Phil Mickelson held on to his lead at the halfway stage of the 145th Open Championship, with a second round 69 lifting the 46-year-old American to 10 under par at a rain-swept Royal Troon.
But a blistering six-under-par 65 from Henrik Stenson left the Swede only one shot behind, while Soren Kjeldsen and Keegan Bradley are three shots off the lead, two clear of defending champion Zach Johnson.
Mickelson teed off in overcast but benign conditions, and covered the front nine in 33 shots, very nearly acing the 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.
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.”
Rory McIlroy, playing in the worst of the weather, was five-under par after eight holes, but two short missed putts at 9 and 11 saw him drop back to two under par at the close – eight shots back from the leader. That was a score matched by US Open champion Dustin Johnson, who had two double bogeys but still managed to grind out a 69.
Mickelson was one of the early starters who got luckier with the weather, playing the majority of the round in relatively calm conditions, but the heavens opened and the winds strengthened to make life hard for anyone left out on the course. That included Jordan Spieth and Masters’ champion Danny Willett, who both made the cut by the minimum margin at four over par. Justin Rose shot a 77 to finish three over, while world number one Jason Day battled to a 70 to finish one over. Bubba Watson birdied the last to extend his stay during a testing 76.
Andrew Johnston is the highest-placed Briton on four under, the Londoner recovering from a triple bogey at the fearsome 11th to record an impressive 69.
At the other end of the leaderboard, Louis Oosthuizen had five bogeys, a double bogey and a quintuple-bogey nine in a round of 83, while Ben Curtis, Open champion in 2003, recorded a 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.
ROUND 2 LEADERBOARD: -10 P Mickelson; -9 H Stenson; -7 S Kjeldsen, K Bradley; -5 Z Johnson
SELECTED OTHERS: -4 A Johnston, S Garcia; -3 M Kaymer, M Kuchar; -2 D Johnson, R McIlroy; -1 R Fowler; Level A Scott, P Harrington, J Donaldson;