After a frantic opening day at Royal Birkdale, Friday did not disappoint at The Open. We saw the all-time scoring record for a men's major matched not once, but twice, as well as plenty of surprises along the way.
Lucas Herbert shot a 62 (-8) to career into the lead of the tournament, while Sam Burns matched that same feat to rescue his Major hopes, placing him just 3 shots off of the Australian. The two combined for 17 total birdies which is a genuinely absurd number for a course this difficult.
Not everyone had as much fun as these two though. Jordan Spieth's +7 saw his chances of winning The Open come to an abrupt end, while Viktor Hovland's weekend also ended early. Spieth's round looked steady-ish before a double bogey on 14, but a quad-bogey on the tumultuous 17th hole sealed his fate.
Elsewhere, the big names started to mount their charges. Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler found some much-needed form to push into the top-10, while Rory McIlroy also rebounded from a tough opening day to make the cut comfortably.
Bryson DeChambeau was also dealt a cruel blow. His round was going very well before he was later given a two-shot penalty for inadvertantly improving his lie while the ball was buried in deep rough. Bryson now sits at -5, still very much in contention, but that penalty will absolutely sting, tarnishing an otherwise wonderful round where he picked up 5 birdies.
Yesterdays' leader, Jackson Suber, struggled a little more off the tee than he would've liked, but did well to steady his score. Nobody could really get in the way of a rogue 62 from Lucas Herbert, but Suber is still very much within striking distance if he can remain consistent.
Now, the going gets tough. This is a course that will demand the best from every Golfer, especially under the pressure of a Saturday. As crowds grow, intensity rises, and pressure heightens, only the best of the best will be able to avoid falling prey to some of the most punishing feskew in the UK, along with the temperatures meaning the course is running firmer than we've ever seen. Course management will be everything over the next 36 holes, but will it be a familiar face lifting the Claret Jug?
