Senior Open Championship: Breaking Down the Players Atop the Leaderboard

The 2012 Senior Open Championship is halfway over and a few players have managed to stand out before the weekend.

The standard British Open provided a thrilling finish and spectators can only hope that golf’s old guard is setting up similar conclusion for its tournament. 

The legendary links at Turnberry in South Ayrshire, Scotland are hosting all the action. 

Here are the three players who have managed to separate themselves during the first two rounds.

Gary Hallberg, 1, -6

Hallberg posted an unassuming score of 71 in the first round, but the 54-year-old American came storming back on Friday. 

He tore through the course and finished with a 63 for the day, the best round by any player at the tournament thus far. He birdied eight holes and had just one bogey on the day.

He was one of just two players to finish under par on Friday. His epic round has given him the lead and put him in excellent position heading in to the weekend. 

His fine form on Friday will certainly give him plenty of confidence for the final two rounds. If he can play even remotely as well this weekend, he’ll be extremely difficult to beat. 

Bernhard Langer, T2, -3 

Langer started the tournament on fire, but has since cooled down in Scotland’s pleasant summer weather.

The two-time Masters champion scorched the course with an opening-round 64 to take the early lead. However, he followed up that performance by going three-over par during the next 18 holes.

The 54-year-old German had a four-shot lead heading into Sunday at the U.S. Senior Open earlier this month, but failed to hold off Roger Chapman.

Blowing that lead will serve as fuel for Langer as he tries to make up for that performance with a victory at this competition. 

Tom Lehman, T2, -3 

Lehman won the Open Championship in 1996, and now he will look to put some hardware from the senior tournament in his trophy case. 

He has not shot a spectacular round like Hallberg or Langer, finishing the first 18 holes with a 66 and following up with a 71. 

Lehman’s quieter rise to the leaderboard’s top-three suggests that he will remain consistent this weekend. 

If the 53-year-old American can stay on even keel and avoid a disappointing round, he will have an excellent shot at improving his position and winning the tournament.