The Open 2016: Live scores, leaderboard updates and more from Friday’s second round

Moreso than any other major championship, weather might be the sole most important variable in determining a champion at the Open.

Scottish seaside links courses like Royal Troon weren’t designed over a century ago with 75-and-sunny conditions in mind. The standard fare of an Open Championship includes cool conditions, rain and winds -- and such less-than-ideal weather acts as the course’s best defense against low scores. But when those conditions aren’t present, there’s little else to protect the links courses from today’s uber-skilled, big-hitting players. There are no hyper-long par-4s like on modern American courses, no wrist-breaking greenside rough. Sure, there’s plenty of gorse and pot bunkers to go around -- but scores are still gettable when conditions are favorable.

Rain and wind have impacted golfers on the second day of the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club. This was expected with periods of heavy rain and gusty winds on Friday. Some winds have gusted to between 15 to 25 mph during the second round.

FRIDAY -- SECOND ROUND WEATHER FORECAST

The rest of the round will feature the gusty winds and periods of heavy rain. Winds could continue to gust near 15 to 25 mph. Temperatures the rest of the day will be around the low-to-middle 60s.

Jordan Spieth, hovering around the projected cut line and needing a strong start to his second round of the Open Championship, kicked off Friday’s play by swinging for the fences.

Unfortunately, the fences were in foul territory way left of the fairway, and after Spieth’s wicked hook off the tee flew the first one, Golf Channel analyst Nick Faldo let out some sort of oinking pig grunt. Lovely.

The conditions were supposed to be much tougher on Friday at Royal Troon, but the bad stuff has mostly held off so far in the second round of The Open. The sun has vanished, as you’d expect in Scotland (Beef Johnston called yesterday’s sunny day a “miracle”), but the wind and rain have not really picked up as expected.

Phil Mickelson remains on top of the leaderboard, settling in nicely at the start of his second round and dodging the trouble he thought he’d face in his second loop. Mickelson is 1-under through his first five holes, and it could be even better. He has had a couple putts burn the edge and lip out already, so this could have been another 32 or so on the front nine. But I’m sure he’s happy to just be in the red and firmly atop the leaderboard.