Friday Storylines at The Open

My dad used to tell me that if I wanted to learn more about sports, I should stop watching SportsCenter and start reading the newspaper. His point was that ESPN covered sports in two-minute segments and told only a tiny portion of the story. The same can be said for televised golf. Most golf broadcasts cover the leaders and big names to drive ratings. Because of that, there are many rounds you don't hear about. This is my article about a few of the stories and players you might not have heard much about on the broadcast. 

‍Dan Brown, T2- It wasn't long ago that Brown played mini-tours. Less than three years ago, he was playing on the EuroPro Tour, a mini-tour in the U.K. that doesn't even exist anymore. There, on the final day of the final event, he shot a back nine 33 that vaulted him to T2. He finished 4th on the Order of Merit and earned his Challenge Tour card. Two seasons later, he will tee off in contention on the weekend at The Open Championship. Although the round was covered a good bit on TV, I don't think the broadcast has yet explained just how long the road has been for Brown to reach this moment. 

‍Dustin Johnson, T13- D.J. started the season with a win in the second LIV event, but to say the rest of the season has been a struggle would be an understatement. He has just one top-10 (a 7th) in the eight events since. His 69 on Friday was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 16th. D.J. has played well in The Open over his career, with five top-10s, including two in the past three years. 

‍Gary Woodland, T18- The former U.S. Open winner is one of the year's best stories on the PGA Tour after returning to competition following brain surgery. Considering what he has been through, it’s unsurprising that the University of Kansas alum has struggled on the course. Woodland has made just nine of 18 cuts with no top-10s and one top-25. He finds himself 166th in FedEx Cup points. After opening with a 5-over 76 yesterday, Woodland made just one bogey on Friday on his way to a 3-under 68. The 68 was tied for the day's best score and launched Woodland up 78 spots on the leaderboard to T18. 

‍Jeunghan Wang, T18- The three-time European Tour winner has struggled in recent years and fell to 434th in OWGR coming into this week. He missed the cut in all three of his starts on the DPWT this season and made just ten of 26 in 2023. Earlier this season, at the Asian Tour’s Malaysian Open, Wang finished 2nd to earn a spot in this week's field, but seeing him in the top-20 this week is a surprise. The South Korean had not played in a major since 2017, and hadn't made a cut in his previous six major appearances. 

‍Kurt Kitayama, T38- The UNLV grad has struggled with just one top-10 this season. Although he shot 33 on the front nine Friday, he bogeyed the first three holes of the back nine and found himself two shots off the cut line. However, he played the last six holes in 2-under, punctuated by a birdie at the last. The made cut gives him three years in a row of making the weekend at The Open Championship. He will look to improve on his career-best finish of T60. 

‍John Catlin, T38- Yes, I picked him to be the surprise winner this week, and no, he probably won't be. But what a second round to make the cut! After opening with a 5-over 76, Catlin had an afternoon tee time Friday when the weather was at its worst – making the cut seemed unlikely. Catlin has had a career resurgence this year after struggling for a few years, and on Friday, he birdied three of the last four holes to post a 1-under 70 and make the cut by two. 

‍Alex Cejka, T54—On Thursday, the  53-year-old German finished his opening round with eight consecutive pars and signed for a 2-over 73. Although he bogeyed the final two holes on Friday, Cejka finished with a 3-over 74 and made the cut on the number. This is the first time Cejka has played in The Open Championship since 2008, and his first made cut since 2001.

 Andy Ogletree, T54- Last season, the former U.S. Amateur champion had a career rebirth, winning on the Asian Tour three times in 10 months, and easily winning the Order of Merit. That earned him a spot on Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers on LIV but Ogletree has struggled badly this season. He is currently 38th in points on LIV and has just one top-10, so coming into this week, expectations were low. However, he battled Friday to shoot a 1-over 72 and earn a tee time for the weekend. 

‍Jorge Campillo, T69- On Thursday, Campillo hit his approach at the par-4 18th to five feet and made the putt for birdie. Despite that, the Spaniard signed for an opening in round 80. He had almost no chance to make the cut, but as they say, that's why they play the game! On Friday, he opened with a front nine score of a two-under 34. He birdied the 10th and parred the last eight holes, signing for a three-under 68. The round was tied for the best round of the day. 

‍Tommy Morrison, T69- The six-foot-nine-inch junior at the University of Texas earned a spot in the field after becoming the first American to win the European Amateur at the end of June. Today, he played the last three holes in 1-under to finish with a 73, and made the cut on the number. 

‍