Morning report: The Open, Round 2

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland – Good morning, golf fans. Here’s a quick look at Friday’s early developments in the second round of The Open Championship at Carnoustie.

HELLO, RAIN. After a lengthy dry spell in Scotland that left Carnoustie’s fairways with racetrack-like conditions, the weather we’re accustomed to seeing at The Open finally arrived. The rain picked up throughout the mid-morning, forcing players to pull out the umbrellas and rain gear for the first time this week. Game plans were adjusted for the slower conditions, but the good news is that the winds remained calm.

PAST CHAMPS MAKING NOISE. Rory McIlroy, the 2014 Open winner, briefly moved into a tie for the lead with Kevin Kisner at 5 under with a birdie at the par-5 14th. He finished with a second straight 69 and stands at 4 under. McIroy birdied the seventh, 10th, 13th and 14th holes (with bogeys at the 12th and 15th). Meanwhile, Zach Johnson, the 2015 winner, carded a 4-under 67 that included a closing birdie on the 18th to take the outright lead at 6 under.

FLEETWOOD OUT FAST. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who opened with a 72 on Thursday, played the front nine in 3 under, then added two more birdies after the turn. He finished with a 6-under 65 to move into contention. Fleetwood was solo second last month at the U.S. Open, shooting a final-round 63, and he owns the course record at Carnoustie, also 63. Read more about Fleetwood's round here.

TIGER BATTLING. With a mid-morning tee time, Tiger Woods set out to improve on his even-par 71 on Thursday. Things didn’t go well early – on his second shot from the rough on the second hole, he hit a spectator. But after two straight bogeys, he bounced back with two straight birdies to remain even par through five holes. Woods finished with another 71, narrowly missing a 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole. Woods had missed the cut in five of his last seven major starts, so getting to the weekend was a step in the right direction. (Click here for a recap Tiger Woods's second round.) And yes, he’s still wearing the kinesio tape on the back of his neck that caused such a commotion on Thursday.

DAY GETS IT GOING. Jason Day moved up the leaderboard with three birdies in his first 10 holes, but four back-nine bogeys left him with a second straight 71. In seven previous Open starts, Day has just one top-10 finish – a T-4 in 2015.

WILL KISNER MAINTAIN? First-round leader Kevin Kisner has a 12:53 p.m. tee time (that’s 7:53 a.m. ET). It’s the second time in four majors that he’s been atop the leaderboard after the opening round. At the 2017 PGA Championship, he was the co-leader with Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen after 18 holes and maintained that position through the next two rounds, taking the solo lead by a single stroke entering the final round before finishing T-7. He took only positives from his performance at Quail Hollow. “I love myself under the gun and down the stretch,” Kisner said.

CHASING THE CUT. The top 70s and ties make the cut following the second round. Patrick Reed will tee off this afternoon locally (10:21 a.m. ET) below the cutline after shooting a 4-over 75 on Thursday. Reed has missed the cut in two of his previous four Open starts, including last year at Royal Birkdale. Since then, his major results include: T-2 at PGA, win at Masters, solo fourth at U.S. Open.

NO. 1 IN TROUBLE. After opening with a 5-over 76, Dustin Johnson had some ground to make up to make the weekend. He carded a second-round 72, which likely won't be enough. Johnson had made the cut in his last eight Open starts after missing the cut in his Open debut in 2009.

EARLY/LATE ADVANTAGE. The rain was forecast to subside late in the day, and winds were expected to remain relatively calm, so those players in the afternoon could have ideal scoring conditions. They already had the better side of the draw with early first-round tee times – 11 rounds under par were shot by the first 12 groups Thursday compared to none in the last 12 groups.