The Open Championship 2013: Lee Westwood and the Big Winners from Round 2

Lee Westwood has turned the 2013 Open Championship on its head.

The Englishman is yet to win his first major tournament, and at the ripe old age of 40, there’s no better time to start. He may have finished runner-up at St Andrews in 2010, but the man from Worksop has given himself an excellent chance of going one better at the Muirfield course in Scotland.

Round 2 has seen a number of strong performances across the board. Zach Johnson’s overnight dominance was cut away as the early leader bogeyed four of the first eight holes and struggled with a double bogey on the 15th. The American’s stumble has proven the perfect opportunity for other competitors to get back in the hunt and ensures plenty of nerves heading into Round 3.

Which players followed Westwood up the Round 2 ladder? One hint: It wasn’t Rory McIlroy.

Lee Westwood

As already mentioned, a superbly confident performance has seen Westwood follow the flight of his drives and head straight up the leaderboard. The veteran golfer finished Round 1 one-over, even though he threatened to stifle his success with a couple of quick bogeys on the seventh and ninth holes.

A fantastic opening in Round 2 saw Westwood birdie five of the front nine to put himself in contention for the main prize. As reported by BBC Sport’s Ken Brown, a tough end to the day nearly halted Westwood’s momentum, but this problem wasn’t exclusive to his chances:

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Picking up shots became more difficult for the players as the day progressed, with the Muirfield course firming up and becoming trickier on yet another hot and dry day.

Westwood suffered too. After a fantastic 31 coming in, he was out in 37, bogeying 13, 14 and the last.

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Westwood made it through the trouble to finish on three-under for the day. As tweeted by BBC 5 Live Broadcaster Adam Pope, he can now sit back and watch the others sweat:

Charl Schwartzel

Schwartzel has well and truly moved on from his burst of anger during Round 1. The South African—who smashed his 6-iron into two pieces after a double bogey on the 15th—calmed his nerves to secure an excellent run across Day 2.

Frustration was nowhere to be seen for the 2011 Masters Champion. He posted birdies on three of the front nine, totting up a respectable par on the other six holes. Unlike early pace setters such as Angel Cabrera, Shiv Kapur and Zach Johnson, he managed to keep his cool to sink an impressive run on the second half of the course.

Schwartzel claimed one birdie, one bogey and seven pars to thrust himself up the overall leaderboard. His numbers remain solid, and while everyone around him capitulates, the 28-year-old has crept into a surprisingly high position. He's testimony that, when the going gets tough, snapping your club into two is exactly the release needed.

Henrik Stenson

A pair of 70s suggest Stenson is a real challenger at Muirfield.

The Swede suffered just one major blip with a double bogey during Round 2, posting five birdies and 10 pars as he heads towards the upper echelon of the leaderboard. Although an outside bet, the 37-year-old has continued to control his shots well along a course that punishes any lack in concentration.

Stenson remains two-under heading into Round 3. Both days have seen him conclude with par, birdie, par as he finishes the back nine in triumphant fashion. This is hugely important heading into the next day, as Stenson is able to maintain a level of consistency that outlines him as a real danger to front-runners who are more volatile at the day's end.

Can the selected individuals challenge throughout the rest of the competition? After Tiger Woods' Round 2 par, will the likes of Westwood, Schwartzel and Stenson now overhaul the American star, who may succumb to the pressure of trying to win his first major since 2008?