British Open 2018: Live Leaderboard Results for Friday

Zach Johnson surged into an early lead at the 2018 British Open on Friday, as he moved to six-under par for the tournament.

Johnson's four-under-par round of 67 sees him one shot clear of Tommy Fleetwood, who shot the low round of the week so far with an excellent 65. Also in the clubhouse is Rory McIlroy, and the Northern Irishman is just two shots back on the leader.

Overnight leader Kevin Kisner, who was five-under par after Day 1, goes off in the afternoon as he seeks to reel in his compatriot.

Here are the early standings from Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland, after the early rounds and a recap of some of the best moments of the day.

Leaderboard as of 3 p.m. (BST)/ 10 a.m. (ET)

-6 (67) Zach Johnson

-5 (65) Tommy Fleetwood

-4 (69) Rory McIlroy

-2 (70) Thorbjorn Olesen

-1 (73) Ryan Moore

-1 (71) Alex Noren

-1 (70) Charley Hofman

-1 (70) Adam Scott

Completed rounds only. For the live leaderboard visit the Open website.

Johnson Nudges in Front on Friday

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

With some rain overnight, the Carnoustie course was a little softer for the players on Friday morning. However, the advantages they may have gained from that were offset by howling wind and rain.

The conditions didn't appear to bother Johnson too much. He was exceptional after recovering from a bogey at the first hole, playing some fine iron shots into the greens and making clutch putts. 

It left the 2015 Open champion one shot clear of the field by the end of his round.

Golf analyst Jason Sobel noted the American seems to relish these testing venues:

There's still so much golf to play, though, and Johnson has some elite players in close contention. Fleetwood, just one shot back, is beginning to look like a major champion in waiting.

After a runners-up finish at the U.S. Open, he showed his pedigree on the big stage again on Friday, bouncing back from a poor day with the low round of the week so far. There were no bogeys on the Englishman's card, as he knocked in six birdies.

Journalist Chris Fallica observed Fleetwood has a habit of bouncing back after poor starts:

Here's Fleetwood's excellent birdie putt from the final hole:

McIlroy is an ominous presence on the leaderboard, as the 2014 champion continued to look rock solid around Carnoustie.

Throughout 2018, McIlroy has had some issues on the greens, although in the main he putted well on Friday. At one stage he did make it to five-under overall, but a poor approach at 15 cost him the chance to finish the day level with Fleetwood.

Former England international Gary Lineker couldn't resist a joke after a good day for the men from the United Kingdom:

Per Justin Ray of the Golf Channel, the signs are positive for the four-time major winner heading into the weekend:

One man who won't be around for the weekend is world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, as he had a weekend to forget and finished six-over. He double-bogeyed the last, adding to his triple at the same hole on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 2016 champion Henrik Stenson faces a nervous wait to see if he will make the cut. The Swede was uncharacteristically sloppy as he went around in 75, leaving him on three-over at the midpoint of the tournament.