Spieth, Koepka slip back as rain halts play

SOUTHPORT, United Kingdom: Overnight joint leaders Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka both dropped shots on the front nine in their second round at the British Open on Friday before play was halted by heavy rain.

With torrential downpours on the north-west English coast leaving some greens waterlogged, play was temporarily suspended just after 5:30pm (1630 GMT).

After opening with a superb 65 at Royal Birkdale on Thursday, Spieth picked up a birdie at the 1st but bogeyed the 3rd and dropped another shot at 9 after overshooting the green with his approach.

That saw him drop back to four under par, although in increasingly heavy downpours, the world number three then saved par at the 10th by holing a chip from just off the back of the green.

US Open champion Koepka dropped a stroke at the notoriously difficult 6th hole to go back to four under par, where he remained at the turn.

Matt Kuchar, the other joint leader overnight, shot 71 earlier in the day to lead in the clubhouse on four under par.

Also out on the course on -4 was Richard Bland. The Englishman, whose last Open appearance came here at Birkdale 19 years ago, built on his opening 67 with two birdies in the first four holes but then dropped a stroke at the 6th.

Ian Poulter was three under par after 16 holes, with world number two Hideki Matsuyama also -3 after eight holes.

Kuchar had ended Thursday in a share of the lead at five-under alongside compatriots Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka after a flawless opening 65 that gave him some leeway as the winds blew across the Royal Birkdale course throughout his second round.

The 39-year-old, who has never won a major, produced a mixed bag of a round with four bogeys and three birdies and endured a particularly disappointing finish, dropping shots at two of the last three holes.

But he is now set up perfectly to be one of the contenders for the Claret Jug heading into the weekend.

“Conditions were really hard today, certainly what we expect coming over here,” said the Florida-born Kuchar, whose best finish in a major to date is tied third in the Masters in 2012.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, playing with Kuchar, shot a level-par round of 70 to remain at two-under for the championship, while behind him Rory McIlroy has given himself a chance going into the weekend.

The 2014 Open champion at Hoylake built on his strong finish to his opening round on Thursday, when he shot a one-over 71, to fire a 68 that put him safely in the clubhouse at one under par.

On Thursday, McIlroy was five-over through his first six holes — on Friday he was three under par after the same stretch.

There were dropped shots at 13 and 15 but a birdie at the long 17th helped complete a largely satisfactory day for the world number four.

Playing alongside McIlroy, former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel had at one point shot to the top of the leaderboard when he followed his opening round of 66 by claiming a birdie at the short fourth.

But things quickly unravelled for the South African, who had two double-bogeys and five bogeys as he ended up eight-over-par for the day and at +4 for the championship.

Nevertheless, with the projected cut standing at four-over, Schwartzel remains hopeful of making the weekend, as does world number one Dustin Johnson, who is three-over after a 72.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia shot a 69 to move to two-over while his fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm (+3) is another set to make the cut.

The same cannot, however, be said of former world number one Jason Day, with the Australian shooting 76 to sit perilously at five over par.

Last year’s runner-up Phil Mickelson is heading home — he had a disastrous 77 in the second round and is +10 in total.