# How Birkdale crowd helped carry Fleetwood into contention

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-birkdale-crowd-helped-carry-fleetwood-into-contention/
- Published: 2026-07-17T22:47:16+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-18T05:14:10+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/articles/cvg8wv88j22o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- Fleetwood four shots off the lead at halfway, boosted by home crowd
- MacIntyre, Wallace, Fitzpatrick, Rahm and Scheffler also in contention
- Australia's Lucas Herbert leads after a record-equalling 62

## Summary

Tommy Fleetwood credits the support of the home crowd at Royal Birkdale with helping propel him into contention at The Open, as several British golfers pushed up the leaderboard after the second round. The Southport-raised Englishman carded a three-under 67 on Friday to sit on four under, level with Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and joined by fellow Britons Matt Wallace and Alex Fitzpatrick, alongside Jon Rahm and world number one Scottie Scheffler, as Fleetwood chases a first major title in front of a fiercely supportive local gallery.

The group sits four shots behind Australian leader Lucas Herbert, who equalled the course record with a 62 in round two, while Bryson DeChambeau remains in contention despite a two-shot penalty for inadvertently improving his lie. Fleetwood, who grew up nearby and once climbed the Birkdale fence as a boy to play the course, followed an opening 69 with a late flurry of three birdies in his final five holes on Friday. MacIntyre, who has three top-10 Open finishes in six appearances, backed up his opening 67 with a 69, describing his round as strong despite a mid-round lapse he had to "reset".

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