PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — A brief look at the second round Friday of the British Open at Royal Portrush:
LEADER: Scottie Scheffler had a 7-under 64 and was at 10-under 132.
CHASING: Matt Fitzpatrick of England (66) was one shot behind.
LURKING: Former British Open champion Brian Harman (65) and Li Haotong of China (67) were two shots behind.
LOSING GROUND: Rory McIlroy started the second round three shots out of the lead. He shot 69 and was seven shots back going into the weekend.
THE CUT: The
36-hole cut was at 1-over 143, eliminating players like Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Cantlay. Cameron Smith missed the cut in all four majors and he now has missed five cuts in a row in the majors.
OAKMONT REUNION: Saturday's pairings include Dustin Johnson and J.J. Spaun, the last two U.S. Open champions at Oakmont. Johnson made the cut for the first time this year in a major.
KEY STATISTIC: Scheffler has his lowest 36-hole score in a major at 132.
NOTEWORTHY: Bryson DeChambeau was 13 shots better than the first round. He shot 65 to make the cut and was 11 shots behind.
QUOTEWORTHY: “It’s probably nicer than playing the U.S. Open.” — Matt Fitzpatrick of England, on the prospect of playing Scottie Scheffler in the final group Saturday at the British Open.
TELEVISION: Saturday, 5-7 a.m. (USA Network), 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (NBC).
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
