Brandt Snedeker has quickly become the biggest story of the British Open; but if he wants to pull off his storybook ending, he will need to fend off a field of competitors that are very capable of overtaking him as the weekend wears on.
Snedeker currently sits atop the leaderboard after shooting a 64 in round two to set himself up at ten under par going into Saturday's round three.
For a relative unknown such as Snedeker to win such a prestigious tournament, he'll need to keep his cool as the field remains right on his heels.
With two days left and plenty of big names shooting very well, Sunday could get very interesting. Here are three of the biggest threats that Snedeker will need to fend off if he wants to win his first major.
Adam Scott
Scott is the most obvious challenger to spoil Snedeker's moment in the spotlight—coming into round three he's only one stroke off of Snedeker's lead.
Scott was the leader after the first round and was able to match Snedeker's impressive second-round score in the first round by firing a 64 before shooting a respectable 67 in round two. Scott has found his groove early on and leads the field with 12 birdies.
Scott has used his accuracy off the tee (75 percent of fairways hit) to set himself up with birdie opportunities, and he will need to continue to do so if he wants to challenge for the lead.
With Scott only one stroke behind and in a good groove, he should remain in the hunt all the way to Sunday.
Tiger Woods
Golf's most prominent figure might officially be "back".
Through two rounds, Woods has done everything right and is playing at a high level. He finds himself third on the leaderboard at six under par.
As the only former British Open champion in the top three, Woods has the edge of experience on his side. Woods has been outstanding off the tee, hitting a tournament-high 26 fairways so far for 92.68 percent.
If Woods can get hot with the putter (he's only been marginal so far, averaging 1.61 putts per hole), he should be able to make a considerable push to overtake the leaderboard.
Could the British Open be the official rebirth of "Sunday" Tiger. The stage is certainly set.
Matt Kuchar
A hot putter can go a long way in winning a major.
While unpredictable weather elements and lies can tank anyone's chances at winning, a solid groove with the putter always poses a threat to the rest of the field. Through two rounds at the Open, no one is putting better than Kuchar.
Kuchar finds himself tied for fifth on the leaderboard after the second round at four under par, and he has his efficient putting to thank for it. Kuchar has one-putted more greens than anyone in the tournament with 20.
Kuchar hasn't made too many mistakes overall and just needs to find a way to hit more greens in regulation. If he can do that, his putter could make him the most dangerous contender in the field.
