SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — The Latest on the British Open (all times local):
1:50 p.m.
Matt Kuchar set the score everyone else has to chase in the wind at the British Open.
Kuchar made a bogey on the 18th hole and had to settle for a 1-over 71 in the second round, though that was a good score in 25 mph gusts that put a premium on making par. He was at 4-under 136.
Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, who teed off in the afternoon, were at 5 under.
Richie Ramsay of Scotland posted a 70 and was at 2-under 138.
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12:50 p.m.
Rory McIlroy got into contention in the British Open with three birdies on the front nine. He stayed there with three pars that were just as critical.
McIlroy holed par putts of about 10 feet on the 10th and 11th holes to start the back nine. His tee shot on the par-3 12th tumbled into a pot bunker, and he nearly holed that one.
He remained at 2 under for the tournament.
Matt Kuchar reached 6 under for the second time Friday, only to make bogey on the 16th hole to fall back to 5 under. Of the 24 players who have finished the second round, Jamie Lovemark (69) was the only one to break par.
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12:10 p.m.
Rory McIlroy was hanging his head on Thursday. There was a bounce in his step on Friday at the British Open.
McIlroy made three birdies and shot 31 on the front nine at Royal Birkdale. That’s eight shots better than his opening round, and suddenly he’s back in contention again. McIlroy was at 2-under par and only three shots out of the lead.
Matt Kuchar is even for the day and still atop the leaderboard at 5 under. The other co-leaders, Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, don’t tee off until the afternoon when the wind is supposed to get even stronger.
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson is in danger of missing another cut in a major. Johnson is in the same group as McIlroy. The No. 1 player in the world has made only one birdie in 27 holes. He is 3 over for the tournament.
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11:20 a.m.
Kent Bulle might be Glasgow’s best hope in this British Open.
Trouble is, he’s from Glasgow, Kentucky.
Of the 52 Americans in the field at Royal Birkdale, Bulle is the least known. The 28-year-old who went to Middle Tennessee State spends most of his time between the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Web.com Tour. He had played in only one PGA Tour event — the U.S. Open last summer at Oakmont — when he was medalist at one of the smaller sectional qualifiers. He missed the cut.
The R&A, trying to expand its reach, this year offered an exemption to the winner of the Argentina Open. Bulle won it for the second straight year.
He’s having a ball at Birkdale. Bulle opened with a 68, and then started his second round with a birdie. He was tied for fourth in the early stages Friday, and that’s no bull.
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10:30 a.m.
Sergio Garcia appears to have a problem with his right shoulder after angrily swinging his club into shrubs on the fourth hole at the British Open.
The Masters champion sent his tee shot to the back left of the green near some bushes at Royal Birkdale. He didn’t have a full back swing and his second shot came up short.
After taking his shot, Garcia looked behind him and swung his club into the shrubs. He clutched his shoulder immediately. He wound up with a bogey.
It certainly didn’t affect his power. Garcia drove the green on the 346-yard fifth hole and made eagle. But as he walked to the green on the par-3 seventh, he was seen chatting with a medical official.
Garcia was 1 under after nine holes and 2-over par for the championship.
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9:50 a.m.
Matt Kuchar is trying to set the target in blustery conditions at the British Open.
Of the three players who shared the lead at Royal Birkdale going into the second round Friday, Kuchar was the only one who played in the morning. The rain has stayed away, though the wind is strong.
Kuchar dropped a shot on his second hole, only to bounce back by chipping in for birdie on No. 3 and adding another birdie on the par-3 fourth to reach 6 under. Depending on how Kuchar fares, he could set a 36-hole score that the second half of the field will try to catch.
The forecast is for worsening conditions in the afternoon.
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7:30 a.m.
Jordan Spieth rated his opening 5-under 65 at the British Open as one of the top five or six rounds he has ever played in a major. Most of that had to do with the shots he hit. And some of it had to do with timing.
The last thing he wanted to do was try to make up ground in bad weather.
The second round began Friday with a gray sky, cool air, ample wind and a gloomy outlook. The forecast was for occasional showers, slightly heavier in the afternoon, and wind, slightly stronger in the afternoon.
Spieth and Brooks Koepka (65) were to play in the afternoon. Sharing the 18-hole lead was Matt Kuchar, who teed off Friday morning at Royal Birkdale.
