Finau very much in the hunt at Open Championship after strong second round
Finau entered the second round at 1-under but made a bogey on the first hole. The Utah native followed with back-to-back birdies on the next two holes and eagled No. 12 with a 35-foot putt to get to 4-under. The cutline is projected to be 2-over par.
The leader in the clubhouse when Finau finished his round was Brian Harman at 8-under. Haotong Li caught Harmon atop the leaderboard after 14 holes. World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was tied for third at 6-under after six holes. Harmon fired a 6-under par 65.
Finau had a chance to go to 5-under with another spectacular tee shot on the tough 222-yard par-3 16th. Finau birdied that hole on Thursday and had just 7 feet for birdie Friday but he missed with a runout putt that settled 3 feet beyond the cup.
Finau finished his round with pars on 17 and 18 amid a downpour of rain to set up a solid weekend for himself in the winnowed field. He is one stroke ahead of his childhood friend and local Northern Ireland favorite, Rory McIlroy, who finished with a 69 and is at 3-under for the tournament.
Players who finished at 5-under par midday at Portrush when Finau signed his card included Harris English, Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Hojgaard and Robert MacIntyre.
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