World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finds himself right where he’s most comfortable—atop the leaderboard at another major championship
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler showed exactly why he holds the top spot in the Official World Rankings with a flawless second-round 64, propelling him to 10 under par for 36 holes and a one-shot lead at The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush GC, Northern Ireland, heading into the weekend.
Scheffler’s round experienced the typical Open Championship-type changing weather conditions.
“When we were teeing off, depending on what weather forecast you looked at, it was going to tell you something different,” Scheffler said. “It was super sunny when we were on the driving range, I’m out there in short sleeves, it’s warm out. Then we get to the first hole, it’s still sunny. Then all of a sudden, you look around and it’s super dark and it starts pouring rain. You’re like, boy, I wonder how long this is going to last.”
British hopes are on England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion who backed up his opening 67 with a strong 66 to claim solo second at 9-under.
The 2023 Open champion Brian Harman remains in contention as well, significant to his hopes of being selected to the US Ryder Cup team (for this September), carding rounds of 69 and 65 in the challenging conditions. China’s hopes rest on their top player for the past decade, Haotong Li, who has 4 European Tour wins, also tied for third at 8-under.
DeChambeau improves by 13 shots to make the cut
Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion, staged a remarkable comeback after an opening-round 78, firing a 65 in Round 2 to make the cut right on the number.
Among the 19 LIV Golf players in the field, 11 advanced to the weekend. Leading the charge is Britain’s Tyrrell Hatton, a member of John Rahm’s Legion XIII team, who shot 68 + 69 to be at T5th.
Other LIV golfers and their positions heading into the weekend –
LIV Golfers at The Open
Indian-Origin Players
Among the Indian-origin players in the field, Britain’s Aaron Rai shot 69, 72 to sit tied for 26th at 1-under par.
Joining him in that position is North Carolina’s Akshay Bhatia, who fired a superb 68 in Round 2 after a shaky 73 on Thursday, jumping 45 spots from T-71.
California native Sahith Theegala, however, had a difficult week as he tries to comeback from an injury that has kept him out of action for a few months, posting rounds of 75 and 74 to miss the cut.
Asian Representation at the Major
Haotong Li from China is giving his best-ever at a major as he sits tied-3rd at 8-under following his back-to-back rounds of 67-67.
Sungjae Im, a two-time PGA Tour winner from South Korea, put together consistent rounds of 71–71 and currently sits tied for 34th.
Japan’s Riki Kawamoto matched Im’s total with rounds of 72 and 70 to also finish the day at even par.
Veteran Hideki Matsuyama and Takumi Kanaya, both alumni of past Asia-Pacific All-Star Teams for the Bonallack Trophy and stars of Japanese golf, made the cut on the number. Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, and Kanaya are tied for 51st at 1-over par.
With 36 holes to go and a packed leaderboard, the weekend promises plenty of drama.
Who’s your pick to lift the Claret Jug on Sunday?
Round 2 highlights –
Photo – The Open