Former Ole Miss golfer Jackson Suber backed up his strong start at The Open Championship with another steady round Friday, shooting a 1‑under 69 to keep himself near the top of the leaderboard at Royal Birkdale.
Suber sits at 6‑under through 36 holes after opening with a 65 on Thursday. He finished the second round tied for second with Cameron Young, two shots behind Lucas Herbert.
The day didn’t come without turbulence. Suber briefly held a two‑shot lead early Friday before running into trouble late on his opening nine. He three‑putted the sixth, seventh and eighth greens, dropping three straight bogeys and falling back to 3‑under for the tournament.
Jackson Suber has retaken the lead at the Open.
He's now at -5 after back-to-back birdies to start his back nine. pic.twitter.com/eqSbGxttBM
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 17, 2026
Just like Thursday, though, Suber settled in after the turn. He rolled in birdie putts of about 20 feet on Nos. 10 and 11 to regain momentum. A bogey at 13 slowed him down, but he closed strong with birdies on both back‑nine par 5s to post another red number and stay firmly in contention heading into the weekend.
“I know that in a major things are going to get challenging at some point,” Suber said. “It’s just about being patient and letting the good golf come later.”
Herbert surged into the lead with an 8‑under 62, tying the record for the lowest round ever shot in a men’s major. Sam Burns also posted a 62 and sits at 5‑under.
Jackson Suber explains where his full name, John Weatherington Suber III, comes from: pic.twitter.com/7AtOR55a2V
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) July 17, 2026
This is Suber’s first Open Championship and his first experience with links golf. Before arriving in England, his only exposure to Royal Birkdale came from watching videos online.
Even with the unfamiliar setting and Friday’s mid‑round stumble, he’ll head into the final two rounds with a real chance to chase the Claret Jug.
Suber was a two-time All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC selection during his four seasons at Ole Miss, becoming the first golfer in program history to reach No. 1 in the Golfstat national rankings. He won five individual tournaments, including the 2022 NCAA Norman Regional, and finished his career with a 71.16 scoring average across 116 rounds.
