Senior Open Championship 2013: Golfers Primed to Make a Major Push This Weekend

The 2013 Senior Open Championship is about to get interesting.

The final two rounds of golf tournaments are generally about watching which players fall the furthest down the leaderboard. So often, tournaments turn into wars of attrition. The leaders start struggling, and then the guys a few spots below start making a move.

The Senior Open Championship shouldn't be any different. There are plenty of golfers who are lurking in the top 10 and below who could do some major damage in the third and fourth rounds.

Here are three golfers who will make a move up the leaderboard in the final two rounds.

Rocco Mediate

On Monday, things weren't looking very good for Rocco Mediate. He posted on Twitter that Delta Air Lines had lost his bags, and then when he got them back, they were wet.

Things have since gotten better for Mediate. He shot an even-par 70 in the first round and followed that up with a two-under 68 showing on Friday. Mediate was particularly strong on the back nine of Round 2, birdieing 10, 12, 15 and 17.

Mediate is ninth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. He's got five top-10 finishes in his 13 tournaments. With his strong first two rounds, you can count on Mediate at least holding strong where he is. If he carries over his play in the second round, though, Mediate will be giving the leaders a major fight.

Mark O'Meara

Mark O'Meara was a bit of a disaster on Thursday, as he shot a four-over 74. When he started with three bogeys in his first four holes, it was all uphill in the first round for O'Meara.

Keen to not make the same mistake, O'Meara birdied No. 3 and followed that up with birdies on Nos. 7 and 8. He had a little more trouble on the back nine, but O'Meara had a pretty strong round overall. Posting a two-under 68 was a solid accomplishment.

While he may have dug himself too deep a hole in order to win the tournament, with another strong round or two, O'Meara should find himself comfortably in the top 10. He's finished there in half his tournaments on the tour, so it's a good chance he's set to do so again.

Corey Pavin

Corey Pavin is still within shouting distance of Bernhard Langer and David Frost after two rounds. He took a step back on Friday, but not too big of a step.

Pavin shot a one-under 69 in Round 1 and then a one-over 71 in Round 2. His double-bogey on No. 8 was the low point of the day.

Consistency could be the key in this tournament. While those around him struggle, Pavin will hold where he is and not make any big mistakes. That probably won't be enough to top the leaderboard, but it should ensure that Pavin makes some noise this weekend.