• South African leads Collin Morikawa by two shots
• ‘The game is good, but it’s a really good leaderboard’
For a Friday evening spell, as shadows lengthened and flags sat limp on the Kent coast, it became a question of how many players Louis Oosthuizen could knock out of the 149th Open Championship.
The unflappable South African, seeking to shake off a nearly man tag, was within touching distance of history. With every putt that dropped, those in the nether regions of the field saw hopes of Claret Jug glory diminish. That Oosthuizen did not quite press home advantages offered by benign conditions means hope springs eternal on the remainder of the leaderboard.
Related: Bryson DeChambeau apologises after outburst over his driver at the Open
