Majors are meant to be hard to win, but few would have predicted that this year’s Open would turn out to be this difficult.
After three practice days where the sun was shining and the players were able to pick Royal Troon apart, the last two days have seen cold and windy weather and those near the top of the leaderboard have had to battle for every single stroke.
With the promise of more windy weather today, those heading out for their third rounds will have to batten down the hatches and be prepared to grind once again. Just ten players currently sit under par and it wouldn’t be a surprise if that number were to diminish even further today.
Ahead of the final 36 holes, let’s recap the tournament's main talking points.
Shane Lowry on course for second Open trophy
Shane Lowry excels when it comes to the Open, the champion back in 2019, Lowry has shown time and time again that when the weather gets tough, he has both the skill and temperament to excel.
Currently leading the way on -7, Lowry played some superb golf yesterday to post a -2, round of 69, which given the exceptionally difficult conditions was one of the best rounds of the day.
When the wind blows as it did yesterday, the burly Irishman is able to keep things incredibly simple. Often able to find the heart of the fairways, his superb approach play has enabled him the opportunity for plenty of birdie putts or at worst, two manageable par attempts.
Even when he veers off course he has the mental skills to be able to bounce back effectively. With him leading by three strokes, disaster struck on the 11th when after hitting a wayward drive, he couldn’t find his ball and then hit an amazing recovery shot with his provisional to give himself a chance of making par.
However, with his ball on the green, a spectator would find his original ball and Lowry would have to take a drop from much worse conditions. Only able to make a six, Lowry’s three shot advantage was reduced to just one.
After such bad luck, most players would have felt that the golfing gods were aspiring against them but not Lowry. Able to keep a clear mind, he bounced back superbly to record hard earned birdies on both the 16th and 18th holes to ensure that he would head out for his third round with a two stroke lead.
Big names struggle in tough conditions
Over the years the Open has had the ability to provide several shock winners, Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, Paul Lawrie and Stewart Cink have all won the famous Claret Jug at huge prices.
Although Shane Lowry currently has a firm footing at the top of the leaderboard, heading into today’s third round, this tournament is wide open and players such as Billy Horschel, Dan Brown, Dean Burmester and Matthew Jordan all have a chance of moving themselves into contention today.
This year’s Open has been wildly exciting but there is a shame that so many big names struggled and have missed the cut.
Former champions Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson Cam Smith, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have all left Troon early whilst other leading lights such as Ludvig Aberg, Bryson DeChambeau and Wyndham Clark are also on an early flight home. It is a shame that some of the best players in the world won’t be around for one of the best weekends of the year.
Former Major champions will hope to give chase on moving day
Whilst Shane Lowry has rightly had all of the praise thrown his way following two brilliant days of golf, there are several former major winners who remain in striking distance of his lead.
Justin Rose has won just one major, but has come close to winning this tournament on several occasions and after qualifying for this year’s tournament the Englishman has spoken about his love for his home Open and he will hope to eradicate the two stroke deficit he currently faces.
Rose’s second round 68 deserves enormous credit as it came when the weather was at its very worst. Using all of his experience, Rose plotted his way around Royal Troon with aplomb and ended his round with one of the very best scores of the day.
Battle hardened and with the ability to grind his way to a score, Rose should relish the tricky conditions today.
Ominously for all near the top of the leaderboard, Scottie Scheffler lies lurking and could make his move today. Already with six wins to his name this year, Scheffler is looking to land his first major outside of Augusta and although he will start five shots back today, he has given himself a great chance of doing exactly that.
Two successive rounds of 70 have been uneventful but whenever the world number one has erred, Scheffler has been able to bounce back immediately. When watching the Texan go about his work, you get the impression that there is much more to come and Scheffler’s A game could arrive today.
If he is able to get off to a solid start, all those above him may start to tremble and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Scheffler end the day at the top of the leaderboard.
A stroke behind Scheffler is PGA Champion Xander Schauffele. Since winning at Valhalla earlier this year, Schauffele’s calm and measured game has served him exceptionally well and a battling round of 72 yesterday has seen him remain well in contention.
A devastating ball striker, conditions today might not be to his liking but with the quality and consistency he possesses it would be dangerous to write him off.
For those interested in the PGA Tour vs LIV battle, the highest LIV ranked player heading into today is Dean Burmester who will tee off today five strokes behind.
However, deeper down the field are several of the Saudi funded tour’s best players. The trio of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm will all start today at +1, eight shots off the pace.
All three have struggled in the majors and have barely featured but they have all played some great golf to be near the upper echelons of the leaderboard.
Koepka thrives in the majors and has shown in the past that the tougher the conditions, the better he tends to play. He won’t be deterred by the tough conditions today.
Jon Rahm has had a miserable year at the majors in comparison to his usual lofty standards. However, as his second round progressed yesterday you could see a swagger and confidence return to his game.
The fiery Spainaird is no stranger to a late charge at the majors and will hope that once again he again produces his best and moves much closer to Lowry on moving day.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
