The 138th Open, Turnberry
Date: 16-19 July
Coverage: Live TV coverage on BBC Two, Online and the Red Button, live on Radio 5 Live and text commentary online on all four days

By Ged Scott BBC Sport at Turnberry

Dougherty has struck two level-par rounds of 70 at Turnberry

Nick Dougherty insists he is playing well enough to win the Open Championship after reaching half way on level par with a second successive 70.

"I feel like I'm playing well enough," the man from Lancashire told BBC Sport.

"I'm putting well, which is the main thing and if I had a chance to win on Sunday it wouldn't surprise me."

After matching par on the first day, Dougherty dropped a couple of shots early in his second round when a wayward drive at the 474-yard 5th ended in heavy grass, causing him to have come out sideways.

"You're inevitably going to end up in the hay at some stage if you miss a fairway," said Bootle-born, Chorley-bred Dougherty. "And it ended up quite a good double bogey in the end as I had to hole a nasty right-to-left three footer to get even that."

But he got one of the shots back at the next, hitting his three wood to 25 feet at the 231-yard 6th and holing the putt.

"It's one thing hitting a good shot," he said. "But it's even better when you capitalise on it like that."

He then got two more birdies at 10 and 14 to go to one under and had thoughts of going one better even that.

It's not going to be 20 under par that wins this week, sometimes making par is what you have to do Nick Dougherty

"It looked like I might get to a couple under coming down the stretch, but then I went in the bunker at 16 and had to come out sideways.

"But I'm not too upset. Actually, I'm really very pleased with my position.

"It's obviously a tough day when you're having to hit a three wood on a par three.

"It was blowing a little and shows what might happen if it really gets up."

Dougherty also made it clear that he did not necessarily agree with Justin Rose's assertion earlier in the day that the pin placements were bordering on "ridiculous".

"Major championships are supposed to be tough," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't stand there looking at where they had put the pin at 18 thinking 'ooh, isn't that nice of them?'

"But it's not going to be 20 under par that wins this week. Sometimes making par is what you have to do."

As for Didsbury's Danny Wardrop, his first Open ended in disappointment.

After a first-day 75, he fell further away with a second round, 10-over-par 80 to miss the cut by 11 shots on 15 over.

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