British Open -- Day 2 Wrap-Up

At the halfway point of the U.S. Open this year, there was only one person within seven shots of the leader. At the halfway point of the British Open, 72 golfers -- every single man who made the cut -- is within seven shots of the lead. Part of this is because the folks who run the British Open set Royal St. George's up in a way that has discouraged both birdies and bogeys, thereby keeping everyone close to par. The other part is that no one has shown the type of consistent excellence demonstrated by McIlroy at Congressional.

So as we head into the weekend, the tournament is really up for grabs. Here are the latest odds from Britain as to the winner:

Kaymer: 6/1
McIlroy: 8/1
Schwartzel: 10/1
Clarke: 14/1
Glover: 14/1

That seems about right to me. It is interesting that Kaymer, McIlroy, Schwartzel, and Glover are all recent major winners. If one of them becomes the first of the group to win his second major, he will open up a significant gap with his contemporaries. Other long-time stars that have never won a major -- including Darren Clarke, Sergio Garcia (currently at even par), and Thomas Bjorn -- have their own chance to make history.

Plus, the weather is supposed to be dreadful tomorrow. That's always a lot of fun.

Five of the world's top-ten golfers missed the cut, including World Number 1 Luke Donald (+6) , Number 2 Lee Westwood (+4), Number 7 Matt Kuchar (+11), Number 9 Graeme McDowell (who followed up a 68 yesterday with a dreadful 77), and Number 10 Nick Watney (who shot a 39 on the back side today to miss the cut by two shots.

J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville was even par for the tournament at the turn today, but he shot a 39 on the back to miss the cut by one shot. On the other hand, Jeff Overton of Evansville is one under par and right in the thick of things.

Other notables who missed the cut include Justin Leonard (who opened the tournament with three birdies in a row), Hunter Mahan (who bogeyed the last hole to miss by a stroke), Padraig Harrington, Angel Cabrera, John Daly (+6), Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els, Mark Calcavecchia (who shot 69 yesterday and 79 today), and 2003 Champion Ben Curtis (+11).

Oh, and one more note: Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy will play together for the third consecutive day tomorrow, as their ongoing Ryder Cup match continues.

The leaderboard after the second round:

T1. D. Clarke (NIR): -4 (68+68=136)
T1. L. Glover: -4 (66+70=136)

T3. C. Campbell: -3 (69+68=137)
T3. M. Kaymer (GER): -3 (68+69=137)
T3. T. Bjorn (DEN): -3 (65+72=137)
T3. M.A. Jimenez (ESP): -3 (66+71=137)

T7. P. Larrazabal (ESP): -2 (68+70=138)
T7. C. Schwartzel (RSA): -2 (71+67=138)
T7. D. Love: -2 (70+68=138)
T7. T. Lehman: -2 (71+67=138)
T7. G. Coetzee (RSA): -2 (69+69=138)
T7. D. Johnson: -2 (70+68=138)
T7. A. Hansen (DEN): -2 (69+69=138)