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2019 British Open Live Coverage: Highlights from Friday’s second round at Royal Portrush

By GOLF Editors
July 19, 2019
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The opening fanfare at the 2019 British Open is over, and now the final 18 holes before the cut await Friday at Royal Portrush. You can follow the entire British Open second round with our British Open Live Coverage blog below, featuring live score updates, highlights from your favorite players, and video clips of the best shots.

Tiger Woods’ bid for a fourth career British Open win got off to a rough start on Thursday. The 15-time major champion struggled to a seven-over 78 on Thursday. Woods will need a heroic effort in Friday’s second round to make the cut and play the weekend. Woods starts his day at 5:09 a.m. ET at Royal Portrush.

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British Open 2019: Tiger Woods grimaces, struggles during first-round 78

Our British Open Live Coverage blog kicks off at 5 a.m. ET on Friday.We will continue tracking all the live action through the day.

Follow the entire second round of the 2019 British Open below.

British Open Live Coverage Coverage: Friday’s Second Round (ET)

FULL BRITISH OPEN LEADERBOARD | ROUND 2 TEE TIMES
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That’s all for today. Keep up with GOLF.com for plenty more updates on the second round and a look ahead to a weekend sure to be full of intrigue.

3:16: Rickie taps in for a 69. He’s very quietly five shots off the pace.

3:10: Rory makes the par. That’s a 65. Huge, huge ovation from the Portrush crowd.

3:09: There are shots to go back to. The most obvious being his tee shot on No. 1 yesterday. He missed a 4-footer today. Plenty of others yesterday. The reality: It was always going to be damn near impossible to recover from 79 yesterday. Marvelous effort from Rory that the locals won’t soon forget.

3:05: Woodland goes down the same route as Rory. He’s going to miss the cut.

3:02: That’ll probably do it. Rory’s approach hits the right side of the green and runs off it, trickling all the way down the side. That’s a shame.

2:58: So, Rory pretty much has to make birdie here. Par-4 18th. 474 yards. He goes iron and it finds the fairway with a solid angle.

2:53: He missed it. Broke to the right. He goes to 18 at two-over.

2:51: Maybe we should’ve listened to the kids.

2:50: Like a foot or two shorter and that shot from Rory is sitting in the front bunker. Instead he’s got 15 feet for birdie. Drama.

2:48: Woodland takes up a divot bigger than his shoe and just muscles it out. Just a terrible lie for him. Casey’s lie is slightly better, and he knocks it on the green.

2:46: Rory’s ball finds the trampled stuff. He’ll have an option: go aggressively for the pin and risk sending it long, or play it safe and aim to birdie 18.

2:42: Rory takes driver and finds trouble in the rough to the right. Let’s see what this lie is like. Woodland joins him.

2:39: Rickie makes birdie at 15. He’s now back to three-under. Attention back to Rory…

2:36: A roar for Rory!!! He makes birdie at 16. That cut line looms with two holes to go. He’s two-over for the tournament, six under for the day. What a story this would be…

2:27: Man, that’s so good from Rory. Plays a gentle draw into the 16th green, leaving himself roughly 10 feet for birdie. The fans would go ballistic if it drops. Woodland and Casey also on in a good spot.

2:21: Rory almost holes his bunker shot on No. 15. He’ll tap in for par and head to 16 needing at least one birdie to keep his hopes alive.

2:19: McDowell misses the birdie putt but will tap in for par. He makes the cut, currently at one-over.

2:17: Xander Schauffele is (really quietly) at three-under for the tournament. Who knows how things will shake out this weekend, but after a rough start, that’s a good position for him to be in.

2:15: Graeme McDowell with a nice approach into No. 18. He’s looking to secure his spot for the weekend, looks to be in a good spot. He’s at one-over.

2:12: Tough bounce for Rickie, who finds himself in the bunker. Been a solid day from him, as he seeks to vault into contention. Still at three-under, hoping to save par on 14.

2:05: A fist-pump from Rory after his birdie on 14. A subsequent roar from the crowd. You think he wants this?

1:50: Tough bogey for Rory. His path to the cut line just got much harder.

1:46: Rory is going to have about 15 feet, needing to make that in order to not give that birdie right back. Gary Woodland drains his birdie for a much-needed birdie. He’s now one over par for the week.

1:43: How did that not fall?!? McDowell’s birdie putt on 16 goes begging. He’s still one over on the tournament,

1:41: Rory misses his shot on the par-3 13th into the front right bunker. Tried to draw it in, but didn’t quite draw enough.

1:35: Ohhhhhh man, that thing looked down. Rory will settle for a tap in birdie. He’s five under through 12 on the day. Three over for the championship.

1:29: Rory had a wedge into the green in two on No. 12. Stuck it to 12ish feet for eagle. Boy, if he makes that…

1:28: Gary Woodland, firmly on cut watch, missed his tee shot right on No. 12. Nestled an iron up near the green, though, to get up and down for a needed birdie.

1:25: Wow, Fritelli leaves it a roll short. He goes three over on the final two holes after briefly being tied for the lead. He’s five under.

1:24: Fritelli, suddenly just trying to stay afloat, tries a pitch and run on 18 but blows it way past the hole. Looooooooooong par putt coming to stay at six under.

1:14: OK, Rory. We see you. He stuck his approach at 11. Taps in for birdie. Heading to the par-5 12th. He’s now four over for the week.

1:12: Today’s not done yet, but tomorrow’s gonna be filled with intrigue. Lowry/Holmes at eight under, Fleetwood/Westwood on their heels. Koepka lurking, Spieth surprising. Finau/Kuchar/Stenson/Reed/Rahm all firmly in this thing, four shots back. There are 32 guys within six shots of the lead.

1:08: Strong close for Francesco Molinari to assure himself a spot in the weekend. He makes birdie on 18 to finish at even par.

1:06: Fritelli had to play his provisional ball, and he leaves himself about 20-30 feet for a bogey. Weird situation there.

12:59: They keep finding balls in the right rough on 17, but none of them seem to belong to Dylan Fritelli. People wandering around aimlessly, reminiscent of your average hacker frantically searching for their ball.

12:58: Rory makes birdie on No. 10. He’s clawing ever-so-slightly to that cut line. He’s five over par and, obviously, needs a blazing back nine.

12:54: Fritelli is WAYYYYYY right on 17 tee shot. Further right than Lowry. I have no idea where that ended up.

12:54: Lowry ain’t happy. Par putt goes begging. Three-way tie atop the leaderboard now.

12:53: Phil rolls in a long birdie for a positive end to a forgettable week. Frankly, a forgettable year from Phil, who is going through one of the worst stretches of his career right now.

12:50: Crowd got excited when Lowry’s chip nearly went in, but he’ll have work left to keep his lead heading into the clubhouse. Elsewhere, Fritelli saved par from the thick stuff on 16.

12:47: Lowry chunks his approach and leaves it several yards in front of the green on 18. He’ll probably be happy to get this in the clubhouse and move to tomorrow.

12:43: Bubba, contrary to many predictions, looks like he’ll be around to play the weekend. He closes out at one over on the tournament, after some chiding from the announcers a few holes prior.

12:41: Graeme McDowell nudges an eagle putt on 12 to a foot. He’ll move back to even par, and looks in position to secure a spot inside the cut.

12:36: Lowry nearly chipped it in. Makes the putt. No harm, no foul.

12:34: Fritelli walks it in. He’s a shot back.

12:32: Lowry’s ball is far enough right that he escaped the thick rough. He got relief from his lie and will have a relatively clean look. Huge break. And then he goes right at the pin and the ball bounces right over the green. Could have just taken his medicine, but got a bit too aggressive.

12:29: Dylan Fritelli stays throwing darts. Another one to about 10 feet for another birdie. If you had him at 200/1 this week, buckle up.

12:21: Shane Lowry is right on 17. Like way, way right. Hold, please…

12:20: Fritelli has just one bogey all week. He’s still seven under, and possibly the hottest golfer in the world right now.

12:16: Lowry pitches out to five feet. Makes the tricky putt to maintain a one-shot lead.

12:12: Lowry’s shot into Calamity Corner drifts short and right. He’s not all the way down the hill, but in the second cut, needing to get up-and-down for a par.

12:07: Henrik Stenson drains a birdie and he’s three under. Let’s see if he can make a run to get in that conversation.

12:05: *eyes emoji* Rory… He rolls in a birdie. He’s six over. Is there any chance?

12:02: Textbook bunker shot from Lowry. He’ll avoid back-to-back bogeys.

11:59: Lowry from the fairway on the par-4 15th..and it finds the greenside pot bunker, short-sided. Look out. That’s going to be a tough shot.

11:58: On 13, Frittelli for another birdie…and it comes up about a foot short. Should have no problem from there — he’ll stay -7.

11:55: Next-lowest man on the course is now South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, who has birdied 10, 11 and 12 to get to 7 under.

11:51: Lowry’s par putt catches the lip but stays out. First blip on the card today. He’s back to -9. That’s also just his second bogey of the tournament.

11:49: Lowry’s loooong lag putt comes up about 6 feet short. He’ll have that tester to save his par.

11:47: Meanwhile, Paddy Harrington knocks in a birdie on 15 to get to +3. Ireland has yet another contender to reach the weekend.

11:44: From the left rough, Lowry takes a rip and finds the front part of the green. Long putt from there but he did well just to find the green.

11:40: Ouch! Darren Clarke triples 18 to post +3, and that’s probably going to miss the cut by one. He quickly shakes hands and hoofs it outta there. Probably an emotional moment for him.

11:36: Lowry on the tee at 14…driver…it drifts a little left of the fairway. We’ll see about the lie. Playing alongside the leader, Skinny Mickelson is eight over and playing out the string. Tough two days for him.

11:33: McIlroy’s short birdie attempt at No. 5, a driveable par 4, lips out. Nothing happening. His round will likely be ceremonial from this point forward.

11:27: Golf Channel still staring with Rory, who is five shots over the cut line. He’s one under for the day. Grinding, but not much happening for him.

11:21: Lowry deftly lags and it’s another tap-in par. He’s six under on the day through 13 holes and 10 under for the event.

11:18: On 12, Alex Noren narrowly misses an eagle putt, and he taps to get to 5 under. He’s the second-lowest man on the course right now, trailing Lowry by 5.

11:09: Lowry’s birdie putt dives just below the hole, and it’s a tap-in par on the easiest hole on the course. He remains 10 under, two shots ahead.

11:07: Lowry from just left of the green pitches it up, about 15 feet past the hole. Another solid shot. Another birdie attempt coming up next.

11:03: Azinger joins the booth to say that he still thinks about the Open he let get away early in his career. Calls it the greatest major in the game today, and a true world championship. No argument here.

10:55: On the par-5 12th, Lowry takes a three-wood and spits a fairway that is flanked by bunkers. Nice play there.

10:53: Rory drops a biride on 3 and he’s …. seven over. Cut looks like it’ll be +2.

10:49: Lowry putts from just off the green…and it comes up about a foot short. Still, easy par. He’ll remain 10 under.

10:44: Lowry from the left rough on 11 sends his approach a little long and left, but it catches a slopes and rolls back into the fringe. Not a bad spot. Maybe 25 feet or so for birdie.

10:40: Back on 2, Rory finds the bunker off the tee and eventually chips up with his fourth. But he leaves that one close. It’ll be a par on that par 5.

10:33: No one in this afternoon wave is within seven shots of Lowry. He’s looking for his first career major, but he’s been close a couple of times. Let’s see how he handles seeing his name atop the yellow boards for the next eight holes.

10:25: And Lowry cans a looooong birdie putt on No. 10 to become the first player to get to -10. That roar was loud, folks. He leads by two.

10:22: Two-putt par for Rory on No. 1. Wonder how different things might be for him if he made that same par yesterday.

10:17: Up at 18, Jon Rahm hacks out of the rough and makes great contact — his ball settles about 20 feet from the stick. He’ll have a look to get to five under.

10:12: As Ireland’s native hero Rory McIlroy Shane Lowry seizes the lead, it’s former native hero, McIlroy, tees off on No. 1 to start his second round. Unlike yesterday, this time he splits the fairway.

10:06: And Tiger Woods putts out on 18 to finish +6 for the event, which won’t be good enough for the weekend. Woods removes his cap and salutes the crowd. Nice ovation. That’ll go down as his final act at this Open.

10:02: Nice round for Dustin Johnson. He shoots 67 and is three under for the tournament.

9:58: Birdie for Lowry on 8, and he’s now five under on the day, nine under overall and your new solo leader.

9:54: Tiger bogeys 17, so he drops to five over and it’s now basically set in stone that he won’t be here this weekend.

9:52: Couple other good rounds finishing up soon. Rahm and Kuchar are both four under after 16 holes.

9:49: Rose in with a 67 and he’s six under for the week. Two back heading into the weekend. He’s gotta like that positioning.

9:45: Tiger has parred his last five and he’s still four over. Probably gonna miss the weekend unless he finishes birdie-birdie.

9:42: Playing alongside Tiger, Pat Reed is four under on the day and for the tournament. Nice day by him. Two holes left.

9:39: Back-to-back birdies on 5 and 6 for Alex Noren and he’s now five under.

9:35: Here’s a look at Westwood’s second of his back-to-back birdies.

9:32: And Holmes, Westwood and Co. are lucky here to get in early. Heavy rain is forecast from about 3-6 p.m. local time, which will begin in about 30 minutes from now.

9:30: Westwood misses his birdie attempt on 18 so he’ll sign for a 67 and get in at seven under for the tournament, one off the lead.

9:26: Good start for local favorite Graeme McDowell. He birdies 1 and is one over for the week.

9:23: Lee Westwood is feeling it. Great blind approach into the 18th and he’s got a putt to tie for the lead.

9:20: Holmes is in with a 68 and he’s at eight under and the clubhouse leader right now.

9:17: Lee Westwood with ANOTHER birdie on 17. That’s back to back and he’s seven under and tied for second, one back.

9:14: Uh oh, bogey for Finau and he’s back to five under.

9:10: And now we are tied at the top. Lowry birdies 5, his fourth of the day, and he’s tied with Holmes at eight under.

9:05: Now Tony Finau makes a birdie on 15 and he’s to six under.

9:01: And just when I mention Lee Westwood he drops in a BOMB for birdie on 16 to get to six under. He’s only two back now.

8:58: J.B. Holmes has parred the last two. He’s still eight under and leading by one with two to play.

8:55: Tiger update: After birdies on 10 and 11 he’s parred the last two and is still four over on the day.

8:51: Perhaps the Best Player To Never Win A Major, Lee Westwood, has went birdie-birdie-par-par and is five under with three left to play. He’s putting himself in a good spot.

8:47: Lowry misses what would have been his fourth straight birdie on the 4th. Left it out to the right. Taps in and stays at 7 under, one behind J.B.

8:43: Rose has parred both holes after his eagle, and he’s still six under and two off the lead with a few left to play.

8:40: Some sneaky names atop the leaderboard right now. Cameron Smith and Justin Harding both at six under and tied for 4th through 36 holes. They’ll be in good shape come this weekend.

8:35: Lowry is on fire! That’s three straight birdies to start and he’s one off the lead.

8:28: Lowry keeps coming. That’s two straight birdies to start and he’s six under now, two back.

8:24: Holmes with a bogey on 14 and he drops down to eight under overall, still one up on Fleetwood.

8:19: Wow and that’s now back-to-back birdies for Tiger on 10 and 11, and he’s down to four under and is making this a little closer than we thought regarding the cut.

8:15: Here’s what you need to know about the British Open cut.

8:12: Rose eagles the 12th and he’s to six under. Now in a group tied for third place.

8:10: 62 degrees with just 7 mph of wind right now. Some low scores out there to be had!

8:08: Meanwhile Lowry, who was four under yesterday, birdies the 1st and just like that he’s five under and tied with Brooks and Spieth, who are both in the clubhouse.

8:05: And Jordan Spieth’s day is finished as he barely misses a birdie try on the par-4 18th. He shoots four-under 67 and is five under for the week. That’s the round he needed. Currently five back.

8:00: Tiger Woods turns to the back and birdies the 10th. He’s at five over. Three more birdies could get him to the weekend.

7:55: Phil Mickelson tees off the first, finds the rough. Shane Lowry, your longtime clubhouse leader Thursday, tees off after him and finds the fairway. Can he make good on his 67 from the first round?

7:50: It’s a 69 for Koepka on a day in which he didn’t have his best stuff. He gets in at five under. J.B. Holmes two-putts for birdie on 12 and the lead. These last six holes at Portrush are nothing easy, though.

7:45: Tony Finau reaches five under. Koepka will have a look for six. Spieth sitting steady at five under. Building up a great set of tee times for tomorrow.

7:40: Bang! Tommy Fleetwood rolls in a birdie on 18 from 12 feet away for a total of 67 and a share of the lead at seven under. Something tells me he might have some backers at Portrush this weekend.

7:35: Koepka makes his par on 17. Can this guy win another major? The appropriate question might be, can anyone stop him? He plodded his way through 11 holes today with one birdie and one bogey. Just when you think he’s out of it, five shots back, he’s right there.

7:30: Jordan Spieth is putting like a mad man today. Saves par with a 10-footer on 15. He’s five under trying to get it in the house as his driver has gone crooked.

7:25: Cameron Smith has had the sneakiest round of the morning. He’s birdied five of his last six holes to reach six under. DIALED.

7:20: Leaderboard update! Rose climbing. Reed solid. Finau hanging around. It’s getting good, folks!

7:10: Fleets misses his par putt and he’ll drop one back of Holmes. Spieth in deep fescue on 14. These boys have plateaued a bit.

7:00: Tommy Fleetwood makes a bomb on 15 — the kind you just don’t expect to go in, curling the entire way — to reach seven under. And just like that, he gives something back going long and right of 16. Same spot as Hatton.

6:55: Tyrrell Hatton is about to combust. Went long and right on par-3 16th. Couldn’t escape the long stuff with his first. He made double bogey to drop back to three under. As you know, he’s a fiery cat.

6:45: Tiger Woods looks better today. No grimaces like he did Thursday. Just one birdie and a bunch of pars, but a better looking swing. He’ll need an epic back nine to make the cut. After a birdie on 6, he’s now five over.

6:40: Leaderboard update!

6:35: Koepka adds another birdie on 13. Five under for Mr. Major.

6:30: Right NOW is the time for players to make their move at Portrush. Conditions are as tame as they’ll be all week. Koepka birdies the 12th and has a great look for another on 13. He’s four under.

6:25: Make that six under! Fleetwood adds another birdie. He’s just two back of Holmes.

6:20: Holmes punches out and will have to settle for a par on 7. Lot of solid scores this morning in tame conditions. Tommy Fleetwood one of them. He’s at five under now, six holes left today.

6:15: J.B. Holmes is in a greenside bunker on the par-5 7th. No guaranteed birdie there. Rahm gets a bounce-back birdie on 3. Needed that. Tom Lehman, your 1996 champion, has played his final Open.

6:10: Matt Kuchar will head to two under on the week with a birdie at 3. Meanwhile, Spieth hit it from here to 20 feet on the wickedly narrow 10th green.

6:03: Rahm escaped with a double, but that stings. He’s now 1 under overall, seven shots back.

5:59: Uh-oh. It just took Rahm three shots to get on the green from the swale valley on No. 2. Yikes. Big number coming.

5:57: A bogey on No. 9 brings Jordan back to 5 under overall. Meanwhile, Holmes birdied AGAIN to get to 8 under. Now a 2-shot lead!

5:53: Tiger finds the green on the par-3 3rd. Meanwhile, Justin Rose bogeys and drops to 2 under.

5:50: Tiger made his par but he was not happy about it. Knew he let one go there.

5:47: A birdie on the par-4 5th brings J.B. Holmes to 7 under overall and the outright lead. Meanwhile, Tiger’s birdie attempt doesn’t even sniff the hole, and now he has a four-foot tester left for par. Missed opportunity for sure!

5:45: Tiger’s eagle attempt from off the green comes up well short, but thankfully doesn’t roll back down the swale. He’ll have about 12 feet left for birdie.

5:39: RED ALERT! Jordan Spieth is draining long putts! He just made another birdie to tie the lead at 6 under. He’s 5 under on the day through 8!

5:38: Tiger’s group was waiting for the green to clear. He had 250 left into the green and hit a good shot that ended up pin-high, but left. He’ll have a tricky third shot, since he’s down the swale and a bit short-sided, but can get up and down for birdie.

5:34: It should be noted that the weather is absolutely ideal right now. Feels warmer than yesterday, and very little wind at the moment. The morning waves have been good ones so far!

5:29: Another sweet 3-wood off the tee for Tiger on No. 2, and he finds the dead center of the fairway.

5:24: Holy cow, Jordan Spieth just made an eagle from off the green on No. 7 to get to 5 under — ONE SHOT BACK!

5:23: Wow! Tiger just drained a sweet left-to-right slider for birdie on No. 1. He’s now 6 over, and 12 shots back.

5:21: Fun Koepka stat: he’s had 12 putts in 8 holes thus far. Not too shabby! Jon Rahm is beginning his second round now, three shots behind Holmes.

5:17: Hello, Erik Van Rooyen! The South African is now T3. He’s 3 under on the day, and 4 under overall through 11 holes.

5:16: Tiger had about 160 left to the hole from the heavy rough, and he hit a nice iron to about 18 feet. Birdie putt coming up!

5:10: No grimace to report on the first swing, but he did sail into the left-side rough.

5:09: Okay, here we go. Tiger has a wood in his hand for the first hole today. Let’s see if he can post a good one.

5:03: Some hot play to report so far: J.B. Holmes birdied the second to reach 6 under overall, and the outright lead over Tyrrell Hatton, who is 2 under on the day through 8 and 5 under overall. Tommy Fleetwood is 4 under, and Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth are 3 under. Lowry is teeing off later. He’s at 4 under.

5:01: Greetings, early risers! The sun is shining here in Portrush, Tiger is on his way to the tee, and we have yet another fabulous day of golf ahead. Let’s go!

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