The Open Championship 2013 Leaderboard: Latest Standings and Final Predictions

It’s already shaping up to be a miserable weekend for some of golf’s biggest names with Spain’s Sergio Garcia, 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover and England’s Luke Donald all back in the clubhouse sitting on the wrong side of the cut.

This morning’s players struggled to shoot scores in the 60s, unlike yesterday’s early contingent, and  make a real impact on the overall leaderboard. Zach Johnson’s five-under 66 in round one was enough to hand him the nerve-wracking task of teeing off in the afternoon as leader after no one could better his lead.

Lee Westwood briefly dipped to five-under before falling away at the end. At two-under overall, he's still in the perfect position to launch his bid for a maiden major trophy, and favourite Tiger Woods is also in the hunt after finishing on the same score.

With it looking very congested at the top of the pack, we’ve put together our predictions for the rest of day two.

Four Under Will Lead

No one could take advantage of the more favourable conditions this morning, and it’s expected that those going out later will struggle as the greens speed up.

One small oversight with the putter is all it takes to cannon the ball past the hole and leave a tricky six-footer for a regulation two-putt.

Johnson has the opportunity to eliminate a host of golfers by pulling the projected cut closer to par, but if the wind picks up, it’s going to be very tricky to go round level without having to worry about knocking out his rivals.

With that in mind, plenty of players on the course struggling at six or seven over par could still sneak underneath the cut if they hold it together in the testing conditions.

 

Ernie Els To Make His Move

The defending champion and last man to win at Muirfield will thrive on the tricky circumstances. Els didn’t get off to the greatest start, shooting a three-over 74 in round one, but he won’t want to relinquish the Claret Jug on Friday by falling foul of the cut.

His Open success last year was built on playing the right shot at the right time as those around him crumbled. Similar composure in round two will allow him to sail into the weekend where he can start thinking about how he’s going to catch those at the top.

He has started his round in bold fashion, really attacking the second hole to create an unlikely eagle opportunity which he narrowly missed. Els’ unexpected cavalier approach might be worth keep an eye on as the day progresses.

 

Justin Rose To Sneak Under Cut

The Englishman hasn’t got his round off to the best start, but the changing winds and fast greens should prevent the leaders from pulling clear of the recent US Open champion.

He said the course played tricks with his mind during round one, per the BBC, and he’ll need to find some mental strength quickly, otherwise it’ll be a very long round indeed. 

Dipping under the cut is all very well and good, but challenging at the right end of the leaderboard is where Rose needs to be.

Following his major triumph at Merion, the scene was set for him to become the first Englishman to triumph in the British Open since Sir Nick Faldo won at this very course in 1992.