British Open TV Schedule 2013: Definitive Guide to 2nd-Round Action

The earliest golfers of Friday's second round at the 2013 British Open have already hit the tee box to begin festivities, and Muirfield Golf Links will pare down its massive field to about 70 at the end of the day.

Thursday's first round saw beautiful weather and a scenic atmosphere play host to an uninterrupted day of golf, one that went far better for the leaders than anyone expected. Zach Johnson carried a clubhouse lead into the beginning of Friday's festivities after a five-under 66, with the combo meal of Mark O'Meara and Rafael Cabrera-Bello nipping close behind at four under.

Elsewhere, it was a mixed bag for the world's most notable faces. Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods each carded a two-under 69, putting them firmly within the hunt heading into Round 2. Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, on the other hand, shot 79 and 80, respectively. They'll need brilliant second rounds to see the weekend.

There were many complaints about the difficult pin placement, as the course played faster in the afternoon, but Muirfield was mostly demure in taking its victims. Twenty players stood under par after Day 1, quadruple the number who were in that position at the U.S. Open. Trips to Europe tend to send scores through the roof if conditions become terrible—always a possibility on the edge of the sea—but it's looking like we'll have clear skies at least heading into the weekend. 

As is the case with all Open Championships, the time difference (five hours for those on the East Coast) makes it difficult to catch the early action. Luckily, ESPN has coverage that could take you from your morning coffee all the way to your dinner tonight. 

With that in mind, let's take a quick look at the full schedule of televised events for Friday.

2013 Open Championship Leaderboard

Golfers to Watch

Zach Johnson (10:07 a.m. ET, 3:07 p.m. BST)

Among players you'd peg to stand atop the Round 1 leaderboard at Muirfield, Zach Johnson probably isn't a top-of-the-list candidate. He's finished inside the top 10 just once, this marking a decade of entrants into Europe's most hallowed tournament. 

He's also 37. A guy who's set in his golfing ways. Historically speaking, guys don't suddenly become great at links golf overnight and dominate the course in the fashion he did.  

Johnson shot an opening-round 66, swinging with precision and accuracy throughout his morning outing. While he only hit 64.3 percent of his fairways and a middling 72.2 percent of his greens in regulation, Johnson never made a major mistake and took advantage of nearly every smart shot he hit. Johnson averaged only 1.4 putts per hole, tying Angel Cabrera and Tiger Woods for the tournament lead with 10 one-putt holes.

Striking the ball well was also an important factor in Johnson's day, and he recovered well when he found himself in an untenable situation. It was a near-perfect outing of links play. There are no inalterable rules for how you need to play a course, but never squandering opportunities is key. 

For Johnson, the learning process has been slow. Although we noted he has just one top-10 finish, it came last year when he finished in a tie for ninth—coming after a five-under first round.

Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future performance. As golfers get used to the quirky dimensions, random bunkers and other crazy features that come along with links-course play, they tend get more comfortable. Perhaps that's happening to Johnson late in his career.

Tiger Woods (4:44 a.m. ET, 9:44 a.m. BST)

Tiger Woods didn't need a decade on the PGA Tour to become an avid links-course golfer. The first time Eldrick stepped to the tee on St. Andrews began a love affair that would make him one of the design's staunchest defenders.

Woods has won three Open Championships, the most recent coming at Royal Liverpool. That triumph marked back-to-back triumphs across the pond and marked the first of seven straight wins on the PGA Tour.

One problem: That win was in 2006. Woods has infamously gone the past half-decade without winning a major championship, halting his chase for Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors at 14. In the time since, Woods has gone from an in-his-prime legend on the precipice of becoming the greatest player the sport has ever seen to someone who may find up falling short of a record that seemed his for the taking not too long ago.

His performances at Open Championships haven't exactly been encouraging. Injuries forced the 37-year-old out of both the 2008 and 2011 events, and he was cut from the 2009 event, his only such result in golf's oldest major. 

Woods rebounded last year, finishing in a tie for third. And the world's top-ranked golfer has only continued his return to European glory through Round 1, carding a solid two-under 69 to stay within striking distance of Johnson and the other leaders.

While Woods did not get the lucky distinction of playing in an easier morning round, he was mostly undaunted by the fast conditions. He ran a few putts way farther than he expected early, but he settled in and found his groove on the green as the round went on. As previously noted, Woods' 10 one-putts are tied for the best number through the first 18 holes. 

That's been the story of Woods' year. Among the PGA leaders in putts gained per round, Tiger has kept rounds afloat by knocking down difficult putts at the most opportune times.

Should that continue—and we have little reason to think it won't—Woods should find himself among the leaders heading into the weekend. Scores will rise as the afternoon sun makes conditions difficult again, but this time he should be inside the clubhouse before anything crazy happens.

Even if Woods only matches his Round 1 score, he should be in prime position going into the weekend.

Phil Mickelson (9:45 a.m. ET, 2:45 p.m. BST)

In the battle between the Johnsons (slow learners) and Woodses (instant lovers) in the links-course tussle, Phil Mickelson has always been a Johnson.

Heading into the 2013 festivities, Lefty had two top-10 finishes in his Open Championship career. To put that in perspective, that's one-fourth the amount of times Mickelson has placed inside the top-10 at the PGA Championship, his second-worst event. Haters may want to hate and lovers may want to love, but we know where Phil falls on this spectrum when it comes to links golf.

Well, at least we did until recently.

The 43-year-old Mickelson pulled off the nearly unthinkable, winning last week's Scottish Open for his first European title in two decades. He played calm, collected links golf, holding fort when he made a mistake and even getting through his second round without carding an over-par score.

While some had questions about whether Mickelson could keep his strong play going, Lefty turned those expectations on their head Thursday. His two-under 69 kept his recent hot streak going, with a collected approach again being the story of the day.

Mickelson had back-to-back birdies twice (holes Nos. 2 and 3 and Nos. 14 and 15), and he only carded two bogeys. Considering one of those over-par scores came on the 18th hole—where the pin location drove players mad the entire day—it's fair to call that a forgivable blemish.

Lefty carded eight one-putts and was in the middle of the pack in greens and tee stats, so it's fair to say he could have gone lower with one or two good breaks.

It will be interesting to see whether he'll get those Friday. Playing in the afternoon should make for a whole different animal, considering Mickelson's penchant for aggression. One or two bad hops or overzealous putts on this course could be the difference between an under-par round and one that can mess with your entire psyche.

When Phil plays these courses, he's always trying to strike a happy medium. He's done so in each of his past five links-course rounds. We'll just have to wait and see if he can make it No. 6. 

All stats via TheOpen.com

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