British Open 2023: 3 Instant Reactions to Friday Leaderboard Scores

If you say you predicted the results of the first two rounds of the 2023 Open Championship, you're either lying or should be using your skills to win the Powerball.

Brian Harman currently sits atop the leaderboard after shooting a six-under 65 on Friday, giving him a five-stroke lead over the field at Royal Liverpool GC. Harman would be the 10th straight first-time winner of an Open Championship. Ernie Els in 2012 was the last golfer to win his second title at golf's oldest major.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some takeaways heading into the weekend as Harman tries to etch his name in history.

---

Get to Know Brian Harman

When casual fans woke up Friday morning and saw Brian Harman storming the field at Royal Liverpool, most had one question: Who, precisely, is Brian Harman?

The 36-year-old's combination of unopposing stature (5'7") and relative anonymity on the national scale makes him the weekend's perfect Cinderella story.

Harman has just two PGA Tour wins since turning pro, with those coming at the 2014 John Deere Classic and 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. He is perhaps best known to casual fans for his run at the 2017 U.S. Open, where he finished tied for second place behind winner Brooks Koepka.

Suffice it to say fans know him now.

Harman carries a five-shot lead over the field after closing his second round with a thrilling eagle on No. 18. He's gone through the first two rounds with only a single bogey on his record.

"I've had a hot putter the last couple days, so try to ride it through the weekend," Harman told reporters after the round. "Thirty-six holes to go, so try to rest up and get ready."

Of course, those who follow the game closely will know Harman has been on the precipice of a run like this. Harman came into the week playing his best golf in recent memory, finishing no worse than 12th in his last three tournaments. He has three different second-place finishes in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, but he's not been able to get over the hump.

This will be his chance to shine on the biggest stage.

---

The Rest of the Field Will Need Harman to Fall Apart

If you looked at the top of the leaderboard, you'd assume Royal Liverpool was playing like a putt-putt course the way Harman has made things look easy.

That hasn't exactly been the case.

Only 24 golfers sit under par following second-round play—over half of whom sit at exactly one-under. Just seven golfers in the field are within eight strokes of Harman, who is the only player in the field who has been under par in consecutive days.

It's unlikely anyone plays well enough over the weekend to catch Harman if he plays the weekend 71-71. Tommy Fleetwood (-5) and Sepp Straka (-4) are in reasonable striking distance if they have a stellar round, but Harman has built a near-insurmountable lead given course conditions.

---

Big Names Lurking into the Weekend

While the tournament is clearly Harman's to lose, the weekend won't be without intrigue for some of the game's top talents.

Rory McIlroy (-1), Jordan Spieth (-2) and Jason Day (-3) are all within shouting distance—OK, maybe it's screaming distance—of the lead and could wind up playing a factor if the pressure mounts for Harman.

McIlroy has been open about his desperation to win his first major championship in nine years, and the rest of the field notices it as well.

"He's obviously a tremendously talented player, and he's put himself in position and it hasn't happened yet," Jon Rahm told Mark Schlabach of ESPN. "I can't say what goes through his mind, obviously. Undoubtedly he wants it. He wants to get to five [majors]. Not many players have gotten to five. He still has a lot of years to play ahead of him, so I know he wants to keep adding to that tally.

"I'm hoping he does it. I'm pretty sure he will get that number five at some point."

Spieth burst onto the scene with three major championships between 2015 and 2017, only to fall out the picture himself and fail to win another title. He's had some near misses, including a second-place finish at the 2021 Open Championship, but few would have expected the Spieth from 2017 to be approaching his 30th birthday with only three majors.

Day likewise has a big name but lacks in recent major championship performance. He has only one major in his career—coming at the 2015 PGA Championship—and ended a five-year win drought period earlier this year at the AT&T Byron Nelson.