British Open Leaderboard 2019: Friday Score Updates and Tournament Predictions

J.B. Holmes heads into Friday's 2019 British Open second round at the top of the leaderboard at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

The 37-year-old carded a five-under par 66 on Thursday to take top spot by one shot from Ireland's Shane Lowry.

There are a host of big names two shots off the lead. Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia and Tony Finau are all well-positioned ahead of the second day.

However, pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy and three-time champion Tiger Woods are in danger of missing the cut after struggling on Thursday.

Local favourite McIlroy shot an eight-over 79, while Woods did not fare much better with a seven-over 78.

British Open Leaderboard

J.B. Holmes (-5)

Shane Lowry (-4) 

Alex Noren (-3)

Webb Simpson (-3)

Sergio Garcia (-3)

Dylan Frittelli (-3)

Robert MacIntyre (-3)

Kiradech Aphibarnrat (-3)

Ryan Fox (-3)

Tyrrell Hatton (-3)

Tommy Fleetwood (-3)

Brooks Koepka (-3)

Lee Westwood (-3)

Tony Finau (-3)

John Rahm (-3)

Ashton Turner (-3)

The full leaderboard can be found on TheOpen.com

Friday Predictions

Koepka seems to reserve his best performances for the majors and looked in ominous form once again during his opening round:

The 29-year-old has won four of his last nine major starts and has an advantage at the British Open in the shape of his caddie, Ricky Elliott, who grew up in Portrush and knows the course well.

Koepka was asked after his round how much help he had received from the 42-year-old and came up with an entertaining answer:

The two-time U.S. Open champion also talked about he was feeling after his opening round.

"I feel good, I feel very comfortable," Koepka told reporters. "It's a major championship; this is what you're trying to peak for."

It would be no surprise to see the American maintain his consistency throughout the weekend as he bids to pick up his first Open title.

Meanwhile, the spotlight should switch from McIlroy to Lowry on Friday after the duo's contrasting fortunes on Thursday.

Lowry is just a shot off the lead after carding his best opening round at a major tournament:

The 32-year-old has missed the cut in his last four Open Championship appearances but can expect plenty of support on Friday:

Lowry won the North of Ireland Championship in 2008 as an amateur and is in confident mood, per Steve Douglas at the Associated Press.

"I feel like my game is where it's at now (that) if I hit a bad shot, I feel like I can get myself out of trouble," he said. "It's a great place to be in, to be honest. I hope it lasts for another while."

Both Koepka and Lowry look in good shape to challenge Holmes for the lead on Friday, and it would be little surprise to see both players still in contention for the Claret Jug when the tournament concludes on Sunday.