British Open 2016: Live Leaderboard Results for Saturday at Royal Troon

The duel between Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson continues Saturday at the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon.

Mickelson almost made history Thursday, shooting a 63 to storm to the top of the leaderboard. He cooled Friday but didn't look back, securing a 69 to lead Stenson by a single stroke.

Stenson himself improved on a 68 Thursday with a 65 Friday. The Swedish star is flanked by five Americans in the top seven going into Saturday.

Here's a look at the leaderboard:

Mother Nature has had her say in the proceedings thus far, but Mickelson and other leaders got on the course early Friday and were able to mostly miss the worst of the conditions. 

Then again, Mickelson saw a huge advantage Thursday by missing on some of the whipping winds able to carry balls even through the strongest of drives and talented of touches. PGA.com's Matt S. Craig explained:

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Players who had afternoon tee times on day one played on a golf course with absolutely no wind. Those advantageous conditions yielded low scores, such as Phil Mickelson's impressive 63. This same group of players received a huge advantage on Friday, teeing off in the morning in a light wind and rain that may have been uncomfortable but softened the course considerably. All 10 of Friday's rounds in the 60's came from those that teed off in the morning.

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Mickelson now boasts one of the later tee times Saturday alongside the other leaders, where hindsight into the weather and his play will become a major topic once again. 

For now, folks can look back on his Round 2 rather agreeably. He started with three birdies on the front nine, then cooled with one on the back nine to go with a pair of bogeys. Not a red flag when it comes to possible wavering consistency, but something to keep an eye on this weekend.

Stenson seems headed in the opposite direction.

The man carded seven birdies on the day and summed up his performance quite well, per The European Tour:

Per Craig, Stenson sits on a 31-of-36 mark his through two rounds when it comes to hitting greens in regulation. This isn't much of a surprise coming from a guy who has three top-three finishes at the British Open already.

Rounding out the top five are Keegan Bradley and Soren Kjeldsen at seven under and Zach Johnson two strokes behind them.

Bradley has never finished better than tied for 15th at the British Open, but he has shot just three bogeys through two rounds thus far. If fans want an underdog to win, Kjeldsen is the guy—he's only finished in the top 10 twice at majors, dating back to 2001.

Johnson, on the other hand, is the defending champion and a 67 on Thursday helped make up for a round of 70 on Friday, keeping him within striking range of a repeat performance if he can put together a strong weekend while others falter against the course or weather, if not both.

“I feel like my best game is in front of me. It (trying to retain the title) is irrelevant, I haven’t really felt any more pressure, if I am to be honest with you," Johnson said, according to TheOpen.com.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

The rest of the leaderboard offers intrigue, for better or worse.

Entering Saturday, Jason Day hadn't shot better than a 70. Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson haven't done much outside of spar with the cut line. The former hasn't shot better than a 71, the latter a 70. Both had miserable Friday outings, shooting 75 and 76, respectively.

Rory McIlroy had a Thursday 69 cushion his level-par 71 on Friday. 

Ben Curtis/Associated Press

There's something about this tournament, tee times or other, clumping notable names together. Joining McIlroy at two under going into Saturday is Patrick Reed, the guy who at one point clutched the tournament in his grip and sparred with Mickelson.

Reed posted a terrific 66 on Thursday and fell off the proverbial cliff the day after with a three-over 74. 

Unfortunately for Reed, he's the strongest example of what the course can do to the best of the best. Pair it with unpredictable weather and fans have one of the most difficult tournaments of the year on their hands, one capable of producing the most deserving of winners.

Viewed in this light, Mickelson is still a long, long way off from claiming his second British Open title. The field has something to say about it, as do external factors already heavily influencing play.

Stats and info courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise specified.