
The 144th Open Championship takes place this week at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. GolfChannel.com is tracking the men's third major of the season through on-site reporting and social media. For additional Open coverage, click here for full-field scores and click here for our Tiger Tracker. If you want to view the action we tracked from the opening round, you can find that here. All-times for the Open Championship tracker are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
4:59PM: Tom Watson says goodbye, and we will, too. That's it for today. We'll be back bright and early tomorrow.
4:45PM: Tom Watson crosses the Swilcan Bridge one last time.
4:42PM: So, technically, Tiger makes the weekend!
We’re done, they’re on the 12th green. Had the option to stop when they wanted to. Seems they’re trying to get Old Tom to the house.
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
4:35PM: Despite two closing bogeys, Luke Donald is in the mix heading into the weekend.
4:15PM: Two straight bogeys for Matsuyama, and he's back at 5 under. Getting dark out there, play likely to be called soon. Tom Watson on 16.
4:01PM: Looks like Mother Nature is saying, "That's enough with the birdies!" Wind is howling, and DJ and Matsuyama miss short par putts on 11. DJ leads by one over Willett.
3:56PM: Good news ...
Tiger’s approach on 10 is stiff. Will be a kick-in birdie, first birdie of the day. #TheOpen
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
Bad news ...
This will be the 1st time Tiger has missed the cut in consecutive major starts. Also 1st time Tiger missed 3 PGA Tour cuts in season as pro.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 17, 2015
3:44PM: The birdies keep coming. Day birdies 9 and Donald makes another bomb at 15, and they're both at 8 under, three behind DJ.
3:40PM: What he said ...
That birdie roll from about 25 feet was a good one at No. 9, but it didn’t drop. 0-for-18 on the front 9 in two days. Beyond brutal.
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
3:37PM: This is getting ridiculous! Matsuyama holes a birdie putt from off the green at 10 to get to 7 under. DJ makes a birdie as well to push his lead to two over Willett.
3:33PM: Not pretty ...
Tiger Woods is currently last in the field in front-nine scoring. https://t.co/xXLqGJlybd
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 17, 2015
3:29PM: Somehow Luke Donald doubled No. 1, but he's played nicely since then and he's only three back after a birdie at 14.
3:22PM: Spieth bounces back with a birdie on 9, he's at 6 under and four behind DJ after he fails to convert another good look at birdie. Matsuyama birdies 9 to shoot 6-under 30 on the front.
3:08PM: Schwartzel birdies 10 and he's at 8 under, two off the lead.
Charl Schwartzel with a sneaky good Open Championship record entering this week. T14-T16-MC-T15-T7 since 2010. Currently solo 3rd.
— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) July 17, 2015
3:03PM: Spieth gives his birdie right back with a three-putt bogey on No. 8. He's back to 5 under, five behind DJ.
2:52PM: You get a birdie! You get a birdie! You get birdie! Birdies all around for the DJ-Spieth-Matsuyama group at No. 7. DJ takes the solo lead at 10 under.
For 10 under & the outright lead! Dustin Johnson birdies No. 7, has yet to make a bogey at #TheOpen. Scores: http://t.co/LqpqyyNyOk
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2015
2:47PM: In case you were wondering ... that's 2 a.m. EDT. Set your alarm clocks accordingly.
Round 2 update: Play will continue this evening as long as daylight allows and will resume at 7:00 am tomorrow. #TheOpen
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2015
2:41PM: So good, in fact that it only took him one hole to get that stroke back.
After appearing agitated by commotion near the 5th green en route to bogey, Jordan Spieth bounces back with a birdie on 6. Now (-5) #TheOpen
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 17, 2015
2:34PM: So Spieth has been pretty, pretty good at the majors this year.
The only other bogey Spieth has on a par 5 in this year's majors is No. 15 during Rd 1 of #Masters. #TheOpen Scores: http://t.co/LqpqyyvXWM
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2015
2:30PM: Luke Donald quietly climbing the leaderboard with birdies on two of his last three.
2:21PM: Tiger now 14 off the pace.
It’s a three-putt bogey from about 60 feet. Brutal.
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
2:15PM: Spieth on No. 5 had to punch out of a fairway bunker and then putt from on the green through some rough and back onto the green. Makes bogey. Welcome to the Old Course. Meanwhile, DJ makes another birdie to tie for the lead.
2:02PM: Spieth and Matsuyama both miss the fairway in the same spot at the par-5 fifth hole. Spieth's finds the bunker and he has no shot at the green, Matsuyama's ball ends up just between the two bunkers in short grass. Just been that kind of day so far.
1:52PM: DJ drops in a tough birdie putt on No. 4, using a little body English to get it in the right side of the hole. The first birdie of the day in the group, you know, except for Matsuyama, who just made his fourth straight.
Hideki Matsuyama has opened his round
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
Birdie
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 17, 2015
1:40PM: Not that you would see it if you are watching on TV, but the third player in the Dustin Johnson-Jordan Spieth group, Hideki Matsyama, is stealing the show early after starting with three straight birdies.
1:43PM: Plenty of exciting action on the course right now. And Danny Willett is watching it from the top of the leadeboard.
Leader Danny Willett is looking back at the field at #TheOpen. @RyanLavnerGC on his Friday 69: http://t.co/vGbRUtbzHK pic.twitter.com/3PHkcVsdEB
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 17, 2015
1:32PM: Tiger yells at wind to "hit it!" after crushing his second shot at No. 2 long and left. The wind doesn't listen.
Army golf. From right rough to left greenside bunker. Not an easy one.
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
1:30PM: And just when you think DJ has the advantage, Spieth throws a dart at the pin on 3, but misses the birdie putt. Another couple of routine pars.
1:24PM: DJ absolutely rips one down the third fairway. Two pars a piece so far for him and Spieth. Tiger also makes par on No. 1
1:13PM: And ... he's off. Which way will The Needle move on Day 2?
Wearing rain pants, with a gray shirt and black, long-sleeved undershirt. Takes iron off the tee and it’s fine, but not exactly smoked.
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
1:11PM: Rickie Fowler also wraps up a 71. One of the Open favorites after his Scottish Open win last week is well off the pace at 1-under par.
1:10PM: Faldo rebounds with 71 after 83 on Day 1. And, as the European Tour points out, he id it in the same sweater as the first time he won the Open.
1987: Shoots 72. Wins #TheOpen for the 1st time
2015: Shoots 71 in last Open at St Andrews
...in the same jumper! pic.twitter.com/am99xDulAi
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 17, 2015
1:01PM: Lee Westwood off to an inspiring start:
Just watched Lee Westwood almost hit it OB left at No 1. I know it’s tough today, but it’s still surreal to see that.
— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) July 17, 2015
12:58PM: Sir Nick Faldo getting an emotional send off from the St. Andrews crowd. Won his second of three claret jugs at the Old Course 25 years ago.
12:55PM: If you think Adam Scott's resurgence has something to do with Stevie William's return to his bag, you're not alone:
Bogey-free 67 for Adam Scott puts him in the mix again at #TheOpen. @WillGrayGC recaps: http://t.co/RJP4jU0wTi pic.twitter.com/jGvaSLpCP2
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 17, 2015
12:50PM: And they're off ... Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson (and Hideki Matsuyama) have started their second rounds.
12:46PM: Jaco Van Zyl shot 69 Friday despite what Mark Calcavecchia describes here:
Today on 8. Whack!!! Yaco Van Zyl hit his shot. Except he hit it 3 inches in front of the markers. 2 shot penalty. He played great today to
— Mark Calcavecchia (@MarkCalc) July 17, 2015
12:41PM: Matt Kuchar just made triple bogey at the 17th to drop to even par. The projected cut line is currently 1 under, but that is likely to go higher.
12:37PM: In case you missed it, here's Tom Watson's first shot in his final Open round.
Watch: Tom Watson tees off in what could be his very last appearance at #TheOpen.
#HatsOfftoTom
https://t.co/yFXe3rk6St
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2015
12:28PM: Twenty minutes and counting until Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama tee off in Round 2.
Dustin Johnson and Butch Harmon heading to the Old Course first tee on Golf Place. #theopen pic.twitter.com/T5bgNtVutk
— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) July 17, 2015
12:24PM: Adam Scott is looking for his first claret jug, but his caddie ...
Steve Williams looking for his third claret jug at #StAndrews - is that a record?@johnhuggan @TheOpen
— Robert Lusetich (@RobertLusetich) July 17, 2015
12:20PM: Adam Scott birdies the 18th and finishes 36 holes at 7 under par. His 5-under 67 is the second lowest score (Russell Henley, 66) so far today.
12:08PM: Ba-dum-bum ...
He needs to shoot about 80 players. https://t.co/mqVFcIexrp
— GC Tiger Tracker (@GCTigerTracker) July 17, 2015
12:01PM: Crossing the noon hour on the East Coast, here's where things stand at the 144th Open Championship:
11:54AM: Yesterday was Adam Scott's 35th birthday. He just parred the 16th to remain at 6 under, just three off the lead.
11:50AM: Ivor Robson announces Tom Watson for - again, likely - the final time on the first tee. Watson splits the fairway.
11:42AM: Tom Watson gets set to tee off for, likely, his 128th and final round in the Open Championship.
Looks like Tom Watson just gave Ivor Robson an autographed Open flag as he walked onto the first tee for the last time.
— Jay Coffin (@JayCoffinGC) July 17, 2015
11:32AM: If Willett can maintain his lead ...
Danny Willett is trying to become the 1st Englishman to hold a 36-hole lead in @TheOpen since Nick Faldo in 1993.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 17, 2015
11:24AM: Phil Mickelson responds with a birdie at the 13th hole. He's back to 4 under, five off the lead.
11:22AM: Meanwhile, the projected cut line is at even par ... for the moment. The top 70 and ties qualify for the final two rounds. John Daly, the 1995 champion at St. Andrews, shot 74 Friday to finish two rounds at 1 over par.
11:17AM: Will Willett's leading total hold up? Golf Channel analyst Arron Oberholser thinks so.
I'd be shocked if -9 isn't leading after today
— Arron Oberholser (@ArronOberholser) July 17, 2015
11:11AM: Danny Willett is in the house and in the lead. He birdies the 18th to shoot 69 and finish at 9 under par.
11:04AM: A pair of players who start the day at 6 under are now in action. Robert Streb parred his first two holes while Retief Goosen is teeing off on No. 1.
11AM: Danny Willett keeps sliding back to the field. He bogeys the 17th to drop to 8 under, one in front of Z. and D. Johnson and Marc Warren.
10:58AM: Zach Johnson makes birdie on 18 to join Marc Warren in the clubhouse at 7 under, two shots back of Willett. A second-round 71 for Johnson and 3-under 69 for Warren, both of whom share second place with overnight leader Dustin Johnson.
10:55AM: A disastrous double bogey at No. 11 for Phil Mickelson, who needed two to get out of the bunker and then nearly three-putted for triple. Lefty goes from four to now six shots back.
10:50AM: Although players have been back on the course for six hours, it's long-since stopped raining, the sun is out, and the ball is bouncing, there remains standing water on parts of the golf course.
10:42AM: Adam Scott is making a move up the leaderboard, after playing his first four holes 4 under. Now in a tie for fourth at minus-6, just three shots behind leader Danny Willett. Scott, who should already have an Open win to his credit, is in search of his second major and his first worldwide win since the Crowne Plaza at Colonial last May.
10:35AM: This afternoon figures to be the final round of Tom Watson's Open Championship career. The five-time champion will tee off at 4:48 local time (11:48 ET) and may just squeeze in his round before the sun finally sets on St. Andrews. A look back at Watson's outstanding Open history right here.
10:24AM: Two strong front nines from Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson. Stenson birdied four of his first five holes to go out in 31 while Mickelson turned in a bogey-free 33. Iceman to minus-3 and Lefty to minus-4.
10:14AM: A little ingenuity from Graeme McDowell, who's watching the coverage on the BBC and taking notes on the breaks around today's hole locations. McDowell turned in an even-par 72 Thursday and tees off this afternoon at 4:37 local time (11:37 a.m. EDT).
10:05AM: Latest look at the leaderboard shows that just three of the top 14 players are currently on the golf course. Everyone else, who had the benefit of playing in the morning wave on Thursday, will face some stiff winds this afternoon.
9:54AM: And a great Scot he was.
Marc Warren of Scotland now -6. The last Scot to win @TheOpen at St. Andrews was James Braid in 1910.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 17, 2015
Even more eye opening:
Marc Warren is 16 under in his last 105 links holes. #TheOpen #ScottishOpen
— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) July 17, 2015
9:46AM: It's so windy, Phil just opted to putt with his hat off. Thoughts go out to @MickelsonHat. Hang in there, folks.
9:40AM: A little background here on Mr. Willett for those of you who might not be as familiar with him. The 27-year-old Englishman cracked this year's field via his finish in the Race to Dubai last year and his top-50 position in the Official World Golf Ranking back in May. Willett has two European Tour victories to his credit, the last coming at the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa in December. American fans may best and most recently know him for his third-place finish at this year's WGC-Match Play.
9:30AM: At the end of play last night, we expected two things in Round 2 - a downpour in the morning and wild winds in the afternoon. We got the rain this morning, and now it sounds like the rest is coming:
Winds gusting to at least 30 out here on the 5th green. Let the real fun begin at #TheOpen.
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) July 17, 2015
9:23AM: Speaking of Faldo, neat little nugget from earlier:
While waiting on 2 tee, Phil walks to take a look at Faldo's approach on 1. "I like watching him play" he says to Kuchar w/a smile. #TheOpen
— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) July 17, 2015
9:15AM: Danny Willett has opened up a three-shot lead thanks a birdie at 10 and two Zach Johnson bogeys at 11 and 12. The last Englishman to win the Open? Nick Faldo in 1992.
9:05AM: And in the event you require moving pictures:
We're back underway after this... #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/1hL0PWg8M8
— St Andrews Links (@TheHomeofGolf) July 17, 2015
9:01AM: In case you are just settling in at work on the East Coast or just waking up on the West Coast, these photos will give you a pretty good idea of what you missed overnight during a three-hour delay at St. Andrews.
Mother Nature wasn’t cooperating early on, but the sun has come out at St. Andrews. Photos: http://t.co/jklgoTHEMV pic.twitter.com/ly2ASnPUiu
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2015
8:55AM: Six birdies. That's the number of birdies made by Jaco Van Zyl who was in the first group out on Friday. He shot 79-69 over the first two rounds.
8:50AM: Let's hope you didn't jinx him.
Through 27 holes Danny Willett has made as many eagles as bogeys (one).
He leads The Open Championship by one. pic.twitter.com/XdlYOHzlhA
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2015
8:42AM: If you're fortunate enough to be at St. Andrews this week, you know there's no such thing as a bad seat. But, some are better than others. Our own Bailey Mosier found the prime perch for watching this week. To view the article, click here.
8:38AM: And just a few minutes later ... Danny Willett makes birdie at the ninth and is your solo Open leader at 9 under.
8:30AM: Leaderboard update at half past the 8 o'clock hour:
8:16AM: On a roll. A Zach Johnson nugget for you:
Co-leader @ZachJohnsonPGA is a combined -22 over his last 70 competitive holes. Only 2 bogeys in that span.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 17, 2015
8:07AM: Our favorite part of the Open coverage.
Current Open status. pic.twitter.com/K8VNyRSwRt
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) July 17, 2015
8:03AM: He came prepared.
Zach's pant legs are so short I think he is expecting a flood @TheOpen
— Mark Murphy (@MarkMurphyGolf) July 17, 2015
8:00AM: Fowler, Faldo and Rose are now off and running in their second rounds at St. Andrews.
7:57AM: That's two birdies in a row for Zach Johnson after opening with four straight pars. ZJ is now tied for the lead with Danny Willett at 8 under.
If Zach Johnson wins, his 2 majors would be at Augusta Nat'l & St Andrews. He'd be instant HOF material. He could just walk off right there.
— Kelly Tilghman (@KellyTilghmanGC) July 17, 2015
7:47AM: So you're saying there's a chance? Is the world ready for a Danny Willett win?
Danny Willett's last 9 rounds at the Old Course read 67, 67, 67, 65, 72, 66, 70, 68, 69, 66. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/0CBiLHBQGc
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 17, 2015
7:41AM: The Willett to win! Danny Willett made birdie at No. 5 and is now the solo leader at 8 under. Meanwhile, Zach Johnson also made birdie at 5 and is tied for second at 7 under.
7:32AM: Let's get this party started. Scott, Kaymer, Walker teed off mere minutes ago.
Next on the tee, one of the morning's strongest groups. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/cJZnryjWoo
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2015
7:23AM: In case you're wondering ... DJ and Jordan Spieth tee off at 12:48 p.m. Tiger Woods tees off at 1:10 p.m. Phil Mickelson is out at 7:47 a.m. (roughly 20 minutes from now).
7:20AM: There are now 6 guys at 6 under par. With birdies on his last two holes, Marc Warren joins the bunch.
7:13AM: The afternoon forecast calls for winds around 20 mph.
7:05AM: Hole locations for Friday's round:
Hole positions for round two of The 144th Open at St Andrews.
#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/ItccU5PCBF
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2015
7:01AM: It's sunny in St. Andrews now, but here's a look at the crew cleaning up the rain Friday morning.
Good news. Play will resume at 10am today. Great work from all the greenkeeping staff. #TheOpen #RainDelay
https://t.co/hPiAvzLFdz
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2015
6:55AM: And just like that, we have a new co-leader. Danny Willett is now tied with Dustin Johnson for the lead. DJ tees off at 12:48 p.m. ET.
Danny Willett has tied the lead with a birdie on the 2nd. http://t.co/EpSPThStIk pic.twitter.com/xevloxqcJP
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 17, 2015
6:50AM: Slow and steady wins the race. We don't know if it wins the 144th Open Championship, but Zach Johnson begins his Friday round with two pars after opening in 6-under 66 on Thursday.
6:42AM: Torrential rain flooded St. Andrews Friday morning, delaying play for more than three hours. For the full story, click here. To see images of the weather delay, click here.
6:30AM: Good morning from St. Andrews! Day 2 of the 144th Open Championship is underway.