British Open 2015: Live Leaderboard Results for Saturday at St. Andrews
Moving day at The Open Championship will have to wait.
Heavy rains on Friday stalled play at St. Andrews for three-and-a-half hours, and a total of 42 players were unable to finish their rounds as a result. Well, things haven't gotten any better on Saturday, as officials suspended play early due to high winds that were making the Old Course completely unplayable.
Here's the official statement from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, via its official Twitter account:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
According to a tweet from The R&A, the delay forced the tournament to move Round 3 to Sunday and complete the final round on Monday. This marks the first time that has been the case at an Open Championship since 1988 when Seve Ballesteros hoisted the Claret Jug.
Now that Saturday's highest winds have subsided, players who were unable to finish on Friday will attempt to finally complete their second rounds before the third round can officially commence. Get ready for a long tournament.
So, as we prepare to watch the field attempt to navigate some brutal conditions on the Old Course, let's take a look at The Open Championship's updated leaderboard and recap some notable performances from Friday.
Updated Leaderboard
The full leaderboard can be viewed at PGATour.com.
Friday Recap
Danny Willett may be the biggest surprise at The Open Championship. Ranked No. 39 in the world, Willett wasn't exactly expected to contend at St. Andrews, but he's put together two brilliant performances and finds himself tied for the lead through 36 holes.
After taking advantage of some pristine conditions on Thursday, Willett finished with a six-under 66, putting him just one stroke off Dustin Johnson's pace. Despite a very damp Old Course on Friday, Willett continued to shine, birdieing three holes on the front side to make the turn with a three-under 33. His back nine didn't go as smoothly, as an even-par 36 led to a three-under 69 for the day.
For those who know Willett's history, this showing in a major was a long time coming. He was formerly ranked the No. 1 amateur in the world and defeated current world No. 1 Rory McIlroy in the British Amateur Championship final. Since then, he had only won one European Tour event until this year, when he took the title in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Willett took a minute to reflect on his current tournament status during a press conference with the Associated Press (via PGATour.com) saying, "It's a childhood dream. Looking at the leaderboard, it's still a little bit surreal."
Still, the Englishman has a long way to go if he is to take the Claret Jug. Johnson remains tied for the lead as he attempts to finish his second round. After opening with a tournament-leading 65 on Thursday, the American started strong on Friday, birdieing three holes on the front nine to make the turn with a three-under 33.
He did go on to birdie No. 10; however, the conditions started to get to him shortly thereafter, as he bogeyed Nos. 11 and 14 to relinquish the tournament's solo lead. Perhaps Friday's darkness saved Johnson, as he's now had time to regroup before completing his final three holes of the second round on Saturday.
Another player who will be gunning for the top of the leaderboard on Saturday is Paul Lawrie. The Scot opened the tournament with a six-under 66 and continued to play well in Friday's tough conditions, recording three birdies and one bogey through 13 holes to move to eight under. With five holes remaining in his second round, he'll have a fair chance to hoist himself atop the standings before day's end.
As for world No. 2 Jordan Spieth, he was in great position after shooting a five-under 67 to open the tournament, and while he's still in contention, he's fallen off the pace just a bit more since. After three birdies and three bogeys through 15 holes in Round 2, he's even par and remains at five under—four strokes off the pace set by Willett and Johnson.
Then there's the matter of players who likely won't be sticking around for the weekend. Since Round 2 has yet to finish, an official cut has yet to be made; however, the projected cut is at even par, and several notable players are sitting well below that line.
A contingent of Americans will be departing from Scotland early, as Brandt Snedeker is through 36 holes at two over par. He's followed by Ryan Moore, Keegan Bradley and J.B. Holmes at three over after two rounds of action. Then there's the matter of Tiger Woods.
Woods is very much in danger of missing his second major cut in a row and third in his last four appearances. He was awful on Thursday, failing to take advantage of perfect conditions to shoot a four-over 76. Through 13 holes in Round 2, he's two over par, moving to six over for the tournament. He'll somehow need to shoot six under through his final five holes to hit the even-par mark. That's not likely.
Finally, Tom Watson finished his illustrious Open Championship career on Friday evening. The 65-year-old followed up his opening-round 76 with an 80 in Round 2 to finish at 12 over. He took his final walk over the Swilcan Bridge in the darkness on Friday, but he can always look back at many fond memories, which included five Open Championship victories.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
