Round 2 review: Everything you need to know about Friday at The 152nd Open Championship

That's a wrap on Friday at The Open Championship.

The first round provided plenty of intrigue, and the second round didn't disappoint, as a difficult Royal Troon challenged players with the best of what links golf has to offer.

Shane Lowry, one back after the opening round, is The Open leader heading into the weekend. He shot 2-under 69 in conditions that only worsened as the day continued. It didn’t come without some issues. Lowry made an adventurous double bogey on the par-4 11th, the details of which you can read below. But the Irishman recovered well, playing the final holes in 1-under.

Justin Rose and Dan Brown, who both had to go through Final Qualifying, are tied for second, two back, with Scottie Scheffler and Billy Horschel among the players who are in fourth.

The main characters of last month’s U.S. Open – Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau – spent Friday battling the cutline and were ultimately unsuccessful. Both players will rue their opening rounds. McIlroy shot 7-over 78. DeChambeau shot 76. The changing wind conditions tripped them up, a theme of the opening two days.

The wind was flipped Thursday and Friday from what many players had prepared for in practice rounds, turning what was usually a gettable downwind opening nine into a cutthroat start that featured gusts upwards of 30 mph straight into the players' faces. The back nine didn’t play any easier despite the helping wind. Only 10 players are under par heading into the weekend.

Did you miss any of the second rounds? We don't blame you. It was a long day at Royal Troon. Tee times began just after sunrise, and groups played as the sun set over the Firth of Clyde. Here's a look at all the stories you may have missed, big and small.

Storylines

Bad week for notable big names

The top of the leaderboard is filled with marquee names, but a heavy dose of talent will be heading home early.

Ten of the top 20 players in the world missed the cut this week, headlined by Rory McIlroy. McIlroy’s odds were long after opening in 78 on Thursday, but any hope of grinding for a weekend tee time was lost by the sixth hole Friday. McIlroy bogeyed Nos. 3, 5 and 6 and made triple-bogey at the fourth. He shot a back-nine 33, a cruel finish after a brutally tough first 27 holes. He finished 11-over.

Ludvig Åberg (9-over), Wyndham Clark (16-over), Viktor Hovland (10-over), Tommy Fleetwood (9-over), Sahith Theegala (14-over), Max Homa (7-over), Tony Finau (10-over), Keegan Bradley (7-over) and Bryson DeChambeau (9-over) all missed the cut. Reigning U.S. Open champion DeChambeau was undone by a back nine 38. Like McIlroy, DeChambeau will rue the opening round. He shot 76-75.

For a full look at how the cutline drama unfolded, click here.

All Rosey in the afternoon wave

Most of the players who are under par at The Open played in Friday's morning wave, which has proven to be the much friendlier draw this week at Royal Troon. The only outlier? Justin Rose. The 43-year-old Englishman tied the low round of the day, but it was far and away the best second-round performance when considering the conditions.

Battling sustained winds over 20 mph that regularly gusted over 30 mph, Rose navigated Troon expertly. He shot 3-under 68, his bogey at the 12th was his lone dropped shot this week. He made four birdies, including a 41-foot bomb on the 18th to tie Brown in second at 5-under, two back of Lowry.

It’s a week that nearly never was. Rose wasn’t exempt into the year’s final major, instead earning his spot through Final Qualifying. He’s missed just one major in 14 years. Other than the 2022 Open Championship, which he withdrew from due to a back injury, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist has competed in each major from the 2010 Open onward. Back in 1998, Rose advanced through The Open Final Qualifying as an amateur and finished T4 at Royal Birkdale, a memorable introduction to golf's world stage. That week, he was T2 after 36 holes – the exact position he finds himself in now.

Thomas, MacIntyre play victim at tough Troon, then battle back

Justin Thomas and Robert MacIntyre entered Friday’s round in the thick of contention. Then their focus switched to the cut line.

Thomas, 3-under through 18 holes, shot 45 on the front nine of his second round at Troon. He was 6 over through six holes, then made a triple bogey on the par-4 ninth. Thomas’ drive traveled just 215 yards at the ninth, and after a failed attempt to lash one out of the thick fescue, he was forced to take an unplayable. His fourth shot went way left, 80 yards from the green. He pitched on and took two putts to make a 7. MacIntyre, who began the day 1-over, had even more trouble. He was 8-over through four holes with triple bogeys at the first and fourth holes bookending bogeys at the second and third.

Thomas and MacIntyre fared the worst, but it wasn't good for almost everyone. It was just that type of day at Troon, and it didn't get easier until much later. Players faced sustained winds over 20 mph, with gusts nearly reaching 40 mph. The front nine played almost entirely into the wind, a brutal opening stretch.

Neither Thomas nor MacIntyre let it spiral into a missed weekend, however. Thomas came home in 33 to salvage his day and enter the weekend at 4-over. MacIntyre showed remarkable fight, playing the last 14 holes in 4-under. He's 5-over.

Woods to miss the weekend

For the first time since 2019, Tiger Woods appeared and finished all four majors, even if most ended earlier than he had hoped.

It’s a noteworthy accomplishment and more than just a footnote. After Woods’ severe car crash in 2021, it was fair to wonder whether we’d ever see Woods play again, much less on a regular basis. The 15-time major winner has limited his starts to the majors and one or two other events, but it’s a half-dozen more times than most expected.

His body has held up relatively well, and he said this week it’s only getting stronger. Unfortunately, his game isn’t following the same progression. Woods struggled at Royal Troon, carding rounds of 79-77 to miss the cut comfortably. He missed the cut in three of the four majors; his T60 at the Masters was the lone exception.

This week’s showing at Troon was similar to the rest. Woods showed glimpses of strong play, but it proved unsustainable. Woods has said the lack of competitive reps has affected how sharp he is entering play. He was 1-under through three holes on Thursday and played the final 33 in 15-over.

Stress test for Shane

Clubhouse leader Shane Lowry got the better end of the draw with his morning tee time on Friday, but that didn’t mean he was immune to big numbers.

Lowry made a whirlwind double bogey on Royal Troon’s Railway 11th hole that briefly dropped him out of the solo lead before he rebounded with a pair of birdies over the last three holes.

It was a dicey situation for the Irishman, who had managed a stress-free round to that point. Lowry said after the round he was happy to get out of there with only a double bogey.

Click here to read more about the 11th saga that could’ve stifled Lowry’s hopes for a second major championship.

Ted Scott battling illness

Scottie Scheffler may be contending at The Open, but his caddie, Ted Scott, does not appear to be feeling too hot.

Scott appears to be feeling ill, according to multiple reports from The Open broadcasters and journalists on-site. Scott was laying down between Scheffler’s shots and was described as “really sick” on The Open’s featured groups coverage.

"He had a bit of food poisoning last night -- well, could have been food poisoning, could be some sort of stomach bug," Scheffler said after signing for a second consecutive 70. "But he seemed to feel better as the day went on. The doc here took good care of him. But he did not sleep very much last night apparently.

"We didn't know if he was going to be able to go this morning, but he fought it out. You saw him laying down probably quite a bit out there, which was pretty funny."

It’s been an eventful year on the course for Scheffler, and not just because of his six victories. Scheffler had to overcome an injury of his own during the second round of this year’s PLAYERS Championship, receiving on-course treatment for his neck before eventually winning a second straight PLAYERS. At the PGA Championship, there was his arrest before the second round (all charges were eventually dropped) and his use of a fill-in caddie in the third round while Scott was attending his daughter’s high school graduation.

Scheffler shot 1-under 70 on Thursday as he seeks his seventh win, and second major, of the season.

Notables

Dan Brown (5-under): You could argue that he was atop the leaderboard because he played more holes than anyone in the tranquil late-evening conditions Thursday, but The Open first-timer refused to go away in much tougher conditions Friday. With a stiff wind blowing all day, Brown, a one-time winner on the DP World Tour who needed to make a 20-footer on the last hole of Final Qualifying at West Lancashire just to get to Troon, adjusted his expectations and held steady with a 1-over 72.

Billy Horschel (2-under): He is authoring his best Open appearance after taking advantage of the more benign morning conditions, soaring up the board with a 3-under round of 68 on Friday after opening in 72 on Thursday. Horschel’s strong play started late yesterday when the Floridian birdied two of the last three holes. Horschel backed it up with birdies at the opening two holes on Friday and made four total to vault into the top five. Horschel has missed the cut in six of nine appearances in The Open, including in 2016 at Royal Troon after shooting 67-85. Two of his three made cuts at The Open have come at St. Andrews.

Dean Burmester (2-under): His tournament flipped late in the first round when he holed a pitch shot from off the par-5 16th for eagle. He made another birdie on the 18th to end the day at even par and kept that momentum into his second round. Burmester shot 34 on the front, a five-shot improvement from the day before and finished in 69. He is in position to improve on his best Open finish, currently a T11 in 2022 at Saint Andrews.

Jason Day (1-under): The Australian was the world No. 1 when The Open was last at Troon in 2016. He would go on to claim his maiden major at the PGA Championship the following month, so perhaps there’s some synergy for Day to turn back the clock with a special weekend in Scotland.

Xander Schauffele (1-under): Arguably the most consistent major championship player this season is unsurprisingly in the mix. Schauffele said he’s battled his swing the last few weeks but felt good entering The Open. Schauffele has gained more than seven shots from tee to green thus far. Schauffele shot 1-over 72 on Friday.

Collin Morikawa (1-over): Three birdies over his last eight holes pushed Morikawa back into contention for another major after a second-round 70. He was in the hunt on Sunday at the Masters and PGA Championship but couldn’t make the necessary putts down the stretch to win. The two-time major winner ranks inside the top-20 in SG: Putting this week, more than good enough to win when paired with his world-class ball striking.

Jordan Spieth (3-over): It’ll feel like a disappointing day for the American, who played on the better side of the draw but still shot 74. Regardless, he will play the weekend and still has an outside chance, especially if the conditions remain difficult.

Phil Mickelson (5-over): He went toe-to-toe with Henrik Stenson at the 2016 Open at Troon. He will play the weekend here again, though he’s out of contention. Mickelson shot 74 and struggled mightly on and around the greens, uncharacteristic for the lefty.

Max Homa (6-over): Homa delivered one of the best moments of the week on the 18th Friday evening, pouring in a 28-foot birdie to make the cut on the number. The American watched the putt drop and then let out an emotional roar. Homa battled all day, and it looked like he would come up short after a triple-bogey at 12. But he birdied 16 and drained the putt on 18 to secure a tee time on the weekend.

Wyndham Clark (16-over): It’s a week he would like to forget. That’s become a theme in majors since his victory at last year’s U.S. Open. He’s missed the cut in three of the five majors, his best finish a T33 at last year’s Open. Clark was arguably the second-best player in the world just a few months ago. He will need to improve his consistency in majors to regain that moniker.