Please use the following links:
McIlroy in Command at British Open
Woods Sinks Pressure Putt to Make Open Cut
Kiradech Suffers Unkind Cut at Open
Thongchai Stays on Course at Open
Birthday Delight for Coetzee at Open
McIlroy in Command at British Open
HOYLAKE, July 18, 2014 (AFP) - Rory McIlroy clamped a stranglehold on the British Open on Friday with a second straight round of 66 which left him four strokes clear of the field going into the weekend.
Seeking his first Open title after two major wins in the United States, McIlroy was imperious as he held at bay a chasing pack of the highest calibre and then calmly pulled away from them.
By the end of another enthralling day at the Royal Liverpool links, the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland was at 12-under, four shots clear of American Dustin Johnson, who had a 65, the best round of the tournament so far.
Two strokes further back were two more Americans, Ryan Moore (68) and Rickie Fowler (69), alongside Edoardo Molinari of Italy (70), Sergio Garcia of Spain (70) and South Africans Charl Schwartzel (67) and Louis Oosthuizen (68).
"I played really well, overall another really, really good day," McIlroy said.
"I have been lucky enough to have this feeling at majors before and hopefully I will be able to do it again. It gives me a lot of confidence.
"I haven't been in this positon before in an Open championship, though I feel really in control of my golf game."
Tiger Woods struggled manfully all day to match the 69 he fired on Thursday.
After a double-bogey-bogey start he held firm with a run of pars before a triple bogey seven at the 17th left him one shot outside of the cut mark.
However, a six-foot putt for birdie at the last for a 77 nudged him into the weekend's action - an achievement in itself.
McIlroy's overnight one stroke lead vanished almost instantly as he overhit his approach to the first for a bogey.
It was the first shot he had dropped in the tournament and the only mistake he made all day.
He was then joined on five under by Italians Matteo Manassero and Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka of the United States and Garcia, who eagled the par four second.
But McIlroy, striking the ball beautifully again, had back-to-back birdies at five and six to move two strokes clear of the field.
He then tamed the par-five 10th to go three clear before missing shortish birdie putts at the 11th and 12th which would have put him five clear had he made them.
No-one though was applying any real pressure on the tournament favourite and he made them pay for that with further birdies at the 15th, 17th and the last.
He could have led by six strokes, but Johnson birdied his final two holes to hold onto the Irishman's coattails.
It was all so reminiscent of the Congressional Club three years ago, when McIlroy came of age by leading wire-to-wire to win the US Open, his first major, by eight strokes.
Molinari though said he wasn't waving the white flag quite just yet.
"He's obviously very good (McIlroy), so we'll see," the London-based Italian said.
"It won't be easy trying to catch him up. But we're here to try and we'll do that on the weekend."
World number one Adam Scott had been expected to challenge McIlroy early in the day, but his putter let him down badly and a 73 left him at three under for the tournament and looking for some bad weather to revive his hopes.
"Seems like we're going to see it all over the weekend, maybe. Tomorrow doesn't look great, and I think that's all right," he said.
"The last 36 of the major is going to be a grind. And if it's tough conditions, you know, I'm certainly up for that challenge.
"The tougher it gets I think more of that favours me, if I can keep swinging well."
Indeed the forecast for Saturday predicts "disruptive weather" and a "significant risk of thunderstorms and heavy rain."
The forecast is so bad that tournament organisers the R&A have decided to bring forward the start of play to earlier in the day at 9:00am and, in an unprecedented move, to use groupings of three going off from the first and 10th tees instead of everyone going off from the first in pairs.
Woods, playing for just the second time since undergoing back surgery in late March admitted that his chances of winning for a second time at Hoylake were all but over.
"I got off to a terrible start again. I had some opportunities, but I never made anything. I had myself in good position to make birdies but I never did.
"Hopefully I can do something like Paul (Lawrie) did (at Carnoustie) in 1999 - make up 10 in one day."
The axe for the cut fell at two over and notable casualties were English former world number one Lee Westwood at three over, Masters Champion Bubba Watson at four over and the Open champion of two years ago, Ernie Els, at eight over.
Woods Sinks Pressure Putt to Make Open Cut
HOYLAKE, July 18, 2014 (AFP) - Tiger Woods never recovered from a disastrous start and needed a pressure birdie putt on the 18th to barely make the cut on Friday, although his chances of winning the Open at Hoylake were in tatters.
An already mediocre round took a nasty turn for the worse at 17, when he drove out of bounds for a triple bogey that left him one shot outside the two over par cut off, and setting up a nerve-shredding final hole.
However, he scrambled from the rough again on the par-five 18th and chipped within six feet before sinking his first birdie of the day much to the delight of the packed stands surrounding the drama.
The American megastar, who showed flashes of brilliance during his opening 18 holes, crumbled as early as the first tee when a wild shot into the rough led to his first double bogey at a major since 2009.
He was five over par for the opening two holes over two days, which left him with a hole he was never able to dig himself out off.
Going into the weekend, his hopes of that much coveted 15th major and first since 2008, appear now to be a fantasy dream, with runaway leader Rory McIlroy a whopping 14 shots ahead.
"I got off to a terrible start again. I had some opportunities but I never made anything". Woods told BBC Sport.
"I had myself in good position to make birdies but I never did. Hopefully I can do something like Paul (Lawrie) did in 1999, make up 10 in one day." he added in reference to Lawrie's comeback from 10 shots down to win the Open at Carnoustie in 1999.
Dressed all in black, one of his most popular colours during his heyday, Woods carried a grim face around the par-72 Royal Liverpool layout in front of an army of fans that never got to cheer a birdie until the last green.
Instead, a run of 14 pars in a row from the second hole onwards, before the damaging triple bogey, made the 2006 champion at Royal Liverpool look human for a change after his years of glory that made him the best known sportsman on the planet.
The gusting winds that accompanied the three-time Open winner and his playing partners for the second day, Henrik Stenson, the Swedish world number two and Angel Cabrera of Argentina, were not as powerful as the morning session and birdies were there for the taking.
However a stone cold putter left him shaking his head in disappointment as chance after chance to lower his score blew away with the Wirral peninsula winds.
As the leaderboard flashed that Northern Ireland's McIlroy was pulling away from the field with some sublime golf, Woods could never muster a charge of his own to limit the damage.
A score of two over for the tournament, just kept him alive, but with 36 holes to play, the Florida resident needs a minor miracle to bring back the world famous smile that was seen so often on the way to his 14 major titles and 79 PGA victories.
- Miracle needed -
With a flurry of red numbers decorating the leaderboard and better afternoon conditions, Woods failed to take advantage.
Instead, he can take heart from a late slice of cheer that avoided a second straight missed cut for the first time in his career, and an embarrassing early exit from the most prestigious tournament in golf.
He is, however, playing only his fourth round of competitive golf since much needed back surgery.
He now has a chance to restore some pride over the final two rounds after blowing cold on the hottest day of the year in England.
Kiradech Suffers Unkind Cut at Open
HOYLAKE, July 18, 2014 (AFP) - Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat believes he has turned the corner of his lackluster season despite missing the halfway cut for the second straight year at the British Open on Friday.
Two late bogeys in his round of three-over-par 75 at Royal Liverpool proved costly for the reigning Asian Tour number one as he agonisingly missed the weekend play by one shot in the year's third major.
Korean star K.J. Choi also suffered a similar fate with two bogeys in his last five holes proving decisive as he also settled for a disappointing 75 which left him one shot too many.
The burly Kiradech lamented once more on his erratic short game but took solace in the fact that his ball-striking was nearly back to its best following a season to remember in 2013 when he won once and posted five other top-fives.
"I still hit the ball really well. But I was struggling a lot around the greens, chipping and putting was not good," said Kiradech.
After early bogeys, he fought back with birdies on five and eight but dropped four more shots in a seven-hole stretch to miss the mark.
"I missed a few short putts, missed a one-footer on the third hole which I've never missed from that distance in my life.
"I managed to come back with a few birdies but I couldn't birdie 16 and 18 (both par fives). I tried my best. Hit the ball quite well and solid but I just couldn't sink my putts," said Kiradech.
"I was trying so hard. I was in the greenside bunker on 18 but couldn't get it up and down for birdie. I forced myself too much but I'm happy with how I played.
"When we started, the winds were so strong but I managed to control my ball under the wind. I hit many good shots.
"But when I needed a birdie, I couldn't sink the putts. The course was different from the first round as the winds picked up especially on the front nine.
"Making the cut in a major championship is important. But I think I've got my confidence back as I'm starting to hit the ball well again."
Sick Lahiri Bows Out of Open
HOYLAKE, July 18, 2014 (AFP) - An ailing Anirban Lahiri of India bowed out of the British Open on Friday with a second straight three-over-par 75.
The current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader contemplated pulling out before the start of his second round at Royal Liverpool after struggling to shake off the effects of viral fever, which has lingered since the start of the week.
"I would have pulled out if this was a normal tour event," said a dejected Lahiri, who was making his second appearance in the world's oldest major.
"I'm feeling terrible. Bad fever and body ache all day. I was contemplating whether to play or not. I didn't want to pull out as I wanted to walk down the 18th and see the Indian flag once more.
"It was hard, it was very hard. I thought about pulling out for a long time but my manager and the family that I'm staying with had a chat with me and I'm glad that I played."
Under tough conditions, Lahiri dropped three bogeys and one double bogey but managed to sink two birdies, including one on the last hole.
The Indian, who has won once this season and posted three more top-10s on the Asian Tour, said he handn't been sure if he would conclude his round under the conditions.
"I wasn't sure I was going to finish. On the seventh and eighth, I was totally out of it. Somehow I kept going. I'm glad I did as it's been fantastic," said the 27-year-old.
Despite the disappointment of having to take an early flight home, Lahiri said he would learn from the experience of competing at the highest level when his body wasn't 100 per cent.
"This experience would make me want to get back to the Open again. It's been two contrasting Opens for me and I think I have learned a lot from both," added Lahiri, who finished tied 31st in the Major debut in 2012.
Next up for Lahiri is a first appearance at the US PGA Championship next month and the Indian star, who is ranked 86th in the world, hopes to recover sufficiently to put in a worthy performance.
"I've got to recover from this quickly. I've been on the run for the past few months (having to cut short his honeymoon to get to the Open). At least mentally I'll be ready, and I hope to get stronger for that. Hopefully I will be in much better shape," said Lahiri.
Thongchai Stays on Course at Open
HOYLAKE, July 18, 2014 (AFP) - Asian Tour star Thongchai Jaidee survived blustery winds to shoot a second straight even par 72 at the British Open on Friday.
The 44-year-old Thai got off to a stunning start with three birdies in his first five holes at Royal Liverpool before his charge veered slightly off course as the famed links course finally bared its teeth.
Thongchai dropped five bogeys against two more birdies for a two-day total of 144 in the year's third major to lie alongside the likes of title holder Phil Mickelson five shots off the lead.
"I started really well on the front but struggled on the back nine. It was difficult to adjust as it got windy. Even the par fives, it was tough to play those holes. Anyway, it's a good round. Even par for both rounds, I'm happy to make the cut. That's the important thing," said Thongchai.
The world number 34, who won in Sweden for his second title on European soil last month, was delighted with the quality of his ball striking after struggling with his iron play in the opening round.
He is confident of closing the gap at the top as he seeks to extend his rich vein of form which includes two other top-five finishes in Germany and France recently.
"My performance was better than yesterday. In the wind, you just have to keep the ball in play which is quite difficult. It was very tough," said Thongchai, who enjoyed a chip-in birdie on his opening hole.
"Now that I've made the cut, we'll see how the weather is tomorrow and move from there. If it is bad (which is forecasted), you need to be patient and keep the ball on the fairways and greens."
Thongchai, whose best Open outing was a tied 13th finish in 2009, said he must continue to play smart golf if he is to inch his way up the leaderboard.
"There's no need to be long on this course, just avoid the bunkers. But it is difficult if the wind blows like today. On the last hole, I hit it good but still found the bunker.
"For me, I keep learning although I have spent a lot of time playing golf in Europe. It's good to be here for a major championship."
Birthday Delight for Coetzee at Open
HOYLAKE, July 18, 2014 (AFP) - Birthday boy George Coetzee had a brief glimpse at the leadership of the British Open on Friday but appeared to suffer a sudden bout of stage fright.
The big-hitter from Pretoria, celebrated his 28th birthday in style by blasting up the second round leaderboard from his 7:20am tee-off time.
An early bogey at the second was quickly neutralised and three birdies in a row from the 12th saw him at five under for the tournament, just one shy of the lead and with two reachable par-fives to come.
But he missed a three-footer for par at the 16th and hit a wayward drive at the next to leave overnight leader Rory McIlroy untroubled at the top.
A fine birdie at the last brought him in with a 69 and at five under for the tournament he was well set to challenge at the weekend.
Coetzee said that he was aware his name was appearing near the top of the leaderboard due to the many scoreboards that dot the Open course.
"I think it's obvious I looked at it as soon as I was at the top because I made two birdies right after that," he said.
"But it was quite a good feeling to look at my name and be at the top of the leaderboard. Obviously six-under (by McIlroy) was a hell of a score yesterday.
"And I didn't think it was doable today to get to that number, but when I made birdie on 13 I was like - well, all right, now I'm pretty close.
"I think I'm the top 10, and then the next one and the next one and I realised quite quickly."
It's Coetzee's fourth Open and it has been a long road for him to learn the arts of playing links courses, coming as he does from the plateau highlands of Pretoria.
"As a junior I wasn't very good at the coast, because Pretoria is I think 4,600 feet above sea level and it's more parklands golf courses," he said.
"Up until the age 16 I never broke 80 at the coast. Never mind playing in links, I couldn't understand why the ball was going so short.
"But as the years went on I tried to kind of teach myself how to play at the coast, and one of my Sunshine Tours wins was on a links golf course.
"I enjoy playing links golf. There's a lot more imagination and you can putt from anywhere."
South Africans have enjoyed great success in the Open over the last few years with Louis Oosthuizen winning at St Andrews in 2010 and Ernie Els at Royal Lytham two years later.
Collated second round scores in the 143rd British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club on Friday (par 72):
132 - Rory McIlroy (NIR) 66 66
136 - Dustin Johnson (USA) 71 65
138 - Francesco Molinari (ITA) 68 70, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 71 67, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 68 70, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 70 68, Rickie Fowler (USA) 69 69, Ryan Moore (USA) 70 68
139 - Jim Furyk (USA) 68 71, George Coetzee (RSA) 70 69
140 - Robert Karlsson (SWE) 69 71
141 - Adam Scott (AUS) 68 73, Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 70 71, Jimmy Walker (USA) 69 72,
Edoardo Molinari (ITA) 68 73
142 - Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 69 73, Justin Rose 72 70 (ENG), Bill Haas (USA) 70 72,
David Howell (ENG) 72 70, Matteo Manassero (ITA) 67 75, Stewart Cink (USA) 71 71,
Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) 70 72
143 Tiger Woods (USA) 69 74, Graeme McDowell 74 69, Erik Compton (USA) 71 72,
Byeong-Hun An (KOR) 72 71, Darren Clarke (NIR) 72 71, Matthew Jones (AUS) 71 72, Shane Lowry (IRL) 68 75, Marc Leishman (AUS 69 74, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 72 71
144 Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 70 74, Branden Grace (RSA) 71 73, Gary Woodland (USA) 75
69, Matt Kuchar (USA) 73 71, Chris Rodgers (ENG) 73 71, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 72 72,
Ben Martin (USA) 71 73, D.A. Points (USA) 75 69, Phil Mickelson (USA) 74 70, Keegan Bradley (USA) 73 71, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 72 72, Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 75 69, Rafael Cabrera Bello (ESP) 70 74,
145 Chris Kirk (USA) 71 74, Chris Wood (ENG) 75 70, John Senden (AUS) 71 74, Angel Cabrera (ARG) 76 69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 73 72, Billy Hurley III (USA) 73 72,
Brooks Koepka (USA) 68 77, Paul Casey (ENG) 74 71
Kevin Stadler (USA) 73 72, K J Choi (KOR) 72 73
146 Koumei Oda (JPN) 69 77, Charley Hoffman (USA) 74 72, Jordan Spieth (USA) 71
75, Zach Johnson (USA) 71 75, Jason Dufner (USA) 70 76, Tom Watson (USA) 73 73,
Kevin Streelman (USA) 72 74, Jason Day (AUS) 73 73, Harris English (USA) 72 74, Kevin Na (USA) 76 70, Brendon Todd (USA) 73 73,
Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 75 71, Matthew Every (USA) 75 71, Luke Donald (ENG) 73 73,
Brandt Snedeker (USA) 74 72, James Mcleary (SCO) 73 73
147 Nick Watney (USA) 72 75, Shawn Stefani (USA) 73 74, (x) Ashley Chesters (ENG a) 70 77, Graham Delaet (CAN) 71 76, Oliver Fisher (ENG) 72 75, Hiroshi Iwata (JPN)) 70 77, Dawie Van Der Walt (RSA) 71 76, Justin Leonard (USA) 74 73, Ian Poulter (ENG) 73 74, Lee Westwood (ENG) 71 76
148 Brendon De Jonge (ZIM) 78 70, Ross Fisher (ENG) 74 74, Ben Curtis (USA) 74 74, Bubba Watson (USA) 76 72, Danny Willett (ENG) 74 74, John Daly (USA) 77 71, Ryo Ishikawa (JPN)) 74 74, (x) Paul Dunne (IRL) 75 73
Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 75 73, (x) Cheng-tsung Pan (CHN)) 74 74, Boo Weekley
(USA) 69 79, Billy Horschel (USA) 73 75, Hyung-sung Kim (KOR) 72 76, Cameron Tringale (USA) 74 74
149 George McNeill (USA) 76 73, Scott Stallings (USA) 75 74, Rhys Enoch (WAL) 73 76,
Yusaku Miyazato (JPN) 72 77, Patrick Reed (USA) 78 71
150 - Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 74 76, Matthew Baldwin (ENG) 76 74, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
(ESP) 74 76, Anirban Lahiri (IND) 75 75, Jonas Blixt (SWE) 75 75
151 - Ashun Wu (CHN) 75 76, Chesson Hadley (USA) 79 72, Masanori Kobayashi (JPN) 78 73, J.B. Holmes (USA) 74 77, Jamie Donaldson (WAL) 79 72, Victor Riu (FRA) 74 77,
Justin Walters (RSA) 77 74, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 72 79, Y.E. Yang (KOR) 75 76
152 - Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 75 77, Ernie Els (RSA) 79 73, David Duval (USA) 73 79,
Padraig Harrington (IRL) 74 78, Richard Sterne (RSA) 73 79, Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 75
77
153 - Paul Lawrie (SCO) 79 74, Webb Simpson (USA) 76 77
154 - Brendan Steele (USA) 74 80, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 77 77
155 - Russell Henley (USA) 75 80, Roberto Castro (USA) 74 81, (a) Bradley Neil (SCO) 79 76, Jin Jeong (KOR) 77 78
156 - Chris Stroud (USA) 79 77, Matthew Southgate (ENG) 80 76
157 - Dong-kyu Jang (KOR) 78 79, Mark Wiebe (USA) 79 78, Joost Luiten (NED) 81 76
166 - Sandy Lyle (SCO) 82 84
170 - Bryden MacPherson (AUS) 90 80
* a denotes amateur