Friday, Round 2

"So an improvement means to alter one or more of the conditions affecting the stroke so that the player gains a potential advantage for the stroke. Now, I'll stress that this applies even when the action is accidental, as it was in Bryson's case." - Grant Moir, R&A Executive Director, Governance

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Right? Bryson DeChambeau was assessed a two-stroke penalty at the end of Round 2. Those two strokes give Si Woo Kim a one-shot victory over DeChambeau in the H2H matchup. Apologies, Bryson, but RTL readers are happy tonight. Truth be told, I've made numerous rulings in my PGA Professional career. It is difficult. We all don't know where the ball was, but I can assure you this: the R&A does. Before you judge the situation, make sure you watch the video of Bryson initially walking into the area where his ball was located.

What a Friday at The Open. Let's recap Round 2.

Round 2 summary:

• Leader: -8, Lucas Herbert (70-62=132)
  • There are 51 players under par after 18-holes.
• Scoring average:
  • Rd 2: +0.35
  • First nine scoring average: +0.25 (+0.15), back nine: +0.1
  • Morning wave: -0.63, afternoon wave: +1.34 (+0.71)
  • Hardest hole: #18 +0.36, easiest hole: #17 -0.44
  • The field of 156 players scored 17 eagles, 497 birdies, 469 bogeys, and 51 double bogeys or worse in Round 1.
• Strokes gained T2G leaders through one round:
  • Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Alex Fitzpatrick, Ben Griffin, Cam Young, Lucas Herbert, Alex Noren, Sam Burns, Ryan Gerard
• Betting favorites after Round 1:
  • Scheffler (+600), Young (+650), Herbert (+1000), DeChambeau (+1200), Fleetwood (+1350)
• Conditions: Round 2 featured dry, warm conditions with highs of 77 degrees and cloudy skies. Players are facing a steady northwest wind at 10 to 14 mph, with gusts up to 23 mph. There was no rain.

Observations:

Between the lines...

• The longest active streak of cuts made in major championships continues for Xander Schauffele. Schauffele will need to change strategy if he truly wants to contend and ultimately win. The blueprint has been right in front of him. Xander played the first two rounds alongside Rory McIlroy, who bludgeoned driver around Royal Birkdale on Friday to the tune of a 3-under 67, and leads the field in driving distance. Schauffele is 141st in the field in length off the tee, showcasing his chosen strategy to lay back and accept longer approach shots. The problem is it's not working. - Joe Idone
• Who is leading in SG: OTT?
  • Rory McIlroy, Jesper Svensson, Scottie Scheffler, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Ben Griffin, jon Rahm
• There was much to love about Matt Fitzpatrick, Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim, and Viktor Hovland coming into The Open. Those four players combined to win seven of the last 16 weeks on the PGA TOUR. Despite their hot form leading in, they are all heading home before the weekend. It goes to show The Open is a different animal that calls for a variety of shots, and is one of the rare exceptions on the golf schedule where recent form can only go so far.. - John Haslbauer
• "Yeah, like I say, I didn't feel like I hit many bad shots all week. It's a golf course that's just awkward when it plays like this.... That's the way links golf is. It's a lot of luck of the draw and rub of the green." - Matt Fitzpatrick assessing his week.
• The Open is as "open" as it's ever felt going into the weekend, with 10 players available at consensus live odds of 20/1 or shorter. There is no prevailing profile of player atop the leaderboard either, with bombers (DeChambeau, Rahm, Young) finding just as much success as more accuracy-focused players (Scheffler, Fleetwood, Si Woo Kim). It's a great opportunity to reload on some live outrights, as Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns have already shown us that a 62 is out there. - John Haslbauer
• The final 36-holes are going to get really crispy. The SG: APP leaders are going to have an advantage in live betting and on the leaderboard. Here are the iron game leaders through two rounds.
  • Alex Noren, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners, Scottie Scheffler, Keegan Bradley, Patrick Reed, Michael Thorbjornsen, Adam Scott

I believe Joe is correct. Aggressive players are going to put themselves in contention come Sunday afternoon. Not reckless, but those who take on the fairway bunkers and doglegs. There are far too many talented golfers at the top of this leaderboard to hold back. You know what that means for us? An epic moving day at Royal Birkdale.

Live Betting - The Open Championship

Saturday card: B. MacIntyre over A. Fitzpatrick (-130 DK) C. Conners over S. Straka (-118 DK) S. Burns over B. DeChambeau (-102 DK)

* - Odds can change from site to site. Make sure you shop around before making each bet. Even though a bet is listed, it may have changed since the newsletter was published. FanDuel (FD), Caesars (CS), DraftKings (DK), BetMGM (BM), bet365 (B3), Bet Rivers (BR), ESPNBet (EB), Fanatics (FA)

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