Bogey-free 65 puts Fleetwood one off Open lead

Tommy Fleetwood felt his way around Carnoustie on Friday without his best stuff, and the results were unmatched in the 2018 Open Championship. Fleetwood delivered the first bogey-free round and the lowest score of The 2018 Open, carding a 6-under 65 to climb near the top of the leaderboard in the early wave of the second round of golf's third major of the season. He stands at 5 under entering the weekend, one stroke back of Americans Kevin Kisner and Zach Johnson for the lead. "Normally, when you play great you know where the ball is going," Fleetwood said. "A lot of the shots, I was just looking up, and I was really happy that they were going straight. I didn't feel fully confident and fully comfortable with my swing." A win in Scotland for the Englishman would represent the first time the Claret Jug was claimed by a golfer from the homeland since Nick Faldo in 1992. "It would be special," Fleetwood said of holding the Claret Jug on Sunday afternoon. "If I could pick one tournament in my life to win, it would be The Open." Fleetwood, 27, was runner up at the U.S. Open last month and entered the week ranked 10th in the World Golf Rankings. He finished tied for 27th last year at Royal Birkdale after missing the cut in his previous three Open Championship appearances. But Fleetwood, who said he regained confidence on the driving range after a pair of bogeys on the final three holes left him at 72 in the first round, owns a share of the course record at Carnoustie. His comfort zone is within reach, even if that 63 in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship might not be based on the more challenging setup of the links course for this event. Fleetwood's Friday round at The Open was his first under par in 10 total rounds. "No course record, but it will do," Fleetwood said. --Field Level Media