Henley surges into contention at the 153rd British Open
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Updated: 4:30 p.m.
Russell Henley has found some shots.
The Stratford grad buried one long birdie shot and then followed that up with an eagle en route to a sizzling 6-under second round of the 153rd British Open.
Saturday’s 65 is Henley’s best British Open round ever, by one (last year) and tied for his fourth-best round of the season, coming about a month after his third-round 61 at the Travelers Championship. It tied his best round at a major (2018 PGA).
Henley went into the clubhouse tied for fourth, four back of leader Scottie Scheffler. He was tied for seventh at 12:15, with about 30 players still on the course and Scheffler up by six shots after an eagle.
Scheffler started pulling away, his 4-under 67 giving him a four-shot lead over Haotong Li, and lead of eight over Henley and four others tied for ninth.
Henley and Nicolai Højgaard tee off Sunday at 8:50 a.m. EST, in the fifth-to-last group.
Henley had the best round of the day, one better than Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, and Corey Conners.
“I feel great,” Henley told reporters. “Got off to a great start today. I haven't gotten off to the best start the first few. I felt like my game was there the first two days. I just was a little sloppy with iron play or missing on the incorrect side of the hole.
“Hit my driver really well, got the ball in the fairway, and was able to hole some putts.”
The only blemish on the day was a bogey on par-3 No. 6 when Henley’s 13-footer for par slipped past.
He responded with two straight birdies, including a monster 45-footer on No. 8.
Henley turned in a huge approach on 11, going from 158 yards to within 10 feet to birdie.
The eagle followed on the par-5, 532 yard No. 12.
“That one is tough because the wind is off the left and bunkers are off the right, so you aim in the left rough and trust it,” he explained. “You don't want to overcompensate and hit it left of left. I hit it in one of the bunkers the first or second day, and it's just a tricky, frustrating shot.”
He went 312 yards off the tee, leaving him 202 yards from the pin. He was on the money, and then dropped a 27-footer for the his fourth eagle of the season.
“I hit a great drive down the left side, and it was a downwind second shot,” he said. “Hit a 6-iron in. We wanted to keep it below the hole, to about 25 feet, and just hit a really solid putt.”
And then came six straight pars to close the day on a steady run. On four of the final six holes, he was left with par tap-ins of less than two feet.
Henley, who is tied for fifth after three rounds in driving accuracy, is in a similar situation as last year, when a good Saturday lifted him to a top-5 finish.
“I think it gives me some confidence,” he said. “I haven't played that well over here. So I feel like I just kind of take some vibes from last year.”
Then there’s always weather, of some sort, to worry about.
“The wind's down a little bit. It's blowing 10 versus 15 to 20 or whatever. Still some tricky holes, still some really tricky pin locations. Greens are rolling really good. It's warmer. So I think you're going to see guys compress the ball a little bit better and get away with mis-hits a little bit more than when it's cold. Yeah, I think it was just a little more gettable.
“The wind's down a little bit; it's blowing 10 versus 15 to 20 or whatever,” Henley said. “Still some tricky holes, still some really tricky pin locations. Greens are rolling really good. It's warmer.
“So I think you're going to see guys compress the ball a little bit better and get away with mis-hits a little bit more than when it's cold. Yeah, I think it was just a little more gettable.
“Just kind of know that you're probably going to get some weather and go out and do the best you can.”