Brian Harman’s great second round capped by eagle at No. 18

Harman shot six-under 65 on Friday to pull away from the field. At least temporarily. 

He has a five-stroke lead over Tommy Fleetwood, who tees off at 9:48 a.m. ET. 

Harman was strong from the beginning of the second round with four birdies in the first five holes. His birdie on No. 5 was perhaps his most impressive, aided by a remarkable approach shot that was nearly an eagle itself.

He also avoided any self-inflicted wounds with no bogeys during the round. He parred 12 consecutive holes with an impressive save at No. 12.

Harman ended the round on the ultimate high note with his eagle. The last time he made one at The Open was on the 10th hole during the final round of the 2014 Open, which also happened to be the last time prior to 2023 the event took place at Hoylake’s Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

It took a span of 332 holes, but it will be worth the wait if it propels him to his first major championship. 

Harman’s trending in the right direction over the past couple of Open Championships. After missing the cut in four consecutive events from 2015-2019, he had his first top-20 finish in 2021. Last year, he finished tied for sixth, his second-best finish overall at a major.