British Open 2016: Tee Times, Pairings and Predictions for Saturday Schedule
Things are looking good for Phil Mickelson heading into the weekend at the 2016 British Open. The five-time major champion will bring a one-shot lead over Henrik Stenson into Royal Troon on Saturday.
Mickelson was unable to repeat his dazzling opening-round performance on Friday, but a solid 69 was good enough to give him his first-ever 36-hole lead in this tournament.
Stenson vaulted his way into contention with Friday's low score of 65. He has a two-shot cushion over Soren Kjeldsen and Keegan Bradley.
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Here's the full leaderboard after Friday's second round at the British Open:
Saturday Tee Times
| 3:25 a.m. | Haydn Porteous | - |
| 3:35 a.m. | Patton Kizzire | Kodai Ichihara |
| 3:45 a.m. | Bubba Watson | Danny Willett |
| 3:55 a.m. | Jordan Spieth | Brandt Snedeker |
| 4:05 a.m. | Paul Lawrie | Jim Furyk |
| 4:15 a.m. | Kevin Chappell | Harris English |
| 4:25 a.m. | Colin Montgomerie | Ryan Evans |
| 4:35 a.m. | James Hahn | Graeme Mcdowell |
| 4:45 a.m. | Nicolas Colsaerts | Soomin Lee |
| 4:55 a.m. | Justin Rose | Thongchai Jaidee |
| 5:10 a.m. | Ryan Palmer | Jon Rahm |
| 5:20 a.m. | Luke Donald | Zander Lombard |
| 5:30 a.m. | Marco Dawson | Scott Hend |
| 5:40 a.m. | Branden Grace | Justin Thomas |
| 5:50 a.m. | Daniel Summerhays | Thomas Pieters |
| 6 a.m. | Lee Westwood | Charley Hoffman |
| 6:10 a.m. | David Howell | Jason Day |
| 6:20 a.m. | Darren Clarke | Marc Leishman |
| 6:30 a.m. | Harold Varner III | Miguel Angel Jimenez |
| 6:40 a.m. | Mark O’Meara | Ryan Moore |
| 6:55 a.m. | Andy Sullivan | Greg Chalmers |
| 7:05 a.m. | Matt Jones | Richard Sterne |
| 7:15 a.m. | Gary Woodland | Steve Stricker |
| 7:25 a.m. | Jamie Donaldson | Padraig Harrington |
| 7:35 a.m. | Alex Noren | Matthew Southgate |
| 7:45 a.m. | Yuta Ikeda | Webb Simpson |
| 7:55 a.m. | Jason Dufner | Adam Scott |
| 8:05 a.m. | Russell Knox | Kevin Kisner |
| 8:15 a.m. | Rickie Fowler | Tyrrell Hatton |
| 8:25 a.m. | Anirban Lahiri | Emiliano Grillo |
| 8:40 a.m. | KT Kim | Rory Mcilroy |
| 8:50 a.m. | Byeong Hun An | Patrick Reed |
| 9 a.m. | Jim Herman | J.B. Holmes |
| 9:10 a.m. | Dustin Johnson | Francesco Molinari |
| 9:20 a.m. | Rafael Cabrera-Bello | Martin Kaymer |
| 9:30 a.m. | Matt Kuchar | Kevin Na |
| 9:40 a.m. | Sergio Garcia | Andrew Johnston |
| 9:50 a.m. | Charl Schwartzel | Bill Haas |
| 10 a.m. | Tony Finau | Zach Johnson |
| 10:10 a.m. | Keegan Bradley | Soren Kjeldsen |
| 10:20 a.m. | Henrik Stenson | Phil Mickelson |
Saturday Prediction
Any skepticism I had about Mickelson after Thursday largely dissipated in the second round. He did look sluggish after making the turn with two bogeys that left him one-over par on the final nine holes but was otherwise fine.
However, as Golf Channel's Justin Ray noted, there has been a stark difference in the scores posted between players who tee off early and those who tee off late:
Mickelson has had the advantage of getting on the course early the last two days, but he will be starting late over the weekend.
Assuming that pattern holds on Saturday, things will open up for a lot of players. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, who are part of a large group tied for 15th place at two-under par, will have a golden opportunity to make a run.
McIlroy is not to be forgotten in this mix because he had a second round similar to Mickelson's that was strong on the front nine (34) before falling on hard times after making the turn. He had three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from No. 10 through 13.
It's the second straight day McIlroy has fired a 37 on the back nine, so if he can conquer those demons, there's still time for him to make a run.
Yet the player who is lingering near the top of the leaderboard that no one seems to be paying attention to is Zach Johnson. Last year's Open champion is alone in fifth place, five shots behind Mickelson.
Golf Channel noted Johnson's opening-round score puts him in good company among defending champions as he looks to repeat:
Johnson is following a nearly identical pattern to the one he took last year. In 2015, he opened with a 66 and 71 before shooting eight-under over the weekend to win in a three-way playoff.
Ray also noted Johnson's five-under par total through 36 holes is the best by a defending British Open champion since Tiger Woods in 2006.
Per Dave Shedoski, Johnson said after the second round that he is encouraged about his position heading into the weekend: "I feel like my best game is in front of me. I still feel confident in the sense that I'm doing the right things."
Johnson also has the kind of game that will hold up well in the rough Scotland weather. He's not a big hitter, with an average driving distance this season of 281.5 yards, but he is effective at placing the ball close to the hole on approach shots. He ranks 32nd in overall putting average.
A big hitter like Mickelson, who also likes to take a lot of risks, is a volatile presence who is as likely to post another 63 as he is a 79. Johnson doesn't have the upside to post the lowest score of the day, but he's always going to be around 66-70 each day.
By the time Saturday's third round ends, Johnson will be on the leader's tail. Stenson will eventually overtake Mickelson, but all eyes will be on the defending champion as he looks to become the first player to win back-to-back Open titles since Padraig Harrington in 2007-08.
Stats via PGATour.com.
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