Why he can win: Maybe if Bland, 48, had been putting on Poa annua greens, like the ones at Torrey Pines, for the past 20 years he’d have more than one victory on the European Tour.
115-ranked player in the world, needed 478 starts on the European Tour to win for the first time at last month’s British Masters.
The former University of Georgia star moved to 6-under and grabbed the solo lead before bogeying his final hole of the second round to settle for a tie with Bland.
But he hasn’t won in more than four years and has rarely been in this lofty position in a major.
Why he can win: Few play as well on golf’s biggest stages as often as Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 Open Championship and was at least tied for runner-up in the three other majors.
He had eight birdies in the first round — tied for most in any opening round of the U.S.
Why he can’t win: Wolff probably wasn’t supposed to do this well in his first tournament back from a nearly two-month absence to address his mental health.
He had 11 birdies in the first two rounds, tied for the most he’s had through 36 holes in a major.
Open at 42 would be like “winning the lottery without buying a ticket.” Will his putter hold up? He isn’t regarded as one of the Tour’s best performers on the greens, but his stroke has been pretty reliable so far.
He has played exceptionally well at Torrey Pines in the past; he is a combined 51 under in five starts in the Farmers Insurance Open — the regular PGA Tour event held there — including a win in 2017.
Why he can’t win: He was erratic with the driver on Friday and didn’t hit his second fairway until the 13th hole, which caused his temper to flare.
The 27-year-old was born in La Jolla, played much of his high school golf at Torrey Pines and went to college at San Diego State.
In his previous 16 career starts in majors, he had top 10s in half of them, including six top 5s.
Why he can win: Scheffler tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw only four days before the start of the 2020 U.S.
Why he can win: He struggled with driving accuracy in the first round, then said the solution came to him in his sleep early Friday morning.
Open in seven decades — Brooks Koepka won in 2017 and 2018; Curtis Strange in 1988 and 1989. DeChambeau’s swing change wasn’t nearly as effective with his irons, which sent him back to the driving range for another long session.
Until Friday, he had been in the top 5 of 34 rounds in majors since the start of the 2017 season, which was nearly twice as many as any other player.
Why he can’t win: With birdies on two of the first four holes, Koepka looked ready to make his charge toward another major championship win.
Why he can win: He can grind it out with the best of them, which was the case again on Friday when he fought his way to a 2-under 69 to get back into contention.
Open history when he fired a 9-under 63 in the third round at Erin Hills in 2017, the lowest round in relation to par in the tournament’s history.
He has traditionally played pretty well at Torrey Pines; he was a combined 32 under in his past three starts on the South Course at the Farmers Insurance Open.
He needed to because he was in danger of missing the cut after five bogeys in his first nine holes.
Why he can’t win: There are too many talented players ahead of DJ on the leaderboard, and he has been too inconsistent off the tee to make a serious charge.