British Open 2012 Pairings: Notable Second-Round Matchups

While we were all grabbing a cup of coffee and waking up, Adam Scott had already staked his claim to the Open Championship.

Scott, who had shot 75 and 76 through the first round of his last two major tournaments, took aim at the opening-round record 62.

And those on the front leaderboard included Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson and Tiger Woods. I guess the threat of 205 bunkers that surrounded Lytham did not make many golfers flinch.

That's the beauty of the Open Championship.

The second round, like the first round, will have the same pairings with many interesting groupings to watch. Here are some we can look at with great interest.

Adam Scott, Alan Dunbar (A), Matt Kuchar

Let's start with the obvious.

Adam Scott took hold of Lytham and made it his early on. Can it continue for the next three rounds?

Scott is one of those players who we all expected to be in the hunt for other majors for the past few years, but his last two starts at majors only garnered a 75 and 76 in opening rounds.

We shall see if he can continue the momentum.

Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Zach Johnson

I happen to love this threesome.

Johnson is in contention. Clarke is the defending champion. And Ernie Els is the one you can never count out of a major on foreign soil.

Should make for a interesting day at Lytham.

Lee Westwood, Yoshinori Fujimoto, Bubba Watson

One thing that was pointed out on the Golf Channel yesterday was that this is the type of course where putting is not as important as driving the ball.

That plays into Lee Westwood's game. Can Westwood finally win a major?

Watson, the 2012 Masters Champion, was near the top of the leaderboard all day.

Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Hiroyuki Fujita

Johnson and McDowell could make a charge at this tournament.

McDowell was among the leaders early.

Could the Northern Ireland native claim another major to add to his resume?

Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia

I woke up to see Woods hit a beautiful tee shot on 12, and his seven consecutive pars proved he was consistent if not spectacular.

This is the kind of course where Woods could roll in a few birdies and then catch fire.

As long as he is on the leaderboard, we will be wondering if this is the one where he claims his 15th major.

Thomas Bjorn, Aaron Baddeley, Charl Schwartzel

I would love to see Bjorn break through and win a major.

Schwartzel has already had that feeling.

Can either one catch fire?

And don't count out Baddeley, who could surprise us all.

Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Keegan Bradley

It's Rory. Enough said.

Wherever McIlroy goes, so will go the galleries. Can he win another major?

Oosthuizen and Bradley have also tasted major magic. This may be the best threesome of the tournament.

Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington, Manuel Trappel

Wouldn't it be great to see Harrington win a third Open Championship?

Whenever the Open is played, you cannot help but mention his name as one of the contenders.

Fowler is seeking greatness, and this is a course that will test him.

Will the 205 bunkers  and the lush rough affect him?

Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy

While Donald is the best in the world right now, we all want to see if Mickelson can finally win an Open Tournament.

Donald, ranked first in the world rankings, does not have a major to his name. This could cement him as an elite golfer.

But again, all eyes will be on Phil.