We had a leader by two shots, until Carnoustie did its thing. Here’s the question: is it CarnNASTY or is it the Siren song of the Barry Burn? The serpentine end to a lengthy waterway beckons and teases and devours. It did the same to Kevin Kisner today, but we’ll get to that before too long. 79 golfers made the cut, thanks to Kisner’s gaffe…don’t worry, we’ll get to it. Some pre-tournament favorites went home early, and some unexpected names surged to the top of the leaderboard. Time now to run down the 5 things we learned on Friday at the 2018 British Open.

1. Kisner had it, until he lost it.

It might be from the tee, or from the approach, but the Barry Burn inevitably asks more than you have to give. Kisner stood in the fescue, owner of a two-shot lead, when he took an ill-advised (if any advice actually came) swing at clearing the water. He failed and poof, there went the lead. Kisner closed with six and fell back to a tie with Zach Johnson, winner of the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews.

Kisner stood in the left rough, knowing that the burn and the nearby out-of-bounds lurked, and still he went for the green. He came up woefully short, one-hopping into the briny depths. The good news for Kisner? Until the brain fart on 18, he had parlayed five birdies against two bogeys on the day, so he still finished atop the list, albeit in a tie with a former winner of the world’s oldest open championship.

The Barry Burn comes into play again.

Kevin Kisner makes double bogey on the 18th hole. He will enter Saturday at -6.#TheOpen
pic.twitter.com/SNprLkqRlz

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 20, 2018

2. Some will stay and some will go

From the bottom to the agonizing top, these golfers won’t be around for the weekend: Poulter, Bubba, DJ, Rahm, Sergio, Hideki and JT. The foursome missed the cut by one misplayed shot.  No, they’re not here to make the cut, but you don’t win without first making it past the halfway farewell.

We know that Sam Locke will win the medal for low amateur. The young Scotsman from Aberdeen was the only one who doesn’t play for pay to shoot below 146. Locke must be saluted; after making consecutive bogeys at 13 through 15, the lad clenched his teeth and played that treacherous closing triumvirate in two-under par. Now that’s mighty. He’ll be joined by a number of golfers expected to challenge, like McIlroy, Finau, Spieth, Fowler and even Woods.

.@tonyfinaugolf is one shot off the leaders after his fourth birdie of the day.

Full scoring https://t.co/gVDayzkpiZ#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/icK2mXNyPq

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2018

3. Some will join José Jurado and others

…as runners-up at Carnoustie. Jurado lost to Tommy Armour in 1931, and was followed by Reg Whitcome, Frank Stranahan, Jack Newton, Dai Rees, Sergio Garcia and, of course, Jean Van de Velde. Those men never captured an Open, but fellow runners-up Bob Charles, Jack Nicklaus, Justin Leonard and Peter Thomson, did. And so it might be for Kisner, Pat Perez, Xander Schauffele, Erik Van Rooyen, et al.

They find themselves in the running for the championship at Friday’s end, which is a triumph in itself. They want more, and they will spill everything out onto the course over the weekend, all for glory and eternal fame. To those who come up short, we salute you for entering the cauldron and baring your skills and emotions on the world’s stage. If it’s your year, you might even catch the breaks.

Nice break?
Great shot more like!

Full scoring https://t.co/gVDayzkpiZ#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/pfwVUn5ihg

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2018

4. There are golfers who challenge year in and out

Their names are Matt Kuchar, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Charley Hoffman, and there are others. These are the golfers who’ve won on tour, many more times than once. To date, they have been unable to claim one of the game’s four major championships. They might wonder how golfers like Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, and Paul Lawrie were able to do so, in this event alone, in just the past two decades.

They have been preceded by Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Doug Sanders and others, golfers of the highest quality who could never break through, while others were touched by fate, perhaps undeservedly so. The Open Championship is history itself, and demands that we consider not just the importance of today’s event, but of all the others, throughout time. To the aforementioned foursome, along with Noren, Olesen, Moore and Perez, have a go.

?? ROUND IN 60 SECONDS ??

A great day for @TommyFleetwood1 ?? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/OhaLAwHOU0

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2018

5. The one golf course rules them all

It comes down to this, doesn’t it? The dry-baked course on Thursday, the one that allowed 400-yard drives and 280-yard 6 irons, gave way to a softer version, yet the scoring went up. What is Carnoustie’s true face? Who will figure out the mystery come Sunday?

We would bet on Zach Johnson, but it will be difficult for him to play well on Saturday. Why? Well, Kisner is unlikely to maintain his level of play, and it’s supremely difficult to play well as your partner’s chances ebb away. We might go with the resurgent Jordan Spieth, or the indecipherable Brooks Koepka. Neither should be in a position to win, yet both are, and both are proven major winners. Or McIlroy, who appears to have rediscovered his 15-year-old self.

What we’re saying is, who knows! More importantly, who cares? As they almost always do, Carnoustie and the Open will present us with a champion worthy of our affection, and deserving of the Claret Jug. Perhaps a putt like this one will complete the job.

Clutch from @JustinRose99 on the 18th to bring him inside the cut line, currently +3.

Follow the cut line https://t.co/gVDayzkpiZ#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/4U8Zvtjozx

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2018