2026 British Open Round 2 recap: Big names plant their flag heading into weekend

SOUTHPORT, England – Friday at The Open Championship is in the books, and it was a memorable one.

Crispy conditions greeted players at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, but birdies were abundant. We saw not one but two players match the all-time scoring record for a men's major, as Australian Lucas Herbert stormed out to the lead with an 8-under 62 and was matched minutes later by Sam Burns.

The afternoon wave had a few less fireworks - until the sun was setting. That's when two-time major champ Bryson DeChambeau got into an animated discussion with R&A officials in a debate over whether DeChambeau improved his lie while hitting his second shot from tall grass on the par-4 fifth hole. Ultimately, DeChambeau was assessed a two-shot penalty that dropped him out of the final group and sent shock waves through the first page of the leaderboard.

See below for moment-by-moment updates from our team on the ground at Royal Birkdale, as Herbert takes the lead into the weekend on a day when a rules controversy took center stage (update times in local BST):

10:28 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau has left the driving range and day two of The Open has finally come to a close.

9:33 p.m.: Bryson DeChambeau has been issued a two-stroke penalty for inadvertently improving his lie on the fifth hole. It drops him from 7-under to 5-under and out of the final group come Saturday. More here.

8:55 p.m.: In an incredible scene, Bryson DeChambeau has returned to the par-4 fifth hole with R&A officials to discuss a potential penalty from his play earlier in the day. The two-time major champ rolled in a birdie putt on No. 18 to reach 7-under and seemingly earn a spot in the final group Saturday, but now it appears that a two-shot penalty for DeChambeau improving his lie could be possible. DeChambeau and his caddie, Greg Bodine, remain in animated discussions with tournament officials while recreating his second shot on No. 5 when he hit his approach from long grass right of the fairway. The outcome of the discussion remains in doubt, and for the moment so too does how the final few pairings will roll off the first tee on Saturday.

8:09 p.m.: Min Woo Lee puts the 18th grandstand into a fever pitch as he drains a lengthy birdie to hop onto the cut line.

It's a tough ask to birdie the last, playing as the hardest hole so far this week, preceded by the par-5 17th, playing the easiest. These two holes have proved a terrific stage for scorecard disruption down the stretch through two days at Birkdale.

7:35 p.m.: This place is buzzing after an unexpected birdie from hometown hero Tommy Fleetwood on the par-3 15th. Fleetwood has now rolled in two birdies in a row to claw back to 3-under for the week, evoking fan chants of "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Fleetwood" that likely still haunt some U.S. Ryder Cup fans. There hasn't been a ton of leaderboard movement from the late wave, with Bryson DeChambeau (5-under) the only player currently on the course better than 4-under. But Fleetwood brought the Southport crowds to their feet with his 21-foot make on one of the newest holes at Royal Birkdale, and a strong close could really put him in position to contend for the claret jug over the weekend.

7:05 p.m.: It's hard to think of a worse way to start a round than what Justin Thomas experienced this afternoon, as he hit his opening tee shot out of bounds en route to a double bogey that dropped him to 2-over for the week and the wrong side of the cut line. It's been a remarkable bounce back since then for the two-time major champion, as Thomas has made six birdies on the day including four in a seven-hole stretch from Nos. 8-14. He's back into red figures at 3-under as we head into golden hour conditions at Royal Birkdale, and his hopes of an Open title are very much alive despite his wobbly start to the day.

6:30 p.m.: The putter has gone cold for Scottie Scheffler at an inopportune time. The world No. 1 appears frustrated on the greens, having missed three straight birdie putts from inside 12 feet on Nos. 9-11, then missed from 17 feet on No. 12. Scheffler isn't doing much wrong tee-to-green, as he has started his second round with 11 pars to go along with a short birdie on No. 5. But the missed opportunities are starting to pile up.

Improbably, he currently ranks 152nd in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week - near the bottom of the 155-man field. The defending champ is firing on all cylinders through the other 13 clubs in the bag, and at 3-under he's still in contention. But a clear culprit is holding him back at the moment.

6:05 p.m.: While Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns grabbed the headlines with their matching rounds of 8-under 62 early in the day, a trio of notables made quieter moves back into contention after starting the tournament over par. Ludvig Åberg, Adam Scott and Patrick Reed all signed for rounds of 4-under 66 Friday, moving Åberg to 3-under while Scott and Reed will begin the weekend at 2-under. The Swede had a colorful scorecard, boasting seven birdies against three bogeys, while Scott had six birdies as he makes his 101st consecutive major start (to less fanfare than he received at Shinnecock Hills). It's been 14 years since he let the claret jug slip away across town at Royal Lytham & St Annes, but he'll begin the third round with a puncher's chance as he sits six shots off the lead set by his fellow Aussie.

5:40 p.m.: Despite a bogey on the last, Robert MacIntyre has kept alive hopes for Scotland's first Open champion since Paul Lawrie in 1999. MacIntyre holed a 39-footer for eagle on the par-5 17th to highlight a 1-under 69, and he'll head into the weekend among a group at 4-under and four shots off the lead. A runner-up last year at the U.S. Open, MacIntyre finished T7 last year at Royal Portrush but has underwhelmed in the majors thus far in 2026. That slide could turn around in a big way this week at Royal Birkdale, where the Scot has been solid throughout the bag and will head into the weekend with a realistic shot at a major breakthrough.

5:05 p.m.: The cut line is coming into focus, with a 93% chance of a 1-over cut according to Data Golf. As is typically the case at the majors, we'll have some notables heading home tonight: Matt Fitzpatrick, one of the pre-tournament favorites, will miss the cut after consecutive rounds of 2-over 72, as will recent tournament winners Wyndham Clark (3-over) and Tom Kim (3-over). Among those with work to do this afternoon: Travelers Championship winner Viktor Hovland (3-over with 10 holes to play) and Jordan Spieth, the last man to lift the claret jug at Royal Birkdale. Spieth opened with a 3-over 73 but has battled back in the second round and sits at 2-over with 12 holes to go on the links layout where he claimed his third career major title nine years ago.

4:30 p.m.: The world No. 1 is officially on the board. Scottie Scheffler began his second round with a string of pars, but a straightforward up-and-down on the driveable fifth hole yielded his first birdie of the day. It moved Scheffler to 3-under, currently in a tie for 12th, and there's work still to do if he's going to get within reach of Herbert and the other leaders as he looks to successfully defend his Open title. But with wind conditions remaining relatively calm, a solid start was a prerequisite. He's checked that box, with a birdie putt inside 30 feet on each of the first five holes, and now has a bit of momentum heading into a pivotal stretch of the course.

4:15 p.m.: The afternoon wave is well underway in Southport, and the partisan crowds are cheering on the hometown lad. Tommy Fleetwood is off to a strong start with birdies on two of his first four holes, moving to 3-under for the week and within view of the top 10. Fleetwood started slowly in the opening round, and he was still over par as he walked to the 16th tee late Thursday afternoon. But he closed with two birdies over his final three holes, and now has carded four circles across his last seven holes played. It's enough to give the local crowds some hope of a Cinderella story as the 35-year-old looks to snag his first career major title on familiar soil.

3:45 p.m.: After being one of the players to watch at the first three majors, Cameron Young flew a bit under the radar this week at Royal Birkdale. But he'll get plenty of mention this weekend after carding consecutive rounds of 3-under 67 to share second place at the moment, two shots behind Lucas Herbert. The reigning PLAYERS champ closed with three birdies over his final five holes and, four years after contending at St. Andrews in his first Open start, he'll have a shot at the claret jug this weekend despite coming in with finishes outside the top 40 in his last three starts dating back to the Memorial Tournament.

3:15 p.m.: Rory McIlroy made it in the house under par. The Ulsterman carded a 67 to work back from 2-over to 1-under headed to the weekend. He drove the ball like himself, gaining over three strokes off the tee and hitting 13 fairways. While he lost a stroke on approach, he made up for his abhorrent putting on Thursday with a simply average day on the greens on Friday, more than enough to shoot a 67 and avoid the cut.

2:34 p.m.: My word! Herbert's spotlight lasted all of 20 minutes. Sam Burns just holed out for birdie at the 18th to shoot the second 62 of the day! The getting is good out at Royal Birkdale right now.

Burns didn't even think he would be here this week. The due date for his second child was earlier this week, but the baby came more than a week early, so Burns pivoted late and made the trip. Now he's part of major championship history. Make that seven players who have shot 62 in the majors. Burns is 5-under, three back of Herbert.

2:12 p.m.: Royal Birkdale has yielded another 62. Nine years after Branden Grace set the major championship scoring record at this tournament and venue, Lucas Herbert has tied it. It's the sixth 62 in major championship history. Grace and Herbert are the only two to do it at The Open.

Somehow, Herbert was disappointed after. That's because he had a short par putt on the 18th to shoot 61 and take the record for himself. He missed and will settle for a slice of history, not the whole pie. He's also 8-under overall, two shots better than Jackson Suber. Can anyone else get closer than that this afternoon?

2:07 p.m.: For the first time this tournament, Rory McIlroy is under par. The six-time major winner has had a maddening start to this Open, but has started to find his groove. He just holed a 21-foot birdie at the 15th to get to 1-under overall. He's 3-under on the day today. He's on the right side of the cutline. Now how much closer to the lead can he get?

1:19 p.m.: Can Lucas Herbert set a new major championship scoring record? That has everyone's attention at the moment. Herbert just eked through the 14th and 15th holes with needed par saves. After a lights-out start, things have gotten shaky for him and he failed to take advantage of the gettable par-5 14th. Yet he's still 8-under for his day. Playing even from here would tie him with Branden Grace for the lowest score in major history (62). Grace coincidentally set that record here at Royal Birkdale in 2017. If Herbert can find a birdie, though, he could occupy a prestigious place in history all alone.

12:28 p.m.: While Herbert evokes the spirit of Branden Grace across Birkdale, Jackson Suber has finished his round 1-under for the day at 6-under outright. It was a confident showing for the debutant, who spilled out three bogeys in a row starting at the sixth hole and battled all the way back to finish better than where he started for the day thanks to a lengthy par save on the last.

Meanwhile, Collin Morikawa continues a positive round, moving it to 5-under with birdies on Nos. 2, 6 and 9.

11:48 a.m.: Lucas Herbert has broke containment Friday morning, taking the solo lead at 6-under on the back of a front-nine 28. The Australian tied the record for the lowest front-nine in the vast history of The Open, and nearly bagged another birdie at No. 10 with a lip out before securing his seventh of the day at No. 11 in an incredible heater.

Elsewhere, Eric Cole carded the best round of the week thus far with a 64, starting his day at 6-over and battling back to even par. Herbert has a chance to beat that down the stretch.

10:49 a.m.: The aforementioned Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns pairing has indeed found their footing, with those two 4-under through five holes in what has been another gettable, but hard-earned morning across the board. Another fast starter has been Ludvig Åberg, who made three birdies in a row after opening with a bogey.

Rory McIlroy has also found some solid ground, snagging his first birdie of the day at the second to push back towards red numbers. McIlroy's group with Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick now all find themselves at 1-over, right on the early projected cut line.

10:05 a.m.: Updates coming fast and furious now. Here's a field note: James Nicholas has withdrawn before the start of the second round. Nicholas shot 5-over on Thursday.

10:00 a.m.: Prefacing this that we are still VERY early into the second round, but here's where the cutline is shaping to end up.

As of 10 a.m. local, here are the probabilities of where it will settle (via Data Golf):

• Even-par: 19.4%
• 1-over: 50.9%
• 2-over: 25.9%

Some notable names around or outside that range include Rory McIlroy (2-over), Justin Rose (5-over), Jordan Spieth (3-over), Wyndham Clark (3-over), Matt Fitzpatrick (2-over).

Also a quick shout out to Eric Cole, who shot 6-over 76 on Thursday and has worked his way back to even-par (through 14 holes). Heck of an effort.

9:44 a.m.: We already have a new name atop the leaderboard, and an Englishman at that. Matt Wallace posted a 31 going out and briefly supplanted Jackson Suber at 5-under. Suber, also out early Friday, became the first to 6-under before back-to-back bogeys knocked him back to 4-under. In a similar vein to yesterday, players in this early wave need to take advantage before any wind ramps up and makes this crispy test even trickier.

A group to watch closely is that of Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns and Adam Scott. Gotterup posted a ho-hum even round yesterday, but was sixth in the field Tee-to-Green. He was marred by some poor putting, and even got some bad breaks like hitting the flagstick on his first hole and rolling off the green. With three wins this year and a strong showing last year in the UK, he is in prime position to make a big move this morning.

9:00 a.m.: Hello from Southport. Conditions are expected to be similar to yesterday, with the morning wave playing in the ideal, less windy conditions. That should make the wave disparity minimal, which is always a talking point at The Open.

Here’s a look at the tee times to watch:

• 9:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott
• 9:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard
• 9:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Åberg
• 10:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick
• 12:25 p.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Alex Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler
• 12:47 p.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)
• 2:42 p.m.: Russell Henley, Viktor Hovland, Justin Rose
• 3:04 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton
• 3:15 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rah