British Open 2011: Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover are atop crowded leader board

SANDWICH, England — The strangest thing happened along the Kent coast Friday morning: The sun, rumored to be star relatively near the earth that provides heat and light, appeared. The air, for at least a few moments, sat still. Royal St. George’s, littered with more lumps and bumps than a prizefighter’s face, almost seemed vulnerable.

The British Open, however, isn’t about sunny skies and placid air, nor is it about birdies by the ration and scores like the John Deere Classic. So by mid-morning, the wind was back. And by the end of another grind of a day — 156 players from 6:30 a.m. to past 9 p.m. — absolutely nothing had been sorted out at the tournament’s midway point.

The leaders are Darren Clarke, a 42-year-old Northern Irishman who lost his wife to cancer five years ago and who is ranked 111th in the world, and Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion from South Carolina who has never come close to contending in this tournament. Clarke shot an adventurous 2-under-par 68 Friday that included both a double bogey and an eagle, and Glover turned in a steady even-par 70 that fit his Southern saunter. They are both at 4-under 136 through two rounds, and everyone else looks up at them — for the moment.

“I think you’ll see a lot of chopping and changing at the top of the leader board,” said reigning U.S. Open champ Rory McIlroy, four back after a 1-under 69 left him at even par. “It’s the most open Open I’ve seen in a long time.”

McIlroy may be only 22, but his point is well-taken. The chop and the churn could include most of the field. A glorious day at Royal St. George’s produced a leader board that is nothing short of a mess. There are 31 players at even par or better, all within four shots of the lead.

“It’s pretty tightly packed,” said American Rickie Fowler, also at level par. “For the most part, if you make the cut, you’ve got a chance.”

The list of those who don’t have to squint to see the leaders includes major championship winners young (Martin Kaymer at 3-under 137, Charl Schwartzel at 2-under 138) and old (Davis Love III and Tom Lehman, both at 138). It includes the usual bevy of unknowns (Pablo Larrazabal of Spain and George Coetzee of South Africa at 138) and some of the most prominent players of the moment (Dustin Johnson at 138, Phil Mickelson at 139).

The first-round co-leaders, 40-year-old veteran Thomas Bjorn of Denmark and 20-year-old amateur Tom Lewis of England, shot 72 and 74, respectively. But Bjorn, who bogeyed three in a row on the front side before steadying himself, sits just one back of Clarke and Glover, with Lewis, who finished bogey-bogey, just three behind.