2024 Senior Open presented by Rolex: Korean Power takes KJ to the top at Carnoustie

Carnoustie, Scotland; 26 July 2024, by Matt Hooper: Korean KJ Choi holds the lead of the 37th Senior Open Championship heading into the weekend at Carnoustie. Choi made a spectacular burst from the chasing pack with birdies at the 8th and 11th holes, followed by a dramatic eagle at the 12th to reach 7-under-par. He found trouble at the par three 13th and fell back to 6-under, before rescuing a par at the par-five 14th hole from the fairway bunker. The 8-time PGA Tour winner then bounced back in style with a fine birdie at the par-four 15th to return to 7-under-par. The former Players Champion bogeyed the 18th hole for a second successive day to finish at 6-under-par for the first two rounds.

The 54-year-old has just a single PGA Tour Champions title to his name, the 2020 PURE Insurance Championship, and only 4 top 10 finishes in the senior Majors in an underwhelming post-50 career so far. So it remains to be seen if Choi can be seen as a genuine favourite over the weekend, given his poor record of contending as a senior. Since progressing to the PGA Tour Champions from the PGA TOUR in 2020 KJ has only been inside the top two on five occasions, from his 79 starts.

Choi leads by 2 shots from Canada’s Stephen Ames. Also a former Players Champion, Ames was on course for a quite remarkable bogey-free second round in blustery conditions until a lapse in concentration saw him falter on the 17th green. Ames managed the conditions well throughout, and reached 5-under-par for the championship through 12 holes. He seemed set to make a bogey when his tee shot at 16 rolled off the left side, but he expertly navigated the undulations to rescue par. After finding the 17th green in two it looked like he could extend his lead, but after a splendid lag putt he inexplicably missed the second putt, which could have been no more than a foot in length.

Of course, this being golf, he was presented with the exact same challenge at the 18th, but he successfully managed to two-putt and posted 4-under-par in the clubhouse through 36 holes. Ames was happy in general with how he putted on a difficult morning: "Short game has been good and putter has been working nicely, too. I think it's overall just everything is kind of clicking nicely for me, and I'm in a happier part of my life right now, so it's wonderful."

One shot further back, but in serious contention to create one of the great storylines of the Senior Open, is 2007 and 2008 Open Champion, Padraig Harrington. The winner here at Carnoustie some 17 years ago has been runner-up in the two Senior Opens he has competed in to date, and would love to go one better this weekend.

“The last two years, I got really close but I started poorly” said Harrington “Coming in off the majors, I was tired. Obviously I've started a lot better this time around. But still at the end of the day, I'm going to possibly, you're going to have to play well over the weekend and you're going to have to shoot the scores and you're going to have to overcome some of the demons that I have out there.”

Peter Baker will begin the third round five shots off the lead of Choi, but it could have been so very different. The Englishman, and former European Ryder Cup player reached 4-under-par through 30 holes of the championship, but a disastrous finish to his second round saw him finish at 1-under. Baker made bogeys at each of the final three holes, notoriously difficult yes, but he will still be disappointed to have thrown away a chance of being in the final group today.

The cut fell at 7-over-par, with Justin Leonard, Ian Woosnam, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Rich Beem, and Paul McGinley all missing the weekend.

Third round tee-times:

12.20pm Paul Lawrie, Phillip Archer

12.30pm Steven Alker, Simon Khan

12.40pm Bernhard Langer, Thomas Bjorn

12.50pm Arjun Atwal, Darren Clarke

1.05pm Peter Baker, Angel Cabrera

1.15pm Paul Broadhurst, Miguel Angel Martin

1.25pm Richard Green, Padraig Harrington

1.35pm Stephen Ames, KJ Choi

The last 8 groups of the day are covered by 7 shots, and include winners of 9 regular Major titles, and 2 past Senior Open Champions. The 1999 and 2007 Open Champions at Carnoustie are both in the final 8 groups, as well as the 2010 and 2016 Senior Open Champions, showing experience round this magnificent links is a distinct advantage.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper

Matt Hooper is an Associate Member of the Sports Journalists Association