The Open 2023: second round – as it happened

Brian Harman shot 66 to build a five-shot cushion after day twoJust Stop Oil protest disrupts play on day two of OpenOfficial leaderboard

Hats off to JT, who must have been fearing the worst after that dismal opening shot. He then pulled his second into more trouble on the other side of 1, but class will out eventually, and he wedges from 75 yards to four feet, and tidies up for a nerve-settling par. He’s +11 and like we say, some weird miracle aside, won’t be here for the weekend play, but fingers crossed he gets something going today that will help him turn his form around. And yes that’s more of the sort of aforementioned sympathy he won’t appreciate as a proud pro, but what you gonna do? By the way, he’s going round with Viktor Hovland, who having salvaged a 70 yesterday with three birdies over the last eight holes, is still very much in the hunt … and the 25-year-old Norwegian makes an opening birdie to move to -2.

Three birdies on the bounce for Brian Harman! The result of yet another 20-foot putt. That flat stick is nigh-on molten. The leader stretches his cushion at the top to two strokes. Meanwhile a much-needed birdie for Emiliano Grillo at the par-five 5th. He arrests his morning slide by repairing a third of the damage done. He’s back to -3, alongside Alex Noren, the Swede having made three birdies and three bogeys across his first eight holes.

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