Matthias Schmid makes history

With a superb second-round of 65 at Royal St George’s, Matthias Schmid has emulated the only other amateur to shoot that number in The Open, tying Tom Lewis’ famous round on the same course a decade earlier.

The likes of Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson have all had brilliant rounds as young stars at The Open, but no amateur other than Lewis has ever gone so low as Schmid did on Friday.

Schmid’s score not only ensures he will make the cut at The Open and have a chance to win the Silver Medal, but also gives the young German a slice of Championship history.

Schmid was imperious in the second round of The 149th Open, and from start to finish the two-time European Amateur Champion, who missed the cut at The Open in 2019 in his only previous appearance, played golf of the highest standard.

The 23-year-old amateur had a clean card, recording five birdies with not a single blemish. The German star hit 16 greens in regulation on a notoriously difficult course, and managed to avoid a three-putt on tremendously sloping greens.

A birdie on the fourth hole was added to by further gains on the 12th and 14th. A brilliant putt on the 16th then followed, and a birdie on the 17th had fans dreaming of a record-breaking performance.

After a superb approach to the last hole, it seemed Schmid would be reaching new heights, but a lip-out left the world number 12 amateur with a five-under-par round to finish at one over for the Championship.

Schmid is the second highest-ranked amateur in the field, and the only non-professional at The 149th Open not making his debut. That experience and quality showed on Friday.

Schmid’s comeback also ensures that The 149th Open will have a Silver Medallist for the first time since 2018, with an amateur making the cut for the first time since Sam Locke at Carnoustie

Schmid’s form is not at all out of the blue either, as the talented youngster also managed to qualify for The U.S. Open last month at Torrey Pines, and produced a superb performance at the BMW International Open just a few weeks ago, recording a top-15 finish on the European Tour as an amateur.

With his performance on Friday, the best second-round score ever from an amateur at The Open, Schmid now has a great shot at winning the Silver Medal. Regardless of if he does or not however, his name is now etched in The Open’s record books.