Z. Johnson grinds out 71 to stay in Open contention

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – For the second consecutive day, Zach Johnson cruised through his opening loop at St. Andrews and did what he does best – grind, on his way to another solid round at the Open Championship.

Johnson followed his opening 66 with a 1-under 71 that, considering the conditions, was a reason for the American to remain optimistic going into the weekend.

But his day didn’t start with a great amount of optimism when he arrived at a swamped golf course and a steady downpour.

Z. Johnson (71) in mix through 36“My mindset was, let's hope there's a delay. But I thought that mindset was pretty farfetched, considering it is the Open Championship, and you expect brutal conditions at…