British Open 2013: Predicting Where Top Stars Will Be on Leaderboard After Day 2

The 2013 British Open is looking like it's going to produce a feverish finish for the Claret Jug. 

As one of the most prestigious events of the year (with one of the biggest purses), every player wants to add the award to their mantel. 

That means that golf's biggest names should be bringing their very best efforts to Muirfield. Though some big names have already started the second leg of their quest for the championship, some of golf's biggest stars will be teeing off in the afternoon (local time) who are sure to be intriguing. 

Here's a live look-in at the leaderboard they'll be trying to climb as they get their second round underway. 

Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose all got their first taste of the course at Muirfield on Thursday to varying degrees of success. Here are some predictions as to where they will find themselves on the leaderboard in Day 2. 

Phil Mickelson

Lefty's first round at Muirfield was a classic case of actions speaking louder than words.

The 43-year-old three-time Major winner shot a 69 in Round 1 to finish at two under par and just three strokes off of the clubhouse leader for the day but had critical words for the officials at Muirfield, telling them that they need to "let go of their egos" and set up the course more fairly, according to the New York Daily News. 

Considering Mickelson shot one of the best rounds of the day, it's surprising to hear the criticism. But Mickelson might have been peering into the future. His complaint was for the afternoon players who had to deal with difficult pin placement on greens that were extremely dry once the afternoon sun hit the course. 

This time, Mickelson will be one of those players on the course during the afternoon. 

The realistic difficulties of putting together a good score later in the day (he tees off at 2:45 p.m. BST) could mean that he doesn't finish with nearly as good a score. 

Leaderboard Prediction: Falls to just inside the Top 20

Rory McIlroy

It's rare to see a player as highly ranked as McIlroy struggle the way that he has. 

The No. 2 player in the world has been a star in name only recently. He finished his first round at Muirfield at eight over par and has plenty of things to improve upon in Round 2. 

The problem for McIlroy isn't entirely swing-related. As Jason Sobel of the Golf Channel points out, it's confidence that McIlroy is lacking. He finished an abysmal T-41 at the U.S. Open a few weeks ago and didn't fare all that well at the Masters. 

This is truly a do-or-die round for McIlroy. With his first-round 79, he's in severe danger of missing the cut. Given how long these issues have persisted, he's going to have to do some soul searching after this tournament. 

Leaderboard Prediction: Misses the cut

Justin Rose

Apparently being one of the top three golfers in world is not a great distinction to have at Muirfield. No. 3-ranked player Justin Rose also got off to a rough start on Thursday. 

He shot a 75 in Round 1 to finish the day at T-75. 

Rose's struggles were far less predictable than McIlroy's. While Rory hasn't been able to find himself at majors recently, Rose is coming off of a U.S. Open victory that marked his first career major. 

However, coming back just as strong after winning your first major is easier said than done. According to Sobel, half of the last 10 first-time winners failed to make the cut in their next major. 

While his score puts him in danger of being cut, his round wasn't entirely a disaster. Expecting a run at the top 20 would be asking for a bit much, but playing on into the weekend is realistic.

Leaderboard Prediction: Barely makes the cut.