Fleetwood In Contention After Strong Second Round At Portrush

The Englishman will have a late tee time on Saturday after shooting 7 under for 36 holes

Fleetwood In Contention After Strong Second Round At Portrush

Tommy Fleetwood shot three under par 68 on day one at Royal Portrush to make a strong start and went one better on day two at the Open.

Conditions were benign on Friday morning and the Englishman took advantage of them in excellent fashion, making six birdies and just two bogeys to post a 67.

He began with a bogey but got the dropped shot back straight away at the par-5 2nd.

He then birdied the 5th to go out in one under before three birdies in four holes at the 12th, 13th and 15th.

A dropped shot followed at 'Calamity', the difficult 230+ yard par-3, before a closing birdie at 18.

Fleetwood's birdie on 18 got him to 7 under par for the tournament and will ensure a late tee time on Saturday.

This course can make you very uncomfortable and it's very easy to sort of -- you've got to make yourself commit to certain shots, because it's hard visually to see certain shots," he said after his round.

"I'm just looking for another weekend of a major, our biggest major, being out there in contention.

"When these chances come around you want to take them and you want to be known.

"It's your chance of putting your name in the history of the game.

"For sure all of us dream of having majors in our career and taking those opportunities.

"You don't know how many times you're going to actually get the chance to compete at the back end of a draw on Saturday or Sunday in a major, and it's important to embrace it and enjoy it whatever happens.

"You don't know what's going to happen next week or the week after. And you have to realise what a lucky position you're in and how well you've done to get there."

The Englishman hasn't won since the 2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last January but has had a decent 2019 with a T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a T5 at the Players Championship.

He hasn't missed a cut in over a year after the Open de France last July.

Fleetwood's best finish at a Major came at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 where he was 2nd to Brooks Koepka after missing a putt on the 18th green to shoot the first ever 62 in a US Open.

His best Open Championship result came last year at Carnoustie where he was T12th. This week will be his third cut made in six Open appearances.

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