The Open: Brian Harman five clear of Tommy Fleetwood as Scottie Scheffler narrowly makes the cut
Brian Harman charged up leaderboard after second-round 65; Rory McIlroy nine back as he chases elusive fifth major victory; Four arrested after protesters try to disrupt play at 17th green; Watch throughout the weekend live on Sky Sports Golf
Saturday 22 July 2023 07:03, UK
Brian Harman takes a five-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood into the weekend at The 151st Open, as world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Cameron Smith survived scares to make the cut.
The American fired an eagle and four birdies in a stunning six-under 65 to move to 10 under at Royal Liverpool, with the 132 shots taken over 36 holes the same Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy required during the first two days of their Open victories at the same venue.
Harman holds a commanding advantage over Fleetwood, who remains on five under ahead of Ryder Cup hopeful Sepp Straka, on a day where four Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested after trying to cause disruption on the 17th green.
- The Open: Latest leaderboard | Second round as it happened
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- Four arrested after protesters disrupt play at The Open
- Stream The Open and more with NOW for £21 a month
McIlroy is nine strokes back as he chases a fifth major title and second at Hoylake, while Scheffler needed a final-hole birdie and Smith produced an incredible closing eagle to both sneak through to the weekend.
How Harman jumped five clear at Hoylake
Harman started the day a shot off the lead but charged up the leaderboard when he holed from 20 feet at the second for the first of three long-range birdies, with the left-hander adding another at the par-five fifth after hitting the pin with his chip from the rough to leave a tap-in.
The world No 26 chipped in to save par at the 12th after having to play sideways out of a bunker and hole from 10 feet to avoid dropping a shot at the 17th, then extended his lead by signing off a blemish-free card with a 15-foot eagle at the par-five last.
Fleetwood - who shared the overnight lead with Emiliano Grillo and amateur Christo Lamprecht - was Harman's closest challenger in the afternoon wave, despite being over par for his round until he nailed a 60-foot birdie at the par-four 10th to get back to five under.
The Englishman responded to bogeying the par-three 13th by slotting in from 20 feet at the next for the first of back-to-back birdies, only to scramble a bogey at the 16th after having to pitch out of a fairway bunker and then convert from 11 feet to save par at the 17th.
Fleetwood finished by the grandstand as he looked to reach the green in two and then pitched over the green with his third shot, although salvaged a par to ensure he would play alongside Harman in the final group on Saturday.
Straka was over par for the tournament with seven holes remaining but then birdied each of his next four holes, with the Austrian then responding to bogey at the 16th by finishing with back-to-back birdies and jump into third spot.
Min Woo Lee, Shubhankar Sharma and former world No 1 Jason Day share fourth spot on three under, while 2017 champion Spieth is eight off the pace after posting three bogeys in a back-nine 39.
McIlroy birdied the last to salvage a one-under 70, leaving him in the same group as Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan, with US Open champion also on one under after a final-hole bogey
Big names struggle at Hoylake
Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Masters winner Jon Rahm are on two over alongside Tyrrell Hatton, who closed with a quadruple-bogey nine at the last, with Smith also 12 back despite almost holing out for albatross and leaving a tap-in eagle on his closing hole.
Scheffler came into the event off the back of seven consecutive top-five finishes but plummeted down the leaderboard with four bogeys in a six-hole stretch on the back nine, with the American only making it through after good fortune for a bunker at the last set up a tap-in birdie.
Collin Morikawa missed the cut by a shot after back-to-back 73s and Justin Rose also dropped out after a second-round 74, while 2019 champion Shane Lowry and two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas were among the others to make an early exit.
Watch The 151st Open throughout the week exclusively live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Saturday from 8.30am on Sky Sports Golf. Stream The Open and more with NOW for £21 a month.
