will suffice. The 2019 champ hits the lead on his own again, at -6.
Justin Thomas’s nightmare start continues apace. A third bogey in a row, this time at 4, and already he’s gesticulating in frustration. A repeat of his antics at the Scottish Open last week, which saw him open with a 62 before his mojo departed with extreme prejudice. He’s level par.
Dustin Johnson pars his way home for a 69. He’s back to +1 overall. He’s alongside Brooks Koepka on the leaderboard, the five-time major champion having never quite recovered from a double-bogey seven at 6, following it up with a string of pars all the way home. A 73.
Collin Morikawa drains a monster from the fringe at 16 for birdie. A huge roar; it’s back-to-back birdies that bring the 2021 champion back into contention at +1. A huge smile. Not so much fun to be had up on 17, where Tiger, having managed to scramble his par at 16 after finding the burn with his tee shot, sends a frankly weird putt 12 feet wide of the hole. He can’t make the par saver, and he tidies up in near silence. He’s +14 and oh to hear Colin Montgomerie’s internal monologue right now.
Bounce-back birdie for Dan Brown! He sends his second at 10 into the heart of the green, then steers home a left-to-right swinger that’s always tracking. Birdie too for Justin Rose, at the par-five 4th. And suddenly Scottie Scheffler makes one, rattling a putt into the cup from 35 feet at 14. Significant moves at the top!
-5: Lowry (15), Brown (10)
-3: Rose (4)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), Scheffler (14), N Hojgaard (4), Henley
Our man in Troon, Andy Bull, has been gadding about town in the at-large style, and here’s his photo essay. “Ol’ Tom Morris’ house is now a branch of Domino’s,” he reports. “Haven’t checked but can only hope they offer a themed pizza in his honour.” Perhaps they could rename the Chicken Feast as the Featherie?
“I enjoyed the selection of offerings of What’s on in South Ayrshire,” he adds. “Something for everyone!” Such a shame Andy, and indeed the Open, rumbled into town a week too late.
Justin Thomas misses yet another green in regulation – that’s three out of three now – and once again is unable to get up and down for his par. The slowest of starts for JT. He’s -1. But there’s no going backwards for Shane Lowry, who chips up from the back of 14 to six feet, and though he’s left himself a bit of work to do, rolls in the putt. He gives the air a little punch of satisfaction at getting out of Dodge unscathed.
-5: Lowry (14)
-4: Brown (9)
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (F), N Hojgaard (3), Rose (3), Henley (2)
-1: Conners (F), Day (F), Schauffele (15), Cantlay (15), Scheffler (12), Noren (7), Thomas (3), Kirk
Shane Lowry is once again the sole leader of the Open. That’s because Daniel Brown looks his gift horse in the mouth at 9. Having been extremely fortunate to find the fairway from the tee, he pulls his second down a swale to the left of the green, and can’t get up and down. Bogey, and he slips to -4. Though let’s not update the leaderboard quite yet, because Lowry has just gone over the back of 14 and will need to do a little scrambling of his own.
It’s not breaking news, but it’s really not happened for Tiger this week. He follows a yip from a couple of feet that leads to bogey on 14 with an uncertain prod at a birdie chance at 15. Just a par, having excited the crowd by lashing out of knee-high rough from 180 yards to nine feet. And now he’s found the burn running across the 16th. He’ll be thankful the clubhouse is heaving into view. He’s +13.
“It’s always lucky to sign a sombrero on a Friday. Trust me, I’m from El Paso.” That’s the advice Sky co-commentator Rich Beem gave Daniel Brown on the practice green this morning, upon witnessing the 18-hole leader sign some random punter’s Mexican hat. And you know what, turns out the 2002 PGA winner, raised in Texas, knows what he’s riffing off the top of his head about. Brown pulls a dismal drive towards some terrible mess down the left of 9 … only for the ball to somehow cannon back onto the fairway instead of disappearing into the thick grass as it surely should. That’s a huge break, because the current co-leader was almost certainly looking at bogey or worse otherwise.
Justin Thomas missed the green at 1 but was able to get up and down to scramble his par. He’s not able to pull off the same trick when finding himself short-sided at 2. The two-time PGA champion drops to -2.
Scottie Scheffler’s ball has stopped short of the gorse bush at 12, but even on tippy toes the gentle giant can’t see the green from where he finds himself. He whips blind over the bush, and though he finds the fairway, he’s well short of the green with work to do to save his par.
The 2017 champion Jordan Spieth had, like his playing partner Scottie Scheffler, kept himself in position despite not clicking into gear. But he’s just followed up bogey at 10 with double at 11, the latter the cost of sending his tee shot out of bounds. All of a sudden he’s +3. But heading the other way, it’s the erstwhile Masters and US Open champ Dustin Johnson, who has had some downtime in the majors since joining the LIV tour, but is getting back on song here. An eagle rake across 16 brings him up to +1. DJ should really have won this tournament at Sandwich in 2011, only to hoick his ball out of bounds from the centre of the 14th fairway; Darren Clarke sends his thanks. Could the big man right some wrongs this year?
Scottie Scheffler is this close to draining a monster from the front fringe at 11. He taps in for par, looking slightly irritated. It’s not quite happened for the world number one so far this week … but he’s hung on in there despite not bringing his best stuff. Yet. It might be nothing more than a matter of time. He’s -1. And so having said that, he’s just sent his tee shot at 12 towards a very ugly bush. More on that anon.
You’ll have noticed Jason Day back in the clubhouse at -1. He signed for a blemish-free 68, no mean feat even if he’s enjoyed the more benign early conditions. A fair chance he won’t be miles away from the 36-hole lead with the wind now picking up and causing some bother.
Thanks Matt … and oh Shane! Lowry will be cursing the well-meaning punter who found his original ball in the gorse bush. But having called a provisional – as opposed to declaring his ball lost – he’s duty bound to play on with the found ball. After an elongated faff, he drops back in line, and wedges blind towards the green. Sure enough it’s nowhere near the point he sent his provisional, so is now taking a Texas Wedge from 35 feet. He’ll do well to make double from here. Which he does. Full marks by the way for the deep-throated growl of EFF he emitted upon carving that second shot into the bush. But that’s mixed things up at the top.
-5: Lowry (11), Brown (7)
-3: Thomas
-2: Horschel (F), Burmester (16), Noren (5), N Hojgaard (2), Rose (1), Henley
-1: Conners (F), Day (F), Schauffele (13), Cantlay (13), Scheffler (10), Wallace, Kirk
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The Shane Lowry drama at 11 continues as I had back to Scott Murray! I’ll catch you all later.
-7: Lowry (10)
-5: Brown (6)
-3: Thomas
-2: Horschel (F), Cantlay (12), Noren (4), N Hojgaard (1), Rose, Henley
Niall O’Keefe emails: “Would be curious to hear your thoughts on why Tiger Woods still gets so much coverage. Big name I know but he is consistently way behind the pack. To draw an analogy, imagine if Federer was still playing tennis. And getting knocked out every time in the first round of Wimbledon etc. I doubt the media would be following him avidly. Nothing personal against him but baffled that anyone wants to know his latest mediocre score. Great at his peak. But aren’t all sportspeople? Go on Shane!” I’m with your personally Niall, but Tiger had the biggest galleries and created the biggest buzz out on the course yesterday. That’s echoed in TV viewing figures and clicks.
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A twist to the Lowry story! The gorse bush is so tall it towers over the fans who make up the gallery but there is a path through the middle of it and, amid the general chaos there, it appears there might be his ball. He’s grimacing and also pulling at his shoulder. TV pictures indicate that the ball has been found and is in deep trouble. So he will take a penalty drop and head backwards keeping the pin and bush in a straight line. The second ball won’t count. High drama as he stares in the general direction of the green from the 12th fairway!
Back in 2016, Shane Lowry said of this course: “If you play 10, 11, and 12 okay, I think that’s kind of going to be the key for the week.” Guess what? He’s found the rough from the tee at 11, yanked his approach into a gorse bush as big as a small village, looked skyward, took a few seconds, and then hit his 4th blow to the middle of the green. If he holes from 17 feet for bogey it will huge. The tricky stretch is testing him just as he foretold.
The presence of Alex Noren high up the leaderboard is a reminder that his compatriot Henrik Stenson won at Royal Troon in 2016. But Swedish roots run deeper at this venue. Jesper Parnevik really should have won in 1997 and it’s little-known that the man Stenson beat – Phil Mickelson – has Swedish heritage. Noren was famous as a young player for getting slightly obsessive with hobbies – blogging, photography, weightlifting, his swing. But parenthood has made him a little more laid back.
Lowry misses the birdie opportunity at 10. But he’s still two clear of Brown and four clear of the rest.
-7: Lowry (10)
-5: Brown (4)
-3: Noren (3), Thomas
-2: Horschel (F), Schauffele (11), Cantlay (11), N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley
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Another tremendously typical Open scene. Shane Lowry finds the gallery walkway with his drive at 10 and TV cameras show his ball sitting wonderfully on the trampled-down grass. Behind him a bank of fans watch closely and, as he sweeps the ball to its target, the mass of their heads twists to follow its path. It’s a brilliant short iron, pitching near the hole, hopping a couple of times, and then spinning back to 5 feet.
Billy Horschel completes a second round of 68. It means the American set the early 36-hole clubhouse target at -2 and he might be in line for a second major championship top 10 of 2024 after finishing 8th in the PGA Championship. Ludicrously, for an 8-time PGA Tour winner, that was his first major top 10 since 2013. His Open best was 21st in 2022 at St Andrews. Corey Conners has completed a 70 to reach halfway in -1.
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Mr Consistency, aka Alex Noren, ticks a birdie at 2 to become the first man today to break the -2 barrier for all but the top three. He joins Justin Thomas on -3 for the championship. He has 12 top 30 finishes in 17 starts in 2024. He’s also got six top 30s in his 11 Open starts - and four of them in his last five. He’s even got 11 top 30s in his last 17 starts in Scotland.
Classic Open scenes for Dan Brown at 4. His second shot finds tangly rough and prompts the fans in the galleries to run around trying to bagsy close-up views of his recovery. The marshals in their fancy outfits and rucksacks (much coveted by American tourists) try to maintain some sense of order. The famous yellow signposts pepper the walkways. Brown paces around looking for a good option, then thrashes the ball back onto short grass. He’s in trouble though. He’s set to drop a shot.
The Postage Stamp is being kind to Shane Lowry. A birdie at the par-3 8th yesterday (I was actually high on the hill behind 7 watching him drain it) and another today from 10 feet. He’s back to -7 for the tournament and he’s the solo leader.
-7: Lowry (8)
-6: Brown (3)
-3: Thomas
-2: Horschel (16), Burmester (12), Schauffele (8), Hughes (5), Noren, N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley
Michael Hendry walks to the first tee. The Kiwi was in hospital this time last year with leukaemia and yesterday dropped a few shots early on as the emotion of his return got to him. However a bold fight back means he starts today +3 and has a genuine shot at playing the weekend. His tale has echoes of a book written by the comedian Dominic Holland (also the father of Spiderman actor Tom Holland) to raise funds for the Anthony Nolan leukaemia charity. It’s called Open Links and is the story of a journeyman golfer’s extraordinary Open Championship. Hendry knows all about that kind of thing.
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Dan Brown drains a 20 foot par putt to remain in a share of the lead. He revealed last night that it was so dark late in his first round that he had his caddie and brother Ben reading his putts with AimPoint (in which you use your feet to gauge slopes). No blind putting this morning.
Simon Thomas emails: “Cam Smith looks to have some serious problems – he just missed the 6th green by miles with a short iron. What’s his LIV form like or does he just no longer care and is living his best life?” Well, Smith has actually finished 9th and 6th in his last two LIV starts, and he was 6th in the Masters. But he’s been very volatile this year. He also carded a final round 80 in LIV Houston. He opened this week with another 80 and is +3 through 6 today. He said after round one: “A bad day and some bad breaks.”
Patrick Cantlay makes birdie at the Postage Stamp to get to -1 for the week. Earlier this morning Scott posted YouTube footage of Gene Sarazen’s famous hole-in-one there in 1972. It’s worth watching to contrast the backdrop then and now because it is truly mind-boggling. Then, there was not a lot of anything anywhere. Now, there is a significant grandstand and the sandhills are thronged with fans clinging to the top like tourists waiting their turn to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
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Robert Jones emails: “Tiger Woods may not be scoring well, but neither are a lot of other well-known names. Tiger looks to be in the best physical condition I have seen him since the car accident. He does not appear to be finding difficulty or pain with walking the course that was so obvious in previous tournaments.” Interesting, Robert. The warmer temperatures of today will be helping his various aches and pains.
Shane Lowry has pulled on a white windcheater (lovely word, that) and the flag at 6 is flapping more than they have been all morning. His third shot at this par-5 finishes just 10 feet from the hole, however. A good chance to bounce back from his first bogey of the week.
Contrasting mornings for good friends Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. The former is +2 through 6 and the latter -2 through 6. They are both even for the championship but will be in very different headspace at the moment. Schauffele was entertaining and laid back in his pre-tournament press conference. Asked if winning a major changed his pre-tournament thinking he said: “You guys can’t ask me that question anymore about how I’ve never won one. So ...” The relaxed and happy grin that came with this was rather lovely.
Alan James emails regarding my first post this morning at 10am: “I went to the Open at Lytham in 1979 and St Andrews in 1970, and traffic problems were already horrendous back then, so there has been every reason and opportunity to adapt travel patterns over those 55 years, so why are we stuck in the same old rut?” Alan adds that Troon is well served by trains and the good news is that 30,000 fans used Scotrail yesterday. My Open commute has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. Last year it was a 10 minute stroll through Hoylake.
A first error for Shane Lowry this week. Well, a first bogey. His approach at 5 finds sand and then demonstrates the difficulty of Troon’s sand traps because he can’t get up-and-down for par. I was speaking with a Japanese journalist on Tuesday who said her nation’s players were agog at the deepness of the pot bunkers. Lowry is back to -6 and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler joins the -2 peloton with a birdie at 4.
First round leader Dan Brown and his lush blond beard is on the first tee. At first glance, he was in terrible form ahead of this week with six missed cuts in his last seven starts. But his links form this season has been sensational: third on a Louis Oosthuizen-designed links track in Mauritius, fourth (when the halfway leader) at St Francis Links in South Africa, he drained a final green putt to progress from Final Qualifying and then shot a 65 in round one of last week’s Scottish Open. Can he maintain the pace today? He said last night that he had been nervous on the first tee yesterday and surely is again right now.
Matthew Jordan is riding the wave after landing a top 10 at Royal Liverpool last year. Back-to-back birdies at 6 and 7 for the Englishman gets him to -2 for the round and week.
-7: Lowry (4)
-6: Brown
-3: Thomas
-2: Burmester (9), Jordan (7), Hughes (2), Dean (1), Noren, N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley
A wonderful approach at 4, the first par-5, sets up a tap-in birdie for Shane Lowry. He walks to the green with putter tucked under his armpit, removing his glove, frowning slightly. Nothing to frown about though. This has been a wonderful start to his second round. There’s a long way to go but he could put the field under enormous pressure today. Troon is difficult enough without feeling the need to chase birdies. He’s -2 for today, -7 for the week and the solo leader.
England’s Joe Dean starts his second round with a par. The Yorkshireman is one of the success stories of the 2024 DP World Tour season. He won a card at Q School, spent Christmas driving a delivery van, and has since then finished second in Kenya and lost a play-off in the Netherlands. He made the cut in the 2017 Open but after a 69 yesterday he can book himself late tee times this weekend.
2011 Open champion Darren Clarke is making a move, albeit way back in the pack. He’s playing with Burmester and is -3 for the day and +3 for the week. He’s looking to make the weekend for the first time since 2016.
Special delivery for Dean Burmester. He holes from eight feet for birdie at the Postage Stamp (the par-3 8th) and is now -2 for the day and the week. He’s a three-time winner this season and a genuine threat now.
Dean Burmester is bouncing back again. Earlier today Scott highlighted the impressive recovery of the South African in round one and then noted that he started round two with a bogey. But a second par breaker of the day at 7 has him in red numbers (-1) for the first time in the round and the championship. He admitted yesterday that it took him a while to understand links golf but he’s looking for a fifth consecutive top 12 finish by the British and Irish seaside this week.
Canada’s Corey Conners, an alliterative delight,is making a move today. A fourth birdie of the day at 13 get him to -2 for the round and also the championship. He was 15th in the Open in 2021 but fourth heading into the final round so he has some links form. He’s as neat and tidy from tee to green as he is in person. Very much a golfer who looks like his apparel has just been pulled from the packet. His putting is rarely a strength but that’s often not a big problem at Troon where ball striking is most important.
Simon McMahon emails: “Penny for Tiger’s, or indeed Colin Montgomerie’s, thoughts after the three-time Open champion dropped to +10 after doubling the second. Maybe he’ll recommend that Tiger joins him at Carnoustie next week for the Senior Open? If nothing else, it’d be quite the pairing. 15 Majors between them and all that.” Monty, of course, got himself in bother this week by repeating his thoughts that Tiger should quit. Tiger wasn’t impressed but has done little to change Monty’s mind. Maybe Simon’s on to something? The next line-up for a made-for-TV match anyone?
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An early par-breaker for Collin Morikawa. The 2021 champion has struggled on the links since that triumph on his Open debut but he’s just confidently drilled home a 10 foot putt at 3. He’s +1 for the week.
This is a great time to be out on the course. There’s very little wind and it’s predicted to rise in intensity from around noon. And yet the course can still bite. Early bolter Marcel Siem’s drive at 16 finds gnarly rough. Henrik Stenson predicted that -10 would win this week.
A classic few moments of Shane Lowry at 2. That smooth, sawn-off approach, a narrowing of the eyes as he watches its path. He’s also in his favourite get-up of all black today. He’s found the green with that approach and is not close to the hole (about 28 feet) but he revealed after round one why he was putting well. “Sometimes I struggle when I come back here from playing a season on the PGA Tour with the speed of the greens, but for some reason I got here, I played a couple of practice rounds here, and my speed control was very good, and I was seeing my lines great. When that happens on the links the hole feels quite big and long may it continue.” The putt does, indeed, have good speed as it settles by the hole for a comfortable par.
Birdie for Shane Lowry! A great start for the Irishman, with a birdie from nine feet at 1. He hits -6 for the championship and joins Dan Brown on top spot.
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Thanks Scott. It’s great to be on-site here at the Open, as always, but there’s an extra bounce in my step this morning after a fraught journey in. The championship’s requirement for links golf takes it to some remote spots and the roads are creaking under the pressure this week in and around Troon. The queues coming in were full of tense folk gripping either their hair or the steering wheel with whitened knuckles. It was too much for one car which conked out. And too much for one young lad who was bent over on a verge suffering from (non) motion sickness.
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A bogey at 2 drops Xander Schauffele down to -1. A short par putt slides by, causing much irritation. And with that, I’ll hand you over to Matt Cooper. Enjoy, enjoy. See you later.
-6: Brown
-5: Lowry
-3: Thomas
-2: Hughes, Dean, Noren, N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley
-1: Conners (11), Horschel (8), Koepka (2), Schauffele (2), Fitzpatrick, Scheffler, A Scott, Wallace, Kirk
E: Siem (13), Day (6), Burmester (5), Jordan (3), Spieth, Grillo, C Scott -a-, Song, Lee, Canter, Niemann, Finau, McNealy, Lawrence
Marcel Siem can’t get up and down from the tousled rough behind 13. He’s running properly hot now, having made three bogeys in the last five holes. But this is what Troon does. Make your birdies early and try your damnedest not to hand them all back on the way home. Siem is level par for the tournament, but still two under for his round.
Billy Horschel very nearly slam-dunks his tee shot at the Postage Stamp. Inches away from a first ace at the Open on this hole since Ernie Els in 2004. He tidies up for birdie to move to -1. But never mind that, here’s the 1932 champion Gene Sarazen making a hole in one on this famous hole as a 71-year-old in 1973. One of the classic Open moments.
Marcel Siem has a face on. Having flayed his tee shot at 13 towards serious trouble down the right, he gets a lucky break, a decent-enough lie near a spectator path. But he doesn’t take advantage, whistling his second shot over the back of the green. A fine round is threatening to fall apart as Troon’s notorious back nine does its work. A big up and down coming up. Meanwhile bounce-back birdie for Brooks Koepka at 2; he returns into red figures at -1.
Tiger putts from the fringe. He nearly holes out from 20 feet, but the ball stubbornly stays up on the left lip. He taps in for par. So close to the fast start he so desperately needs. He remains at +8. His putt was a better effort than Xander Schauffele’s, a ginger prod that is always missing on the right. Par and he’s still -2. Good chance spurned there.
A few drops of rain in the air as Tiger Woods takes to the course. He splits the 1st fairway but misses the green to the right with his approach. He might still get a putter to that. Meanwhile his playing partner Xander Schauffele, very much in contention after yesterday’s 69, is pin high in two and will take a good look at birdie from 15 feet.
Corey Conners has been up and down on the front nine. An opening birdie was followed by bogeys at 3 and 6; he’s just birdied 8 and 9 to hit the turn in 35. The 32-year-old Canadian, who doesn’t have much of a record at the Open to date, is -1. Meanwhile Marcel Siem is beginning to let Troon get to him. He was absolutely steaming after dropping a shot at 11; he’s not in much better humour as he leaves 12, having left a straight birdie putt short. He remains at -1, and to be fair is still the hottest player out there this morning, three under par for his round.
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Trouble for Brooks Koepka at 1. His approach plugs in a bunker to the right of the green, and he’s short-sided. He can only blast out 30 feet past the flag. He gives the long par putt a chance, but it’s an opening bogey for the five-time major champion. He’s level par.
Another backwards step for Marcel Siem. Bogey at 11, the end result of sending his tee shot into some native filth. He’s -1.
Australia has supplied five Open champions: Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch, Cameron Smith and the legendary five-time winner Peter Thomson. Jason Day would love to become number six, and nothing’s off the table after yesterday’s 73. He’s started well this morning, following up a 30-foot birdie rake at 2 with a wedge from 105 yards to five feet at 3. In goes the putt, and last year’s joint runner-up returns to level par.
A weather update. Safe to say the early starters will have had the better of the draw.
Temperatures rising as the competition heats up. pic.twitter.com/kPYKYkAYEQ
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2024
Marcel Siem takes 3-wood at 10 for safety, but with a 20mph breeze behind, runs out of fairway anyway. He’s got a decent enough lie in the semi-rough, though, and flicks his second from 120 yards into the heart of the green. Then he cocks his head back in irritation as his 30-foot right-to-left swinger grazes the side of the cup. So close to a bounce-back birdie, but that’s a tricky hole out of the road. He remains at -2.
Dean Burmester had quite the topsy-turvy round yesterday. Four straight bogeys between 4 and 7, then a repair job for the ages, with birdies at 8 and 12 and eagle at 16. Put another way, out in 39, back in 32. Put yet another way, a level-par round of 71. But he’s started scratchily today, sending his opening tee shot into deep filth. A bogey and the 35-year-old South African slips to +1.
Marcel Siem effs and jeffs like an old sailor, bemoaning a poor lie in the semi-rough down the left of 9, as he sends his ball down a swale by the side of the green. He spins around while waving his club in the air in irritation, before jogging up to the green. The fume seems a little disproportionate, given he’s left with an up and down that’s relatively simple for these guys. The blood pumping, he trundles an aggressive chip nine feet past the flag. The par putt is always destined to die off to the left, and he closes out his front nine with bogey. He’s out in 32, a number he’d have grabbed with both hands at 6.35am this morning, but his current disappointment is palpable. A resigned sigh. Momentum stalled, he’s back to -2. At least he’s calmed down now.
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Tiger Woods didn’t have the best round yesterday. He’ll need something extremely special if he’s to survive the cut. Some 48-year-olds, their body ravaged by years of intense competition, might consider sacking it off, but Tiger’s not really wired that way. He’s out on the range right now, working a few things out ahead of his round. He tees it up in 50 minutes or so.
Marcel Siem keeps on keepin’ on! A sensational shot into the Postage Stamp lands pin high and screeches to an immediate halt, six feet from the flag. He’s left with a straight putt, and in it goes for a fifth birdie in eight holes! Things may start to get a little trickier now with the wind slowly picking up, though it’s not expected to become a proper game-changer until around midday, by which time the German will be long back in the hutch.
-6: Brown
-5: Lowry
-3: Siem (8), Thomas
-2: Noren, N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley, Schauffele, Hughes, Dean
Angel Hidalgo secured a place at his first Open in dramatic circumstances, holing out from 120 yards for eagle on the last hole of his qualifying round at Dundonald. The 27-year-old Spaniard may currently be wondering why he bothered: he’s followed up yesterday’s 77 with a nightmare start to his second round. Bogeys at 3 and 5 have sandwiched a quadruple-bogey nine at the 4th that involved shenanigans in both fairway and greenside bunkers. He’s +12 and it’s all good experience going forward.
A birdie-birdie start for Billy Horschel. The 2014 FedEx champion is a big fan of West Ham United – he bought a DVD of Green Street from Best Buy when at college and fell in love immediately – so may be buoyed by the exciting news of his team’s pursuit of N’Golo Kanté. Transfer tittle-tattle always puts extra spring in the step, doesn’t it. He’s -1.
Sepp Straka is the first player in red figures after the first round out this morning. The Austrian clips an iron down the middle of the 1st only to find a divot. He still arrows his second straight at the flag, but it’s a good 20 feet short. His birdie putt travels 19 feet and 11 inches. So close but he remains at -1.
A fourth birdie in six holes for Marcel Siem! He rolls in a gentle right-to-left slider from 15 feet on 6, and punches the air in delight. He’s storming around Troon in these favourable conditions, and suddenly finds himself right in the mix.
-6: Brown
-5: Lowry
-3: Thomas
-2: Siem (6), Noren, N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley, Schauffele, Hughes, Dean
Let’s be honest, we’re kicking our heels until the big names and leaders tee it up later this morning. Time to catch up on yesterday’s play with Ewan Murray’s report from Troon. You’d have got a good price on Dan Brown bettering Bryson DeChambeau by 11 strokes and Rory McIlroy by 13, but that’s the beauty of the Open and here we are.
Not only is there very little wind right now; they’re also not expecting any rain today. The 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland is the next player to take advantage of a defenceless Troon, opening with birdies at 1 and 2 to move to +3 overall.
Updated
The conditions are benign this morning. A small breeze, nothing more. The wind is expected to pick up later on, so the early starters need to make hay. Marcel Siem, out in the first match, has grasped the opportunity with both hands: the 44-year-old German, whose best result in an undistinguished major-championship career is a tie for 12th at the 2014 US Open, has birdied three of the opening four holes to rise up the standings to -1. Confidence soaring after his recent win at the Italian Open.
The 2002 and 2012 champion Ernie Els shot 82 yesterday. The Big Easy won’t be racking up the numbers again today; the 54-year-old veteran has withdrawn from this year’s tournament. A shame for Els, of course, but also for his playing partner and compatriot Altin van der Merwe; at least the 27-year-old amateur got to play 18 holes at the Open with his idol. As for Ernie, he’ll always have Muirfield and Lytham.
Preamble
Just before 10pm last night, qualifier and major debutant Dan Brown birdied 18 and signed for a 65 that gave the 29-year-old from North Yorkshire the surprise 18-hole lead. Look!
-6: Brown
-5: Lowry
-3: Thomas
-2: Noren, N Hojgaard, Rose, Henley, Schauffele, Hughes, Dean
-1: A Scott, Wallace, Kirk, Straka, Koepka, Fitzpatrick, Scheffler
Now then. Good morning and all that, but the first of the leading bunch to go out, Sepp Straka, doesn’t take to the course until nearly 8am BST, while Brown doesn’t tee off until after 11am, Shane Lowry gets going just before 10am, and JT is an afternoon affair. So expect this blog to start real slow like, bubbling up to the boil quietly and of its own volition, a bit like Isaac Hayes’ version of By The Time I Get To Phoenix. All tee times are Britain and Ireland unless stated, BST, and a denotes amateur. It’s on!
0635 Ewen Ferguson, Marcel Siem (Ger)
0646 Yuto Katsuragawa (Jpn), Chengtsung Pan (Tai)
0657 Angel Hidalgo (Spa), Rikuya Hoshino (Jpn), Richard Mansell
0708 Jorge Campillo (Spa), Corey Conners (Can), Ryan Fox (Nzl)
0719 Ernie Els (Rsa), (a) Altin van der Merwe (Rsa), Gary Woodland (USA)
0730 Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), (a) Jacob Olesen (Den), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
0741 Billy Horschel (USA), Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Victor Perez (Fra)
0752 Jordan Smith, Sepp Straka (Aut), Brendon Todd (USA)
0803 Denny McCarthy (USA), Adrian Meronk (Pol), Taylor Moore (USA)
0814 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Jason Day (Aus), Rickie Fowler (USA)
0825 Alex Cejka (Ger), Eric Cole (USA), Kurt Kitayama (USA)
0836 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Darren Clarke, JT Poston (USA)
0847 Dustin Johnson (USA), Joost Luiten (Ned), Phil Mickelson (USA)
0903 Padraig Harrington, Matthew Jordan, Davis Thompson (USA)
0914 Wyndham Clark (USA), Brooks Koepka (USA), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
0925 Patrick Cantlay (USA), Xander Schauffele (USA), Tiger Woods (USA)
0936 Sam Burns (USA), Si-Woo Kim (Kor), Collin Morikawa (USA)
0947 Matthew Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Cameron Smith (Aus)
0958 Scottie Scheffler (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA), Cameron Young (USA)
1009 Akshay Bhatia (USA), Tom Hoge (USA), Sami Valimaki (Fin)
1020 Ben Griffin (USA), Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Mackenzie Hughes (Can)
1031 Joseph Dean, Andy Ogletree (USA), Yannik Paul (Ger)
1042 Charlie Lindh (Swe), (a) Luis Masaveu (Spa), Ryan van Velzen (Rsa)
1053 Kazuma Kobori (Nzl), (a) Jaime Montojo (Spa), (a) Liam Nolan
1104 Denwit Boriboonsub (Tha), Daniel Brown, (a) Matthew Dodd-Berry
1115 Sam Horsfield, Aguri Iwasaki (Jpn), Jeung-Hun Wang (Kor)
1126 Todd Hamilton (USA), Justin Leonard (USA), Jack McDonald
1147 Tom McKibbin, (a) Calum Scott, Alexander Noren (Swe)
1158 Michael Hendry (Nzl), Vincent Norrman (Swe), Jesper Svensson (Swe)
1209 Daniel Hillier (Nzl), Ryosuke Kinoshita (Jpn), Young-Han Song (Kor)
1220 Abraham Ancer (Mex), Ryo Hisatsune (Jpn), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
1231 Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den), Keita Nakajima (Jpn), Adam Scott (Aus)
1242 Francesco Molinari (Ita), Justin Rose, (a) Jasper Stubbs (Aus)
1253 Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Matthew Southgate, Justin Thomas (USA)
1304 Laurie Canter, Nick Taylor (Can), Matt Wallace
1315 Matteo Manassero (Ita), Shubhankar Sharma (Ind), Sebastian Soederberg (Swe)
1326 Austin Eckroat (USA), Zach Johnson (USA), Thorbjoern Olesen (Den)
1337 John Daly (USA), (a) Santiago De La Fuente (Mex), Aaron Rai
1348 Stewart Cink (USA), (a) Dominic Clemons, Chris Kirk (USA)
1404 Stephan Jaeger (Ger), Joaquin Niemann (Chi), Adam Schenk (USA)
1415 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Lucas Glover (USA), Adam Hadwin (Can)
1426 Tony Finau (USA), Russell Henley (USA), Matthieu Pavon (Fra)
1437 Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Jon Rahm (Spa)
1448 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor)
1459 Brian Harman (USA), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Sahith Theegala (USA)
1510 Tyrrell Hatton, Max Homa (USA), Rory McIlroy
1521 Keegan Bradley (USA), (a) Gordon Sargent (USA), Will Zalatoris (USA)
1532 Alexander Bjoerk (Swe), Harris English (USA), Maverick McNealy (USA)
1543 Sean Crocker (USA), Guido Migliozzi (Ita), (a) Tommy Morrison (USA)
1554 John Catlin (USA), Gun-Taek Koh (Kor), David Puig (Spa)
1605 Daniel Bradbury, Thriston Lawrence (Rsa), Elvis Smylie (Aus)
1616 Ignacio Elvira (Spa), Darren Fichardt (Rsa), Min-Kyu Kim (Kor)
1627 Mason Andersen (USA), Sam Hutsby, Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn)
