The favourite coming into the weekend, US Open champion Dustin Johnson, had an unremarkable opening round of 71 but he produced an eventful 69 on Friday to go to two-under. But there’s only one thing that matters tomorrow. “I don’t see that”.
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“It’s going to be an exciting afternoon”, he added. He double-bogeyed 11 and then bogeyed 15.
It seems miles to the next-closest pursuers.
The pair are are now poised for a final round shoot-out for the Claret Jug with American Bill Haas third but well off the pace at six under par.
Justin Rose of England throws his club after a poor shot out of the rough on the 2nd hole during the second round of the British Open Golf Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland, Friday, July 15, 2016.
It’s proof of how impressively Mickelson and Stenson have played. – Stenson on his bid for his first major. Maybe those who’ve lost remember the past more.
Mickelson, 46, who has led the championship since day one, made an early birdie at the third but that was matched by his Swedish playing partner who had also picked up a shot at the first.
McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Henrik Stenson is in second place, just one off the lead, so the focus can not all be on Mickelson but first the 27-year-old from Holywood has to kick-start his challenge on Saturday morning. Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson will do it all over again at the bottom of the tee sheet in the final round. “It felt like Phil had a bit more momentum at that stage, and then we both had to scramble on 11 and 12, and then I just played really solid from there on, the last six or seven holes”.
Nevertheless, at level par McIlroy’s race looks run with Mickelson left to vie with Henrik Stenson, just as they did at Muirfield in 2013 when the American won his first Open and fifth major. Had a couple of other chances on the front nine.
He said he and coach Andrew Getson, who had been here all week, had some work to do to get him back on track.
That is not to say Mickelson’s day was without stress.
“I get that you need to cover (the tournament), but why do you need to interfere with it?” he said after he hit his second shot in one of the bunkers guarding the green. Stenson is second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach-the-green (1.184); Mickelson is slightly behind at 14th (.629). He sprayed his 2-iron, a reliable club this week, to the left off the tee and got a break when it stayed out of a gorse bush. He didn’t have a backswing, but he managed to punch the ball 100 yards down the fairway and got up and down for his ninth straight par. The Swede rolled in a 10-footer for birdie at the first hole, quickly pulling into a tie for the lead in the final group.
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Stenson has been on the wrong end of a Mickelson surge before. His lip-out for 62 on Thursday – which would have set the lowest score for a single round in major-championship history – will live on forever in highlights, a painful reminder of how cruel the game can be. “It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow, long day tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to it”. I just think he’s got a big golf game, his prowess tee to green – a lesser player than Phil Mickelson would have been blown away because he’s made it look quite easy.
