It was quite the eventful day at Carnoustie as nine of the thirteen leaders hail from the United States. Kevin Kisner and Zach Johnson are your shared leaders through the first two rounds. As we move into the weekend, notable players will be heading home early, the tournament is almost a lock for one player, and I’ll highlight the best players still in contention.
Everyone is Playing for Second:
Going into the tournament Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood was expected to be somewhere near the top and he struggled on the first day but made a smooth recovery currently tied for third at 5 under. Fleetwood was on a lot of people’s shortlist for expected winners and with the wrapping up of day two, this will likely be his first major tournament win. That being said there is a lot of golf left to be played but Fleetwood has the Carnoustie course record with a multitude of experience. Anything short of a Dustin Johnson like collapse like at Shinnecock, I believe Fleetwood will be at the top of the leaderboards come the end of Sunday’s round.
World’s Best Heading Home Early:
Dustin Johnson: The world’s best golfer had another poor showing today shooting one over putting him at six over for the tournament. DJ was the odds on favorite to win the tournament but couldn’t seem to get in a groove as he continued to miss fairways and give up strokes on the putting green.
Jon Rahm: In an unlikely turn of events Jon Rahm will miss the cut at 5 over. Rahm finished yesterday’s round in the top ten and a lot of people predicted him to finish in the top 3 after his day one performance. Rahm shot a horrid 7 over as he found more bunkers than fairways and even had a tee shot land out of bounds.
Justin Thomas: JT was another player that put in a strong showing on day 1 but looked completely off his game in the second round. He finished the tournament 4 over as he shot 6 over on the day. Links style golf has never really favored Thomas and here is another example.
Ian Poulter: I’m not sure fans and experts predicted a good tournament for Poulter but no one was expecting him to play this poorly. The Englishmen finished round 1 with an average score of 2 over but followed it up with one of the worst scores of the tournament, 10 over. Poulter is still considered a top golfer but he’ll plummet on the world golf rankings after finishing ninth to last.
Stars Playing into the Weekend:
Jordan Spieth: After missing the cut at Shinnecock, the reigning British Open champion will fight for another chance to hoist the Claret Jug as he currently sits 3 under for the tournament in 11th place.
Rickie Fowler: Fowler is really the guy everyone at home should be rooting for, the man has so much talent and always seems to fall a bit short. Currently at 3 under, could this be the tournament Fowler finally finishes on top?
Rory Mcllroy: Rory has historically played well in the British Open and this year is no exception. Sitting in 6th place with a score of 4 under, Mcllroy will look to add another major trophy to his illustrious trophy case.
Just The Phacts 