PGA: Weather batters players in second round of Open Championship

High winds and difficult playing conditions battered the best golfers in the world on Friday as scores ballooned during the morning wave at the 146th Open Championship being contested at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.

No one made a charge up the leaderboard in the early wave as most of the golfers were focused on just surviving the round.

Overnight leaders Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka were set to tee off in the mid-afternoon wave and still sat atop the leaderboard at 5 under par when their rounds began. First-round co-leader Matt Kuchar shot a 1-over-par 71 on Friday, and was a stroke behind Spieth and Koepka after his round.

There were only four under-par rounds from those in the morning wave, including a remarkable 66 by American Zach Johnson (the 2015 Open Championship winner) that garnered him a two-day total 141.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (the 2014 Open Champion) shot a 68 in the morning for a two-round total of 139 while American Jamie Lovemark and Sergio Garcia of Spain, the current Masters champion, carded 69s, and are at 140 and 142, respectively.

Constant 25-mph winds impacted the players as they battled the demanding golf course but the expected heavy rain stayed away, at least for the early part of the day. The forecast still called for an 80 percent chance of rain through the late afternoon hours and into the evening.