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It took nearly a full two days to finish the second round of the 144th British Open, but by the end of Saturday, as the winds finally settled, the field was cut in half. 156 contenders have now been reduced to 80 when the cut line was settled at Even Par.
Dustin Johnson ended his day the way it started, holding on to the leaderboard’s top name slot and sitting at 10-under. The American had five holes left to play after the 10-and-a-half hour weather delay; he bogeyed 14, but quickly resolved it with a birdie on 18.
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Jordan Spieth, who played with Johnson the first two rounds, also birdied the closing hole after suffering a bogey of his own on 17; he remains at 5-under heading into the Third Round, but is now tied for 14th. The 21-year-old is chasing the season Grand Slam, an achievement never to have accomplished before in the modern era of golf.
Notables:
Tiger Woods once again misses the cut at another major championship recording a 75 on Day Two and finishing his 20th Open appearance at seven-over. The 39-year-old won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005; he will have to wait until the PGA Championship in August if he wishes to contend for a 15th major title.
Other world-renowned golfers were unable to conquer or recover from the rain delay, such as Bubba Watson, Ian Poulter, Keegan Bradley, and Scotland’s own Stephen Gallacher.
There was a rare sighting at St. Andrews today, or at the British Open in general. A hole-in-one was recorded on the par-3 11th Hole, courtesy of England’s Daniel Brooks. The 174-yard ace came from the wind pushing the ball towards the hole, bounced once in the direction of the cup, hit the bottom of the flagstick, and the 28-year-old would earn an eagle. Unfortunately, it would not help his case as Brooks would finish five-over and miss the cut.
Hole in one! Watch Daniel Brooks ace the 11th hole at St Andrews. #Boom #TheOpen https://t.co/DnjBCtwABY
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2015
“Moving Day” will take place on Sunday at 8:15 AM local time. It was announced that The Open will finish on Monday July 20th, the first time the tournament will end on a Monday since 1988 when the major was hosted by Royal Lytham and St. Annes.
