British Open 2013 Leaderboard: Real-Time Results and Day 3 Storylines to Watch

The first two days of the 2013 British Open provided plenty of intrigue, but Day 3 is where things are really going to get interesting.

The prestigious tournament already provided the stage for the emergence of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Henrik Stenson as surprise contenders. It was also the scene of yet another disappointing performance from Rory McIlroy. 

With some of the field already in action at Muirfield, here's what the leaderboard looks like:

Here are the top three storylines to watch as the favorites get ready to tee off for Saturday's action. 

Can Miguel Angel Jimenez Protect His Lead?

It takes a lot to outshine a contending Tiger Woods at a major—a dominant story anytime he has a chance to break his Majors slump—but that's exactly what the eccentric Miguel Angel Jimenez has done. 

Not only has he made an impression as quite possibly one of the coolest men in the world, as Keegan Bradley noted on Twitter, but he also shot even par in the second round to stay at three-under for the tournament and walked away as the overnight leader. 

Staying at even par isn't the most flashy performance in the world, but with the extremely dry conditions at Muirfield, survival is key, and Jimenez did what he had to do to seize the lead. 

The great start has him in uncharted territory. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he's never had the 36-hole lead at a major. 

If he's able to hold the lead through Sunday, he'll make his mark on golf history. At 49 years old, he'll be the oldest player to win a major, per Justin Ray of ESPN.

Will Tiger Make a Move?

Love him or hate him, we all love to watch him. 

Once again Woods has everyone asking, "Is it finally Tiger's time again?"

After going two-under in the first two rounds, he ended the day just one stroke behind the clubhouse leader. However, Tiger fans can't get too excited. We've been here before.

As Justin Ray of ESPN points out, Woods has been in this situation six times since 2008, and he has yet to walk away with a title in that time span. 

ESPN Stats & Info provided the exact numbers behind Woods' weekend slumps. They aren't pretty. 

However, there's still hope for Tiger yet. While the fast greens have been a huge issue for many of the players in the tournament, Woods thrives on the hostile greens, according to Rick Reilly of ESPN.

Time will tell if he can ride his hot putter back to the Claret Jug. 

Will a Surprise Contender Emerge?

At this point last year, we wouldn't have been talking about Ernie Els as a possible contender for the Claret Jug. Yet he was the one standing victorious by Sunday evening. 

As Justin Ray of ESPN points out, Els was seven strokes off the lead going into the weekend.

Using that stat as a measuring stick, there are 38 contenders that entered Round 2 within seven strokes of the lead. While course conditions don't favor a huge run like Els' performance last year, it illustrates just how unpredictable these last two days could be.

With so many players still in the hunt, the stage is set for someone to catch fire and make a remarkable run. Els is nine strokes back, so he's not a likely candidate—but will someone else duplicate his feat?