Royal Birkdale bites back in Round 2

SOUTHPORT, England – News and notes from Friday’s second round of The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Sergio’s injury scare Sergio Garcia almost knocked himself out of The Open. Frustrated after a chip shot came up short of the green at the par-3 fourth, Garcia took his club and hit the nearby gorse bush that had restricted his swing. He then grabbed his shoulder in pain. Eventually, he needed on-course treatment and “a good amount of pills to make it feel better.â€� He planned to have more treatment after his round. He bogeyed the fourth, but despite the pain, he shot a 1-under 69 that left him at 2 over entering the weekend. “Obviously I’m not happy about it because I almost screwed up my British Open,â€� the Masters champ said. “Fortunately for me I didn’t. But obviously it’s not what you want to do. But sometimes you’re out there and you’re trying your hardest, and when you can’t do it, it gets a little frustrating. We’ve all had those moments.â€� At least someone had fun Friday Zach Johnson cracked his driver on Tuesday. That’s not a good thing in any week – but especially on a major week. And especially coming off a terrific driving performance at last week’s John Deere Classic. Johnson had a comfort level with his old driver, but now had to seek one with the replacement driver. That comfort wasn’t there in Thursday’s first round, when he shot a 5-over 75. But it was there on Friday, when Johnson posted a 4-under 66 to move to 1 over heading into the weekend. “The one I’ve got, I think, is very good,â€� Johnson said about his replacement. “It’s not like it’s that much different. But everything is different. I can’t tell a difference in golf balls, but you give me any different iron or club, there’s a difference.â€� The difference between the first and second rounds for Johnson was essentially the same difference between his score Friday and the rest of the field. When Johnson signed for his 66, his score was nine strokes lower than the field average at the time. “Fantastic golf,â€� said fellow American Matt Kuchar. “Very, very impressive.â€� Although Johnson’s T-5 finish last week was his best result on the PGA TOUR in 16 months, he wasn’t happy with two bogeys on his back nine Sunday that took him out of contention. And he certainly wasn’t happy with his opening round. But he took out his frustrations on the range afterwards – and he also got comfortable with his replacement driver. So comfortable that he ranked Friday’s round among his top five all-time in the majors. “There were so many positives today,â€� said the 2015 Open champ. “I don’t know where to start. It was fun. It was a lot of fun.â€� Asked if he thought many others in the field would have fun Friday in the windy conditions, Johnson replied: “Hopefully not many. It would be a shame.â€� Kooch kicks back Matt Kuchar was in the 12th of 52 groups to tee off Friday. By the time he finished his round, his fellow first-round co-leaders – Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka – had not struck a shot. Since all players tee off from hole No. 1, play is extended well into the evening. Kuchar was the solo leader at 6 under after 15 holes, but a couple of late bogeys left him one shot behind Spieth and Koepka. Still, Kuchar was glad to have finished 36 holes in contention, and was looking forward to sitting back and watching the others try to handle the apparently worsening weather conditions. “One of the cool things over here, whether it’s Thursday or Friday … is getting to go back to the room, put on the TV and watch the guys play in the afternoon – and particularly in tough conditions,â€� Kuchar said. “I think that’s kind of what we know about The Open, and I think that’s what people enjoy about the British Open – watching the hard wind, the rain, the guys just trying to survive out there. “Today is my day.â€� Kuchar was anxious to see if anybody could catch his total of 4 under for two rounds. He suspects the players with later tee times did not have as much fun watching TV as he planned to have. “I don’t know that the guys that watched this morning get to think, ‘holy cow, this is going to be great. I get to go out and do this this afternoon,’â€� Kuchar said. “So in my situation having been out there, posted a nice round and now get to watch is fun.â€�

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