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Max Homa Makes Cut, but Way Behind Leader Brian Harman at The Open

The other Cal alum, Collin Morikawa, misses cut. Brian Harman leads by five shots after two rounds
Jake Curtis|
Max Homa Makes Cut, but Way Behind Leader Brian Harman at The Open
Max Homa Makes Cut, but Way Behind Leader Brian Harman at The Open

Max Homa had an up-and-down day at The Open on Friday, leaving him nine shots behind leader Brian Harman. But at least Homa will be around for the final two rounds at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

That is more than his playing partner and fellow Cal alumnus Collin Morikawa can say, because Morikawa missed the cut. Morkawa is not alone, however, as Tony Finau, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson also missed the cut.

No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler had to make a birdie on the final hole to make the cut, and Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler all finished the second round on the cutline number of 3-over, allowing them to continue this weekend. Defending Open champion Cameron Smith carded an eagle on the final hole to get to 2-over and avoid elimination.

They are some of the big names that find themselves well back in the pack, and everyone is chasing Harman, who has a five-shot lead on the field after shooting a 6-under-par 65 on Friday, putting him at 10-for the tournament heading into Saturday's third round.

"I've had a hot putter the last couple days, so try to ride it through the weekend," Harman said. "Thirty-six holes to go, so try to rest up and get ready."

Harman has not won a PGA Tour event since 2017

Five strokes back of Harman is Englishman Tommy, who is at 5-under after an even-par round of 70 on Friday. One stroke behind Fleetwood in third place is Sepp Straka, who shot a 4-under-par 67 to put him at 4-under for the tournament.

Homa had only four pars on Friday in a weird second round. He had six birdies, but that was offset by six bogeys and one double bogey. It added up to a 2-over-par round of 73, leaving him at 1-under for the tournament, nine shots off the lead but just four strokes out of second place.

Homa was at 4-under for the tournament at one point Friday, but could not maintain that pace. He shot 3 over par over his final eight holes.

Morikawa, who played the second round in the same group with Homa, shot a 2-over-par 73 on Friday, leaving him a 4-over for the tournament. When he finished his round that was two shots over the anticipated cutline of 2-over. But the cutline is continuing to change with many golfers still on the course. In any case, he will be at least 14 shots off the lead, making it unlikely he will have a shot at claiming his third major title.

Byeong Hun An, another former Cal golfer, will still be playing on the weekend after shooting a 1-under-par 70 on Friday. That leaves him a 1-over for the event, tied for 29th place heading into Saturday's round.

The fourth former Cal golfer in The Open, Michael Kim, won’t be playing this weekend. He shot a 2-over-par 73, and his score of 6-over for two rounds and missed the cut.

Where some of the big names stand:

Jordan Spieth -- 2-under after an even-round 70 in the second round. (He is eight strokes behind the leader)

Rory McIlroy -- 1-under after a 1-under round of 70 on Friday. (Nine strokes back)

Cameron Smith, defending champ -- 2-over after shooting a 1-over 72 on Friday and ending with an eagle on the 18th. (12 strokes back)

Jon Rahm -- 2-over after a 1-under round of 70 on Friday. (12 strokes back)

Xander Schauffele -- 2-over after 3-over 74 on Friday (12 strokes back)

Scottie Scheffler -- 3-over after shooting a 4-over-par 75 on Friday. A birdie on No. 18 kept him in the tournament. (13 strokes back)

Brooks Koepka -- 3-over after a 4-over-par round. He had a double-bogey 7 on the final hole. (13 strokes back)

Patrick Cantlay -- 3-over after a 4-over round (13 strokes back)

Rickie Fowler -- 3-over after a 2-under round (13 strokes back)

Justin Thomas -- plus-11 after even-par round. (Cut)

Dustin Johnson -- plus-13 after plus-10-round of 81 on Friday (Cut)

Cover photo of Max Homa by Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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