The 2nd round of the 2006 British Open is nearly over and the leaderboard is full of big names. Here’s how the top 10 players in the world sit going into the weekend.

1. Tiger Woods -12 (Leader)
2. Phil Mickelson -4
3. Vijay Singh +2 (Missed Cut)
4. Retief Goosen -8
5. Jim Furyk -5
6. Adam Scott -7
7. Geoff Ogilvy -4
8. Ernie Els -11
9. Sergio Garcia -5
10. David Howell +6 (Missed Cut)

Just looking at the list, 5 of the top 10 players in the world are in in the top 9 and ties after the second round. Personally I think Tiger is going to go on and win his 2nd Open Championship in a row.

One of the surprise names I noticed was David Duval who shot 70-70 for a -4. After falling off the face of the golf world it’s good to see him coming back.

Tiger Woods is back. Two weeks ago he stormed back after a rough first round to finish tied for second place. Through 2 round of the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool, he’s shot -5 and -7 for a total of twelve under par which is currently good for a 3 shot lead. I doubt anyone else will get to ten under par at any point during the day, which will put Tiger right where he wants to be, with everyone chasing him.

Pat Forde wrote a great article over at ESPN after Tiger’s first round 67. Watching a professional golf major championship just isn’t the same when Tiger isn’t in the hunt. He put excitement into the game like no other player can. I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the British Open this weekend.

What do I know, Ernie Els finished at -11. Should be a fun weekend to watch.