The Open 2023 LIVE: Golf leaderboard as Tommy Fleetwood chases Brian Harman in second round

Winning your first major is rarely easy and Tommy Fleetwood’s road to glory at the Open Championship this week certainly looks more complicated on Saturday morning than it did 24 hours earlier.

When he went to bed on Thursday night, Fleetwood was joint leader of the tournament after shooting a thoroughly professional round of five-under-par 66. He was tied at the top of the leaderboard with a South African amateur (Christo Lamprecht) and an Argentine without a career top-10 finish (Emiliano Grillo), both of whom would inevitably disappear.

But when the Englishman played his second round on Friday afternoon, he was five strokes off the lead. Brian Harman – a 36-year-old from Georgia, USA – had ripped up Hoylake with a brilliant 65 to climb to ten under par on a morning where the scoring wasn’t even very low.

Fleetwood could have panicked and become overly aggressive in desperate pursuit of birdies to close the gap, but patience is arguably the most important quality for success in links golf and the 32-year-old has been preaching this week.

This would prove to be a real test of how committed he is to this approach, even more so when his front nine featured eight pars and a bogey to fall another stroke behind. But he was rewarded for not overextending himself as a monster birdie putt from nearly 60 feet on the 10th^th helped inspire a back nine that also included birdies on 14^th and 15^thas well as hugely brave par saves on the last two holes – a putt from 11 feet at 17.^th and an up-and-down from off the green on 18. A couple of extra bogeys were a slight setback, but a struggling 71 kept him in the tournament, five shots behind at five under, and gives Harman pause for thought heading into the weekend.

Full report from Luke Baker at Royal Liverpool:

“It was tough, it was quite windy and again it just feels so late coming down the stretch there.

“I think in general it’s a very tough challenge on a golf course. I felt like I played so well at times and it’s really hard to make birdies.

“Happy with how I played and ended up having to grind it out at the end, had to use different skills but overall it was a good round.

“Long way to go Brian [Harman’s] plays great. I saw him and he played so well. If you had asked me if I wanted to be in the final group on Saturday, I would have taken it. I don’t care how far behind I am.

“There’s a lot of golf to be played and all you can do is play your own game, play each shot as it comes. Brian is obviously well ahead and he’s playing great golf so we’ll see what he does over the weekend, but for me – keep doing the same things, stay consistent and we’ll see what we can do.”

American Brian Harman reacted to missing the cut at the Masters in April by returning to his Georgia farm and killing a pig and a turkey.

Three months later, the left-hander built a commanding five-shot lead over home favorite Tommy Fleetwood at the halfway stage of the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Harman carded four straight birdies on the front nine and holed from 15 feet for an eagle on the 18th to complete a flawless second round of 65 and post a 10-under-par halfway 132 total.

Read the full report on Friday’s action below:

Brian Harman finished T6 at the Open last year. Now the American goes to sleep tonight with a five-shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood after a superb second round.

That’s a big ask for Fleetwood and the rest of the hunting pack. Harman is not the most experienced in the latter stages of major championships, but his form and history will have him favourite:

There are still a few players out on the field, but here’s how the top of the leaderboard currently looks:

-3: Min Woo Lee, Sharma, Day

-2: Spieth, Otaegui, Grillo

-1: McIlroy, Homa, Clark, Jordan and others

Lowry +7 (77), Fowler +3 (73), MacIntyre +3 (71)

Rickie Fowler went off the green twice up the 18th yesterday and he’s very close to doing it again today. He is just about to escape, but finds himself in the bunker after three. Up and down to cut … and it’s great from the sand from Rickie. He’s here this weekend.

MacIntyre plays the latter far more conservatively than the American and comes in pairs to also extend his stay at Hoylake.

One big name that won’t be here this weekend is Shane Lowry, who ends his birdie-less day with another bogey to card a round of 77 and finish at +7 for the tournament. Not the tournament he would have wanted.

Clark -1 (73), Shovel +2 (74), Smith +2 (72)

Wyndham Clark bogeys his third shot to the right as his ball ends up in the greenside bunker. Faced with an awkward chip, he does well to get it onto the green, but he can only two-putt for par and a two-over-par round of 73.

Schauffele saves his first birdie of the day for the last to finish at +2, and he is joined there by Cam Smith, who chips in to allow his stunning eagle to move inside the cut line after a round of 72 over par.

Clark -2 (17), Shovel +3 (17), Smith +4 (17)

This is how you make the cut! An incredible second shot from Cameron Smith whose fairway metal approach runs up the green skirting the bunkers on the right edge before feeding down to within a few feet.

A virtual tap-in eagle for the defending champion who has saved his best for last. He will be here this weekend.

Fleetwood -5 (71), Scheffler +3 (75), Scott +3 (73)

My God, you’re making it difficult for the home fans, Tommy. His second shot ends up next to the stands, giving him a free drop from the drop zone. He has left bunkers between him and the hole, and his flop catches the downhill hill and sends the ball straight out the other side of the green.

That’s a nice chip to five feet and he has the putt to stay at -5 and, crucially, in the final pairing tomorrow… right in the heart! That’s a brave even par 71 in tough conditions. After starting today with the lead, he will finish fifth behind Harman today, but tomorrow is a new day and Fleetwood will want his chances to close the American.

Scheffler, meanwhile, catches a huge break out of the bunker. His ball catches the face, but somehow he still manages to get out, with the ball spinning down to within tap-in range. A lucky break for the world number one, who makes the cut on the number with that birdie.

A closing bogey for Scott, who sits at +3 and also makes the cut on the number with Scheffler.

Clark -2 (17), Shovel +3 (17), Smith +4 (17)

Cam Smith needs a birdie on his final two holes to make the cut and should have one on 17 after a beautiful tee shot on the green. But from eight feet, the defending champion can’t convert. Another poor miss from a player whose ability lies in his putting and he now needs a birdie at the last to see out the weekend.

Clark makes par from the sand with a divine chip, but Schauffele can’t do the same from the same bunker and needs a par on the last to make the cut.