The Open Leaderboard After Round Two: Tommy Fleetwood and the Home Crowd Magic

What Is the Leaderboard Telling Us?

Imagine golf as a game where you try to finish the course with as few shots as possible. In "The Open" (a big, famous golf tournament), players are ranked by how many shots under a set number (par) they are. The more under, the better!

Here is how things stood after the second round:

• -8 Lucas Herbert (Australia)
• -6 Jason Suber (USA), Rhein Gibson? (actually R Gerard, USA), Cameron Young (USA)
• Selected players at -5: Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
• At -4: Robert MacIntyre (Scotland), Tommy Fleetwood (England), Matt Wallace (England), Alex Fitzpatrick (England), Jon Rahm (Spain), Scottie Scheffler (USA – he is the defending champion and world number one)
• At -3: Daniel Brown (England), Tyrrell Hatton (England), Shane Lowry (Ireland)
• At -1: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)

Important Point: A negative number like "-8" means the player used 8 fewer shots than the standard target. Lucas Herbert is winning because he is the most "under" par.

You can see the Full leaderboard here.

Who Is Doing Well from Britain?

England’s Tommy Fleetwood says the cheering from his home crowd at Birkdale has "100%" helped him stay in the running to win.

• Fleetwood grew up nearby in Southport.
• On Friday, he scored a "three-under 67" (that means 3 shots better than the day’s target of 70).
• This moved him to joint eighth place at 4 under par.

He is not alone! Other British and Spanish stars are right there with him:

• Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is tied with Fleetwood.
• English players Matt Wallace and Alex Fitzpatrick are also at -4.
• Spain’s Jon Rahm and USA’s Scottie Scheffler (the defending champ) are in that same group.

How Far Behind Is the Chasing Pack?

The group at -4 is four shots behind the leader, Lucas Herbert from Australia.

• Herbert shot a record-equalling 62 on Friday – that is super low and very impressive!
• Bryson DeChambeau is also near the top at -5, even after a controversial two-shot penalty for "inadvertently improving his lie" (basically, he accidentally made his ball’s resting spot a tiny bit easier to hit).

Important Point: Despite all the drama, the fans will be watching Fleetwood the most on Saturday because he is the local favorite.

Why Everyone Loves Tommy Fleetwood

• The home fans have given him huge cheers over the first two days.
• He is trying to win his first "major" (one of golf’s four biggest tournaments).
• On day one, he scored 69 (a bit under par), and on day two he worked hard, then made 3 birdies (one shot under par on a hole) in the last 5 holes to make the crowd go wild.

Fleetwood said:

"They’ve been an absolute pleasure to play in front of for these two days. I love that I played some good golf there and something to cheer about. They make a big difference to me. They helped me so much when I was struggling. You can’t ask for any more than what they’re giving me."

He is super relatable:

• He played at nearby Formby Hall as a kid.
• He sometimes sneaked over Royal Birkdale’s fence to dream about playing there.
• He still sounds like a local lad, even though he is a PGA Tour winner and Ryder Cup star.

If he wins on Sunday, the celebration would be like nothing Birkdale has ever seen!

How Does Fleetwood Feel About the Pressure?

Even with all the love, there is pressure. But Fleetwood says it is good pressure:

1. His own expectations are huge.
2. His dreams started right here at Birkdale.
3. He says: "Of course there’s pressure. My own expectations are huge, and my own dreams started here. All that stuff’s massive, but it’s only good stuff."

Summary

After two rounds of The Open at Royal Birkdale:

• Lucas Herbert (Australia) leads at -8.
• A big group including Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, and Scottie Scheffler are at -4, four shots back.
• Fleetwood, a local hero, says the home crowd has helped him big time.
• He is chasing his first major win, and the fans would love nothing more than to see him do it on Sunday.

FAQ

Q1: What does "-4" mean on a golf leaderboard?
A: It means the player finished the round (or total so far) 4 shots under the expected number of shots (par). Lower (more negative) is better.

Q2: Why is Tommy Fleetwood called a "local favorite"?
A: Because he grew up very close to the Birkdale course in Southport and the nearby fans feel like they know him and cheer extra loud for him.

Q3: What happened with Bryson DeChambeau’s penalty?
A: He got a two-shot penalty because he accidentally made his ball’s spot a little easier to hit, which is not allowed.

Q4: What is a "major" in golf?
A: It is one of the four biggest and most important tournaments in golf. Winning one is a huge deal!