SOUTHPORT, England — There’s not a lot more you could have asked for from a British Open entering the weekend than what the 154th has delivered through two rounds at Royal Birkdale on its thirsty, scorched- earth, browned-out links.

There were records tied, there was salty controversy, there were moves up the leaderboard made by big-name players and there is local boy “Tommy Lad’’ in contention.

There were a pair of 62s posted in Friday’s second round — tying the low score in major championships — by Lucas Herbert, who leads the tournament at 8-under par, and Sam Burns, who went from 3-over to 5-under in a day.

There was fiery controversy with Bryson DeChambeau, who’d just walked off the course at 7-under, in second place and in the final pairing for Saturday’s third round, assessed a two-stroke penalty for a rules infraction that was caught on TV.

The R&A rules officials determined that DeChambeau improved his lie in the high fescue grass to the right of the fifth hole, which he’d bogeyed.

The two-shot penalty gave him a triple-bogey 7 on the hole and left him at 5-under and in a tie for fifth.

Cam Young, the pride of Sleepy Hollow Country Club and in the midst of his finest year as a pro, quietly but confidently sits in second place at 6-under, tied with first-round leader Jackson Suber and Ryan Gerard, after shooting a second consecutive 67 thanks to a birdie-birdie finish on 17 and 18.

Young, who nearly ran down winner Cam Smith at the 2022 British Open with a final-round 65, loves links golf and it shows.

His confidence, too, is at an all-time high, having won two huge tournaments already this year, highlighted by his Players Championship triumph in March.

Some of the game’s biggest stars are also lurking.

World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler has methodically crept his way up the leaderboard, standing at 4-under.

Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world, is also not going away, rebounding from his opening-round 72 with a 67 on Friday to stand at 1-under.

Jon Rahm, the top player on LIV Golf, got himself to 4-under.

And then there’s local favorite, Southport native Tommy Fleetwood, aka “Tommy Lad’’ and the “Son of Southport.’’

He had the galleries buzzing as he got to 4-under, very much in this championship.

The stars of Friday’s play were clearly Herbert and Burns.