British Open 2017: A look ahead to Round 3 with Spieth in lead

With two rounds in the books at Royal Birkdale, Jordan Spieth leads the Open Championship by two strokes heading into the weekend.

Rain and wind affected the area Friday, but Spieth and the rest of the afternoon wave played in the most docile stretch. Despite recording four bogeys in Round 2, Spieth still shot a 1-under 69 to inch closer to his third career major win.

Reigning U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka is again in contention, while Matt Kuchar, one of the best players to have never won a major, is lurking in second.

Here are the top contenders entering Saturday's Round 3:

Jordan Spieth (-6) — Spieth has just 54 putts through the first two rounds, and he had 25 Friday when seemingly everyone else was struggling to get the ball in the hole. Golf fans have been waiting for Spieth to replicate his fantastic 2015 season. A win this week would put him on track.

Matt Kuchar (-4) — Even though he's not often among the first mentioned when discussing best players without a major win, he certainly fits the mold. Kuchar's consistent success on the PGA Tour has not translated to high finishes in majors, but he looks poised to make some noise in England this week.

Brooks Koepka (-3) — Koepka couldn't really get anything going Friday, finishing Round 2 without a birdie. While winning the U.S. Open, he proved he could make birdies in bunches, so expect him to bounce back Saturday if the weather improves. It is not surprising to see him contend in another major, but it is a tad surprising that he's doing it this soon.

Ian Poulter (-3) — Poulter went from losing his PGA Tour card to regaining it by a narrow margin earlier this year, and he's been playing pretty well ever since. Poulter is no longer a weekly threat on Tour, but he has the short game to stick around the leaders this week.

Others in contention:

Richie Ramsay (-2)

Rory McIlroy (-1)

Gary Woodland (-1)