Brian Harman's immaculate second round positions him with formidable target at the Open.

Brian Harman sets clubhouse target, leaving Rory McIlroy with challenge.

In the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, American golfer Brian Harman has set a challenging target for Rory McIlroy to overcome in order to end his major drought. Harman had an impressive second round, carding four consecutive birdies on the front nine and sinking a 15-foot putt for an eagle on the 18th hole. This flawless round of 65 allowed him to finish with a halfway total of 10-under-par, matching the scores achieved by McIlroy in 2014 and Tiger Woods in 2006. However, both McIlroy and Woods were 12 under par when they won the championship, as the course was a par-72 at that time.

McIlroy, who is currently nine shots behind Harman, managed to birdie the 18th hole in his second round to add a score of 70 to his opening round of 71. Harman, aiming to become only the third left-handed golfer to win the Open, expressed his satisfaction with his performance and credited his hot putter for his success. He emphasized the importance of staying focused and not getting too caught up in the competition, drawing from his experience of holding the 54-hole lead at the 2017 US Open.

Harman's exceptional round came after tournament officials made a unique adjustment to the bunkers between rounds. The course's 82 bunkers, described by Masters champion Jon Rahm as "proper penalty structures," caused difficulties for players, with some having to play backwards out of them. In response, the R&A instructed the greenkeeping staff to build up the edges of the bunkers to allow balls to roll back into the center more easily. This decision was made due to the bunkers drying out more than expected, causing balls to run straight up against the face of the bunkers.

Even players who managed to escape the bunkers successfully expressed their concerns about the course conditions. Former champion Stewart Cink, who had a bogey-free round of 68, commented on the flat bottoms of the bunkers, stating that if a ball comes in with any momentum, it goes straight up to the lip and stops. He described the bunkers as very penalizing, lacking the upslope that could assist players. The R&A will continue to monitor the conditions closely for the remainder of the championship.

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