Harman bolts clear but Day and Lee contending at Open Championship
Min Woo Lee – in action this week – photo R&A via Getty Images
Min Woo Lee and Jason Day might be seven shots from the halfway lead held by American Brian Harman but the pair have just three golfers ahead of them as the Open Championship heads into the weekend at Royal Liverpool.
Lee’s morning round of 68 was bettered by the afternoon round of 67 by Day and they are nicely positioned with 36 holes to play despite Harman’s five-shot lead over the field.
As he had done yesterday, Lee recovered from a slow start, which had included two early bogeys, with an immaculate approach from 250 yards at the par 5 5th which he converted for eagle. He then added three more birdies and even though he missed a good opportunity from 8 feet at the last, his standing in the field improved during the day as the more demanding playing conditions of day two took their toll.
He was delighted with his efforts and said as much after his round.
“Very pleased. Pity on the last didn’t make a birdie, but other than that, it’s been a really good day. Slow start. Bogeys on 3 and 4. Made a really nice eagle on 5.
“Hit a 3-wood to like four feet on the par-5 and knocked it in for eagle and that kind of got things going. Really happy with the way things went.”
When asked if he was now feeling more comfortable on the major stage Lee would say; “I don’t know. I’m trying to figure that out myself. I don’t know. I guess I lock in a bit more and I just enjoy the challenge. That’s definitely what it is.
“I think I play good on pretty tough courses, and it’s just that par putt or that momentum shot. I love doing that and just keep moving forward. On easier courses if you make a bogey you’re going two steps back, so it’s nice when there’s not too many birdies and you can just grind it out.”
Jason Day – image R&A via Getty Images
Day, on the other hand, was quickly out of the blocks with three birdies in his first five holes and he would add three more along with two bogeys, and although, he too, would miss a very makeable opportunity at the last, he heads into the weekend with a real chance to beat his previous best of 4th in this event in 2015.
Day is very much aware that there is still a long way to go in the event, especially with some nasty weather predicted over the final 36 holes.
“I think it’s just hard to tell what kind of weather we’re going to get, but from what I understand and what I’ve been hearing,” said Day. “I think we’re going to get some pretty awful weather tomorrow.
“But just saying that it is The Open Championship, so if we do get some pretty average weather, it’ll bring a lot of guys back in or at least give them a chance at shooting up the leaderboard pretty quick on tomorrow’s round and then obviously Sunday, as well.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking at the leaderboard right now as we speak, and I mean, Brian played unbelievable golf to shoot 10-under through two rounds. It was really difficult conditions today.”
The pair were two of just five of the 12-man Australasian contingent who made it through the cut which fell at 3 over par.
Defending champion Cameron Smith was outside the cutline playing the last but produced a magical second to the par 5 which finished within 2 feet of the hole, the resulting eagle ensuring his place in the field for the weekend.
“I was aware that I had to make birdie,” said Smith of his 6 iron approach to the last. “It was nice to hit a good drive down there. Like I said, I hit plenty of good drives all day today, and a few of them found the bunker. It’s basically a shot penalty. It’s a very frustrating golf course.
“It would have been very frustrating if I had missed out on the weekend. I think defending is one thing, but just the golf that I feel like I’m playing and to miss out on the weekend would be very frustrating.
“I feel like, like I said, it’s a big ask to make up 12 shots, but I feel like a good weekend can get me right up at the top of the leaderboard there and can salvage kind of a bit of a crappy week.”
Ryan Fox battled back from the disappointment of a last-hole triple on Thursday with five birdies in his round of 67 and made the cut on the number after his opening 78.
Adam Scott, disappointingly, bogeyed the last but still snuck into the final 36 holes with a round of 73 to be on the cut number.
Shell Harbour’s Travis Smyth might have not made the cut but at the quirky par 3 17th he turned yesterday’s triple bogey into an ace (see video below)
Brian Harman – image R&A via Getty Images
But all honors on day two would go to Harman whose bogey-free round of 65 was highlighted by four birdies in his first five holes and an eagle from 12 feet at the last to seal a five-shot lead when he had finished around 2.00pm, a lead which he held until the end of play.
He leads over Tommy Fleetwood with another shot back to Sepp Straka of Austria.
Harman might be a surprise leader to some extent but he is a two-time PGA Tour winner and a player good enough to have finished runner-up at a US Open previously and 3rd at the Players Championship so he has pedigree despite him not necessarily being a logical choice to win this week ahead of the event.
Harman’s lead is a significant one but there is a lot to unfold over the closing stages of this event, more especially given the predicted weather in which rain and wind will buffer the Royal Liverpool layout.
When it was suggested he had been in contention in majors previously and asked what he had learned from those experiences he replied
“Just not trying to get too caught up in it. It’s just golf. I’ve probably — I think when I held the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open, I just probably thought about it too much.
“Just didn’t focus on getting sleep and eating right. So that would be my focus this weekend.”
