Open Championship: Round 2 winners and losers, including Tiger Woods and Shane Lowry

After going into the clubhouse with the 18-hole lead on Thursday only to see it disappear, Shane Lowry was hoping to have another strong day. Although Lowry did not get to 5-under for his round, he still shot in the red numbers, shooting a 2-under 69 to regain his lead. Lowry shot 2-under on the front nine, highlighted by his birdie on the par-3 8^th, the postage stamp hole. He ran into some trouble on the par-4 11^th. Lowry was distracted by a photographer during his second shot. That led to making a double bogey. However, the Irishman responded by making two birdies in his last three to finish strong heading into the weekend.  

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The reigning U.S. Open Champion was unable to translate his game from Pinehurst No. 2 to Royal Troon this week. After celebrating with the gallery and the trophy in hand, it was a different story for Bryson DeChambeau. He recorded a front nine 42 on Thursday to begin his round en route to a 5-over 76. In the second round, he was only one shot better, finishing at 9-over par and will miss the cut. In 36 holes, he had just one eagle and one birdie, which is not going to win tournaments, especially majors.

Also read: How players like Bryson DeChambeau earned one of 27 exemptions into the Open

Also making two birdies in the final three holes to close was Justin Rose, who shot a 3-under 68. Rose was one of six golfers to fire a 3-under 68 for the best round of the day. It was the putter that benefited Rose, ranking third in the field with 3.4 strokes gained putting on Friday. His three best shots affecting his strokes gained numbers, and all came with the putter. He saved par on the par-5 sixth from 23 feet out. Rose’s first birdie of the day came from 13 feet out. As much as those two putts were solid, he saved the best for last, making birdie on the last from 41 feet. Despite the difficulties the Open has brought, Rose is the only player in the top seven to play early on Thursday and late on Friday.

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Ludvig Aberg was a potential favorite this week because of how well he has played this year, highlighted by his runner-up at the Masters. Friday showed how much experience players need around Open Championship-level links golf courses. After shooting a 4-over 75 in the first round, the struggles continued Friday. He made five consecutive over par holes to end his front nine, including a double bogey on the par-4 seventh.

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The highest American on the leaderboard at the Open Championship is Billy Horschel. Horschel, who was exempt by winning the 2021 BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour, had a solid round. Horschel was also part of the group that shot 3-under 68 on Friday. He got off to a good start with birdies on the first two holes. His only bogey or worse hole came on the par-4- third. He was able to get that stroke back by making birdie on the eighth before adding on with a birdie on the par-5 16^th, the easiest hole of the tournament.

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After a 7-over 78 on Thursday, Wyndham Clark needed things to go his way on Friday. However, things actually got worse as last year’s U.S. Open champion shot 9-over 80 and will miss his first cut since the Memorial in early June. Friday’s second-round 80 also marked his score in a single round this season. It is also Clark’s third missed cut at a major this year, along with the Masters and the PGA Championship. Clark shot a back nine 7-over 42 to end his stay in Scotland, including a triple bogey-double bogey two-hole stretch.   

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Like Aberg, Tony Finau was another emerging player on the betting odds before Thursday. After an even par 71 on Thursday, things were looking good for the American. But then came Friday After bogeys on the two par-3s on the front nine, that is when things started to spiral. He made triple bogey on the par-4 ninth. After another bogey on the 10th, Finau made a quadruple bogey on the par-4 12th. It was one of 11 double bogeys or worse on the 12th in the second hole. This is Finau’s second missed cut this season and first since the Valspar Championship in March. It is also the second straight year Finau has missed the cut at the Open.

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Also joining Finau with the struggles on Friday was Tiger Woods. Despite being two strokes better than his 8-over par performance on Thursday, it was not enough. This marks Woods’ sixth missed cut in his last seven major starts. Shooting 7-over par on both the par-3 and the par-4 is the biggest takeaway for Woods across two rounds at Royal Troon. It will be something he will work in the worst conditions to improve on heading into 2025 with a possibly increased schedule.

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Also tied with Horschel at 2-under par through 36 holes is World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler was one of 18 players to shoot under par on Friday at 1-under 70. He has made back-to-back 70s to reach 2-under par at the halfway point. Despite a birdie-bogey stretch in the middle of the front nine, Scheffler was able to make two birdies in his final five holes to remain in the red numbers and be inside the top five heading into the weekend.

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Out of all the players who had a bad second round at the Open, Aguri Iwasaki had the worst showing. After a 3-over 74 on Thursday, he was also plagued by the conditions on Friday, shooting a 20-over 91. Iwasaki was 4-over through 10 in the second round and had the opportunity to possibly get inside the cut line. However, after a par on the 11^th, he had an unforgettable three-hole stretch. Iwasaki went double bogey on the 12^th and had back-to-back nines on the par-4 13^th and the par-3 14^th. He ended his final hole with a triple bogey to record a 52 on the back nine. 

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