CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jordan Spieth led by two shots entering the third round of British Open 2017 today (Saturday, July 22) at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

Spieth carded 6-under through 36 holes. Matt Kuchar was in second place. Ian Poulter and Brooks Koepka were tied for third at 3-under.

Branden Grace shot 8-under 62 in the third round.

Spieth, Koepka and Kuchar were tied for the lead entering the second round. The trio each shot 5-under 65. Paul Casey and Charl Schwartzel were tied for fourth at 4-under.

The British Open, known across the pond as The Open Championship, is the third of four majors on the men's golf calendar.

BRITISH OPEN LEADERBOARD

BRITISH OPEN TEE TIMES

BRITISH OPEN ODDS (BOVADA)

ROYAL BIRKDALE COURSE INFO

Sergio Garcia, Jason Day and Zach Johnson comprise one of the featured groupings for Rounds 1-2 of the 146th edition.

ROYAL & ANCIENT

BRITISH OPEN

Site: Southport, England

Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Yardage: 7,156. Par: 70.

Purse: $10.25 million (First prize: $2,160,000).

Television: Saturday, 4:30-7 a.m. (Golf Channel), 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 4-7 a.m. (Golf Channel), 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Henrik Stenson.

Last week: Rafa Cabrera-Bello won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

Notes: The most recent back-to-back winner at the British Open was Padraig Harrington, who successfully defended at Royal Birkdale in 2008. ... The Open is paying out prize money in American dollars for the first time. ... Royal Birkdale is the newest of the English links in the British Open rotation, dating to only 1954, but this is the 10th time it has hosted the Open. ... Dustin Johnson has not played the weekend of a major since the British Open last year. ... Brooks Koepka became the seventh straight first-time major champion when he won the U.S. Open last month. The longest such streak is nine straight from 2010 to 2012. ... Rory McIlroy has missed the cut in three of his past four tournaments. ... Phil Mickelson played his first British Open at Royal Birkdale in 1991 as the U.S. Amateur champion. He shot 67 in the second round to make the cut and tied for 73rd. ... Mickelson has not won since the 2013 British Open.

Next year: Carnoustie.

Online: www.opengolf.com

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Here are 10 of the many players DMan will be watching:

Sergio Garcia, Spain

Skinny: Sergio won The Masters in April to secure his first major championship. He no longer needs to worry about being one of the best active players without a major. With the pressure off and at "home'' on European Tour turf, Sergio will be in contention on the back nine on Sunday. During the final round, he might even wear his Masters jacket. He is ranked No. 5 in world.

Jon Rahm, Spain

Skinny: Rahm, 22, won his first PGA Tour event in January (Farmers Insurance Open) and his first European Tour event this month (Irish Open -- by six shots). He has the game to overpower any course, but he needs to guard against his emotions getting the best of him. World No. 7.

Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland

Skinny: McIlroy's game is nowhere near where it needs to be. Examples include cuts at U.S. Open 2017 in June; Irish Open two weeks ago; and Scottish Open last week. I don't care. All those struggles mean to me is that he is long past due. I'm not going to be the person to doubt Rory McIlroy in a major, especially an Open Championship. He took home the Claret Jug in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, one of his four majors. World No. 4.

Jordan Spieth, United States

Skinny: Spieth has won twice on the PGA Tour this season, including Travelers Championship in late June. His uncanny ability to grind through a round that might have gone sideways could prove huge at Royal Birkdale. He owns 10 career PGA Tour titles, including two majors, and $30 million+ in total money. Not bad for someone who turns 24 on July 27. World No. 3.

Tommy Fleetwood, England

Skinny: A native of Southport who happens to have flowing locks, Fleetwood, 26, will be under a heat lamp to contend courtesy of the legendary British media. Based on his performances this season, I like his chances. His past four starts have resulted in 4th (U.S. Open), T-6th (BMW International Open), 1st (French Open) and T-10th (Irish Open). World No. 14.

Hideki Matsuyama, Japan

Skinny: Matsuyama, 25, finished T-2 at U.S. Open 2017, giving him a top-6 in each major. He has won four times on the PGA Tour and eight times on the Japan Golf Tour. His combination of smooth swings, rhythmic putts and unflappable disposition ensure that no stage is too big. World No. 2.

Rickie Fowler, United States

Skinny: Fowler is more than bright-colored outfits and megawatt smiles. He can play, as evidenced by a spectacular major run in 2014 (top 5 in all four). This year, he finished T-11 at The Masters and T-5 at U.S. Open. He won Honda Classic 2017 in February. World No. 10.

Henrik Stenson, Sweden

Skinny: Stenson makes the initial list of players to watch primarily out of respect for what he did at The Open last year. He shot a record 20-under at Royal Troon to win an epic duel with Phil Mickelson and bag his first major title. Stenson is due for a good wire-to-wire performance. World No. 8.

Phil Mickelson, United States

Skinny: Phil The Thrill, 47, has not won since the 2013 Open Championship, but he has played extremely well in spurts. One of those occurred last year at The Open, when his performance was title-worthy in a Non-Stenson Open. Phil finished at 17-under, a tidy 11 shots clear of third-place J.B. Holmes. I will put Phil on every player-to-watch list for a major until he calls it quits, primarily because he is one of my all-time favorites but also because he is must-see-TV regardless of odds. World No. 26.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Spain

Skinny: I liked him long before he emerged victorious in difficult conditions at Scottish Open 2017. He shot 69-64 on the weekend and won in a playoff. I'm willing to look past his best career finish in a British Open, T-21st in 2013. World No. 17.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)