Tommy Fleetwood surges up Open leaderboard with second round birdie blitz
TOMMY FLEETWOOD surged up the Open leaderboard with a second round birdie blitz to leave him right in the hunt for the Claret Jug.
The Southport swinger, 28, shot a second-round four under 67 to finish on seven under for two rounds, one behind leader JB Holmes.
That is his best 36-hole total in a Major and means he can go all guns blazing over the weekend in the quest to win his first tournament since January last year.
Fleetwood, who bogeyed the first, hit back on the par 5 second before adding more birdies on the fifth, 12th, 13th and 15th.
A dropped shot on the brutal 16th - where fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton blew up - was righted with another birdie on the last.
And Fleetwood has good company because fellow English duo Justin Rose and Lee Westwood are right behind him with a few holes of their second rounds left to play.
Fleetwood, who formed that unforgettable Moliwood partnership alongside Francesco Molinari at the Ryder Cup, was similarly well placed last year.
He shot a six-under 65 in wet conditions at Carnoustie to end up one behind going into the weekend only to finish tied-12th.
And he knows it won't be easy this time after earning a few more grey hairs in his second round.
Latest Open news
He said: "Yesterday I felt like I was a lot more stress-free than today. Today I made two or three really good putts.
"I'm happy with the challenge, to be honest with you. It's not all going to be singing and dancing through a Major.
"I'm happy that I had a chance to scrap today and actually did really well. Was up to the test and, again, did a lot of good stuff."