It’s a gentler Royal Troon on Saturday at The British Open Championship – so far

Think of The Open Championship as a carnival, with unpredictable links elements creating different amusement rides. Most of Friday was like a Tilt-a-Whirl, as fierce and shifting gusts sent balls (and scores) out to sea, with a cast of notables (like Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Bryson DeChambeau and Tommy Fleetwood) failing to survive the cut line of 6-over.

Saturday morning was more like the Ferris wheel that overlooks Royal Troon, gentle and majestic. There was no greater illustration than Justin Thomas, who turned in 5-under 31, a 14-stroke improvement from his startling opening-nine 45 a day prior that jeopardized his chances of playing the weekend after a Thursday 68. The two-time major champion, seeking his first win since 2022, made birdie at Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 – all from inside 10 feet – taking advantage of short-iron approaches to keep his hopes of the claret jug alive. With more difficult, rainy conditions expected Saturday afternoon, the leaders at The Open’s midway point might not be able to run away and hide. (Thomas was six off the lead of Shane Lowry, who had yet to tee off, as he made the turn.)

The winds died down Saturday morning on the Scottish seaside coast, with a leaderboard that had spread out becoming more jumbled. Lowry held the 36-hole lead at 7 under, two clear of Justin Rose and Dan Brown, with no other player better than 2-under through 36 holes at Royal Troon.

Low front-nine scores would have seemed laughable 24 hours earlier, when expected winds flipped to create a mind-bending test on Royal Troon’s supposedly gentler stretch, but Saturday morning featured a return to the mostly out-and-back layout’s longtime DNA: Make your hay early, then hang on across the second nine’s tougher holes.

South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence went out in 6-under 30, making birdies at Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and the “Postage Stamp” par-3 eighth to vault into fourth place as he made the turn, four back of Lowry’s overnight lead.

Adam Scott and Sungjae Im each posted 5-under 66 in Saturday’s early going, two strokes better than any score carded in Friday’s second round. Sam Burns made five birdies in a six-hole stretch (Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8) to vault to the periphery of contention. Si Woo Kim even made a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th hole from 238 yards, the first ace of the week and the first at No. 17 in an Open.

Several are coming from back in the pack to maybe earn a puncher’s chance into Sunday – and the heavy rains expected late Saturday afternoon could turn Royal Troon into a water rapids ride.