Some big names fail to survive the halfway cut on a day of wind and rain at Royal Troon
Stenson charge leaves him one behind leader Mickelson at halfway
FROM BBC SPORT.COM
American left-hander Phil Mickelson leads the
Open Championship at the halfway stage, a two-under-par 69 lifting him
to 10 under at Royal Troon.
But a six-under 65 from Henrik Stenson left the Swede only one shot behind. Denmark's
Soren Kjeldsen (68) and American Keegan Bradley (68) are three shots
off the lead, two clear of defending champion Zach Johnson (70). Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy shot 71 in the worst of the weather to finish eight shots off the pace after 36 holes. Andrew
Johnston is the highest-placed Briton on four under, the Englishman
recovering from a triple bogey at the fearsome 11th to record an
impressive 69. Meanwhile, Germany's two-time major winner Martin
Kaymer got to seven under but triple-bogeyed the 10th and finished with a
73 for three under.
Big beasts blown off course
The
wind blew harder and the rain fell heavier after Mickelson reached the
safety of the clubhouse, destroying the chances of a host of big names. World
number three Jordan Spieth shot a 75 to finish right on the
four-over-par cut line, as did England's Masters champion Danny Willett. England's
former US Open champion Justin Rose shot a 77 to finish three over,
while world number one Jason Day battled to a 70 to finish one over. US Open champion and world number two Dustin Johnson had two double bogeys but still managed a 69 for two under overall. World
number five Bubba Watson, like Mickelson a left-hander, holed a birdie putt at the last to extend his stay.
The two-time Masters champion double-bogeyed 11 and struggled to a 76
and four-over total.
Mickelson 'better than ever'
Mickelson, winner of the Claret Jug in 2013, carded a 63 on Thursday, the joint-lowest round in major history and the 46-year-old's 36-hole total of 132 is a record for an Open at Royal Troon. The
five-time major winner told BBC Sport: "If I look back to my mid-30s, I
am 35lbs lighter, in better shape than I was and can manage the
symptoms of my psoriatic arthritis. I feel stronger and in a better
condition than I have ever been. "I can't see why I can't play my
best golf in the coming years. I am optimistic about this week and the
coming years and the opportunities to add to my resume."
Phil makes the most of it
Mickelson teed off in overcast but benign conditions and covered the front nine in 33 shots, very nearly acing the Postage Stamp eighth hole. It
started to rain when he hit the turn and he dropped his first shot of
the tournament at the par-four 12th, but ground things out as others
wilted. Mickelson's feats were brought into sharper focus by the
efforts of playing partners Lee Westwood and Ernie Els, who started
their rounds on level par. England's Westwood carded a 73, while two-time Open champion Els shot a five-over 76 and missed the cut by one shot. World number six Stenson, runner-up to Mickelson in 2013, made
six birdies and one bogey as his attempt to become the first
Scandinavian to win a major title gathered momentum. "I haven't
been in contention for the last six majors so it was a big goal of mine
to give myself a good chance here. So far, so good," said Stenson. "I'm 40, so might only have another dozen goes. So I better start putting myself in position and giving myself chances."
Pure British Beef
The affable Andrew Johnston, winner of the
Spanish Open in May, is a developing something of a cult following.
Johnston is nicknamed 'Beef', which prompted fans to wave burgers at him
as he made his way from the 15th green. "My mum, sister and niece are here," said the 27-year-old Londoner. "My
niece is five. I can hear her shouting out 'Uncle Beef' on every hole.
Today she came out with 'Beef to the rescue!' She cracks me up." Johnston is tied for sixth with Americans Tony Finau (71) and Bill Haas (70), former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel (66) and Spain's Sergio Garcia (70).
Big numbers and early baths
South Africa's 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen had five bogeys, a double bogey and a quintuple-bogey nine in a humbling round of 83. Ben Curtis,
Open champion in 2003, recorded a sextuple-bogey 10 at the par-four
fourth, hitting his ball into three different bunkers. He also shot an
83. The last two champions at Troon, Todd Hamilton and Justin Leonard, also missed the cut after finishing six over.
The weekend outlook
There
is a slight silver lining for those blown off course on Friday
afternoon, with the news the early starters will get the better of the
weather on Saturday. It is forecast to be cloudy but mostly dry in
the morning, with the odd bright spell, but the wind is set to get up
in the afternoon, with showers also expected. SCOREBOARD Par 142 (2x71)
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