Wes Short, Jr. takes 36 hole lead

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Wes Short Jr. shot his second straight 3-under 67 on Friday to take a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Senior British Open.

After an up-and-down second round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes that included a double bogey on the par-4 sixth, Short closed with three straight birdies to post 6-under 134 and take the solo lead at a senior major for the first time.

"I like it. It makes you think," Short said of the English links that has hosted the British Open 11 times. "I played a lot of different shots off the tee and tried to avoid the bunkers and had a really nice (run) birdieing the last three."

Fellow American Scott Dunlap shot 68 and was one shot back. He bounced back from an early double bogey on the par-3 fourth.

"I never played any of the regular Opens here, but I've played the golf course probably a half a dozen times and loved it," Dunlap said. "I really wanted to be here and see what it was like in tournament competition, and so far, so good."

Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, who won the 2011 British Open at Royal St. George's, was third at 4 under after his second consecutive 68 in his Senior Open debut.

"I missed everything today. Kept giving myself opportunities and just not making anything," Clarke said. "Particularly frustrating, whenever I give myself those chances and not take them, and hopefully that doesn't cost me at the end of the week. Tee-to-green has all been pretty good. I got off to a bit of a dodgy start today, but after that I played nicely."

Retief Goosen, the two-time U.S. Open champion who won the Senior Players Championship earlier this month for his first over-50 title, shot 67 and was 3 under alongside Ken Duke (69) and Bart Bryant (68).

Three-time Senior Open champion Bernhard Langer was four shots back after a 67, and defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 68 to post 1 under.

In his 18th appearance in the event, three-time champion Tom Watson shot 70 to make the cut with a shot to spare at 4 over. Watson has never missed the cut in the Senior Open.

Geoffrey Nicholas of Australia, who qualified for the Senior Open to become the first amputee to compete in a senior major, shot rounds of 88-86. Nicholas' right leg was amputated at age 11 because of a birth defect.

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Wes Short Jr., 67-67 – 134 (-6)

• Playing in Friday’s second-to-last group, Short birdied the last three holes to complete a second-round 67 and take a one-shot lead with a 6-under total.
• This is the second time he has led at any point in a major, and the first time he has led after 36 holes. He opened with a 66 and shared the first-round lead at the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
• He opened with two rounds in the 60s for the first time ever in a senior major, and for the first time on PGA TOUR Champions since the 2018 Sanford International.
• He has three top-10s in 29 starts in majors (best: 5th/2016 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship).
• His lone victory on PGA TOUR Champions came in his rookie season (2014 Quebec Championship). He has advanced to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship each of his five seasons on Tour, and he finished a career-best 18th in last year’s final standings.
• Short’s only top-10 of the season was a T5 at the Rapiscan Systems Classic and he started the week No. 44 in the Charles Schwab Cup.

Second-Round Lead Notes

• Since 2003, the second-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win this tournament nine of 16 times, including five of the last six years: Jimenez (2018), Langer (2017), Dawson (2015), Langer (2014) and Mark Wiebe (2013).
• In this year’s four majors, three 36-hole leaders went on to win. Steve Stricker won the Regions Tradition and U.S. Senior Open, while Retief Goosen won the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship.
• The Senior Open has been won by players from four different countries the last four years: Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Bernhard Langer (Germany), Paul Broadhurst (England) and Marco Dawson (United States).

Scott Dunlap, 67-68 – 135 (-5)

• Dunlap has hit 30 of 36 greens in regulation, tied with Colin Montgomerie (-2/T7) for best in the field.
• Saturday will be the third time Dunlap plays in the final group on the weekend of a major (third round/2016 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, third round/2014 U.S. Senior Open).
• He has advanced to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship each of his five seasons on Tour, and last year he finished 33rd in the final standings.
• After having surgery on his left wrist in the off-season, Dunlap has suffered the effects of Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a peripheral nerve disorder that causes pain in the forearm. He did not play golf from December 2018 through mid-April 2019, and this week is just his fourth start of the season (best: T39/Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship).

Darren Clarke, 68-68 – 136 (-4)

• Clarke birdied three par 3s Friday (Nos. 5, 9, 12) en route to a 2-under 68.
• When The Open was played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001, Clarke opened with rounds of 70-69 and started the weekend T9. He closed with rounds of 69-70 and finished T3, four shots behind David Duval.
• With a win, Clarke would be…
  • The fourth winner of both The Open and The Senior Open (Tom Watson, Gary Player, Bob Charles).
  • The seventh first-time major winner in the last 10 majors.
  • The eighth player to win The Senior Open in his debut.
  • The third straight senior major champion to win in his tournament debut.
• This season, Clarke has three top-10s and is currently 29th in the Charles Schwab Cup.

Retief Goosen, 70-67 – 137 (-3)

• Goosen recorded the day’s only bogey-free round and he is currently T4 after rounds of 70-67.
• He is coming off a win at the Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship, which broke a winless drought of 10 years, 3 months, 22 days and 190 combined starts on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.
• Entering this week, his major scoring average of 69.63 was second best among players that played all four majors.
• Since turning 50 on February 3, Goosen has four top-10s in 12 starts and is No. 8 in the Charles Schwab Cup.
• With a win, Goosen would…
  • Join Jack Nicklaus (1990) as the only players to win multiple majors in his first season on PGA TOUR Champions.
  • Become the seventh player with majors as his first two victories. This list includes Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Peter Jacobsen, Mike Reid, Roger Chapman and Colin Montgomerie.
  • Be the fifth World Golf Hall of Fame member to win The Senior Open, joining Bernhard Langer (2010, 2014, 2017), Fred Couples (2012), Tom Watson (2003, 2005, 2007) and Gary Player (1988, 1990, 1997).
  • Be the first player to win in consecutive weeks since Langer, who did it twice in 2017.

Other Notes

• Bart Bryant is T4 at 3-under after a second-round 68. His 69-68 start marks the first time he has carded two rounds in the 60s at the same tournament this season.
• Ken Duke was bogey-free and 1-under on his last 12 holes to post a 69 and a 3-under total. Since turning 50 on January 29, Duke has five top-25 finishes in 11 starts (best: T6/Mitsubishi Electric Classic).
• Bernhard Langer has hit 23 of 28 fairways, tied for second-best in the field, and is T7 at 2-under after a second-round 67. With a win, Langer would become the third player to win the same major four times.
  • Hale Irwin – KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (1996, 1997, 1998, 2004)
  • Jack Nicklaus – Regions Tradition (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996)
• Paul Broadhurst and Scott Parel were two of the four first-round co-leaders, and they will begin the weekend T7 at 2-under after both players shot 71 on Friday.
• Roger Chapman, winner of the 2012 Senior Open Championship, is T7 at 2-under after a 68 on Friday.
• Also T7 at 2-under are: Colin Montgomerie, Phillip Price, Woody Austin and Doug Barron, who was co-medalist at the Fairhaven qualifier.
• In his tournament debut, 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie is T15 after rounds of 70-69.
• Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez is T15 at 71-68 – 139 (-1).
• Tom Lehman, winner of The Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1996, carded rounds of 70-70 and is T23.
• Making his 56th combined start in The Open or The Senior Open, Tom Watson birdied No. 17 and saved par on No. 18 to shoot 70 and make the cut with a 4-over total. He has made the cut in all 18 starts at The Senior Open.