[The Open] Oosthuizen Leads on Second Day "Seen the Lowest Score in 36 Holes? ... Byeong-Hun An 25th Place"

149th D-Open Day 2: Morikawa at 5 Under Par, 2nd Place 2 Strokes Behind, Rahm's 6 Under Par Daily Best Storm Shots

Louis Oosthuizen is teeing off on the 1st hole on the second day of the 149th Open. Sandwich (England) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘36-hole lowest score’.

‘Shrek’ Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) added 5 under par on the second day of the 149th Open Championship, the final major of the 2021 season, held on the 17th (Korean time) at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England (par 70, 7,189 yards), taking a 2-stroke lead at 11 under par 129. World No. 4 Collin Morikawa and No. 2 Jordan Spieth (both USA) are chasing in 2nd place (9 under par 131) and 3rd place (8 under par 132), respectively.

Oosthuizen recorded one eagle, four birdies, and one bogey. He started with a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4), followed by birdies on the 7th hole (par 5), and consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes. The highlight was an eagle on the 14th hole (par 5) with a ‘2-on 1-putt’. He hit the fairway only once and missed the green just three times, relying on precise shots, complemented by an average of 1.61 putts per hole, demonstrating excellent putting. The only bogey on the 16th hole (par 3) was somewhat disappointing.

His 6 under par on the first day was the lowest first-round score in this tournament’s history, and the 129 strokes on this day set a new record by beating the previous 130 strokes set by Nick Faldo (England) in 1992 at Muirfield and Brandt Snedeker (USA) in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes by one stroke. For Oosthuizen, this is a chance to reclaim the title for the first time in 11 years since 2010 and to wash away the disappointment of finishing runner-up in majors at the PGA Championship in May and the US Open in June. He fired up his fighting spirit, saying, "I won’t think about second place."

‘Number 1’ Dustin Johnson (USA) is tied for 4th place (7 under par 133). Another point of interest is Jon Rahm (Spain), the top favorite, who posted a daily best 6 under par, soaring to a tie for 12th place (5 under par 135), aiming for back-to-back major wins following last month’s US Open. In Korea, An Byeong-hun (30, CJ Logistics) is tied for 25th place (3 under par 137). ‘Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau (USA) fell back to a tie for 65th place (1 over par 141).

Ahn Byung-hoon is attempting a bunker shot on the 16th hole during the second day of the 149th Open. Sandwich (England) = Getty Images / Multibits

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.