Johnson, Kisner share house, British Open lead

Top two in world miss the cut, but former Lobo Green survives it

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Think it’s tough to read the greens at the British Open?

Try predicting the topsy-turvy leaderboard.

Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas — Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, respectively — missed the cut Friday, and No. 3 Justin Rose needed to make a putt on 18 to get in. Meanwhile, Bernhard Langer, who has been a mainstay since the 1980s, is happily sticking around.

“It just goes to show it’s not easy,” said Langer, 60, who shot par Friday and is 2-over heading into the weekend, one stroke better than the plus-3 cut line.

Zach Johnson and Kevin Kisner, among several American players sharing a house near the course, lead after two rounds at 6-under. San Diego’s Pat Perez was at 6-under too until bogeying the final hole. He’s in a cluster at 5-under.

Former New Mexico Lobo Gavin Green of Malaysia (72-73) survived the cut at 3-over.

On a dreary summer day, cool and wet, the umbrellas went up and the distances came down, the rain-softened fairways restoring some sense of normalcy. Later in

the day, the skies did clear.

A day after players were hitting 5-irons 300 yards, as if they were playing on the moon, circus golf packed up and left town.

“The fairways definitely didn’t have as much fire in them,” said Rory McIlroy, who matched his opening-round 69 to grab a share of fifth place heading into the weekend. “But it was cold as well, so the ball just wasn’t going very far. I was surprised there were a couple of holes where I thought I’d hit shots that were going to end up in a fairway bunker or close to it, and they were a good bit short of that.”

Kisner, the first-round leader, carried that momentum into Friday and continued to build on it. Down the stretch he got to 8-under, a two-stroke lead over the field. But he stumbled on the 18th hole when his ball rolled into the burn, the creek in front of the green. That double bogey pulled him back into the pack a bit, and he’s now tied for the lead.

Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a courserecord 63 here last summer, came close to that Friday with a 65 that put him within a shot of Johnson.

“It’s not a course record, but it’s pretty good,” said Fleetwood, who atoned for his relatively routine 72 in the opening round.

Although he has never won a major, Fleetwood has come close, tying the course record on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills to finish second in this year’s U.S. Open. He’s instantly identifiable by his flowing long hair and neatly trimmed beard, looking like the lead in “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

McIlroy, who had a wild hairstyle as a teen when he burst onto the scene here in 2007, is looking to win his fifth major and first since 2014.

Tiger Woods, playing in his first British Open since 2015, shot par 71 for a second straight day. It has been five years since he has entered the weekend of a major at even par or better, the last time being the British Open at Muirfield in 2013.

“It’s a pretty packed leaderboard,” he said, “and I’m certainly right there in it.”

Brooks Koepka, winner of the past two U.S. Opens, is at 1-under but well within striking range, particularly on this unpredictable course.

This championship is an especially comfortable one for Zach Johnson, winner of the 2015 British Open and 2007 Masters. According to ESPN, he has 10 rounds of 67 or better in majors.