Harman shoots clear of Open field hunting Claret Jug

Brian Harman, whose passion is shooting wild turkeys, pigs and deer in the American deep south, is now on the hunt for another major big game trophy – at the British Open.

The US marksman shot the lights out at Royal Liverpool on Friday, with a second-round six-under par 65 to make the 151st edition of golf’s most venerable championship his to lose.

At 10 under for the Championship at halfway, Harman was five shots clear of the field, as the afternoon starters sought to peg back the left-hander’s substantial advantage following his brilliant opening rounds of 67 and 65.

“I’ve been a hunter my entire life – I enjoy the strategy of it,” explained Harman after his round, which featured a run of four birdies in a row from the second hole, 12 straight pars and was capped by a 14-foot eagle putt at the last.

“Yeah, we eat a lot of wild meat at my house, so I enjoy butchering, and I do a lot of hunting.”

Harman, a 36-year old from Sea Island, Georgia who’s enjoyed four wins as a pro and is ranked 26 in the world at the moment, compares the challenges of hunting to those of playing links golf.

“I enjoy the strategy of it. I like links golf. There’s several different options to play golf holes. I enjoy the variety of shots you have to hit,” he explained.

But his opponents will be hoping Harman, who killed his first deer at the age of 12 but is adamant that he doesn’t kill for sport, will end up butchering his own chances of winning a first major after making just one bogey in his first 36 holes.

His half-way total of 132 was exactly the same as that posted by the last two winners of the Open at Hoylake – Tiger Woods in 2006 and Rory McIlroy in 2014 – and he’s in prime position to go one better than the 2017 US Open when he finished second after being the 54-hole leader.

With the afternoon swing beginning to get into full cry and the wind beginning to get up, Harman was still five clear of local favourite Tommy Fleetwood, who was five under after the first four holes, and former winner Jordan Spieth, who was making his move after starting his round at two under.

British favourite Rory McIlroy had crept into the top dozen after second-round 70 had left him at one under for the championship, while Australian Min Woo Lee was lying second among those back in the clubhouse after his second-round 68 put him at three under.

The Open also experienced a similar protest from environmental activists on Friday that other major British sporting events have faced this summer, when four people were arrested after briefly stopping play around the 17th hole.

Police and security guards took action to keep the Just Stop Oil protesters away from the green while American player Billy Horschel helped remove one demonstrator who had tried to throw powdered orange paint.