Phil Mickelson leads The Open by one from Henrik Stenson at Troon
By Keith Jackson at Royal Troon
Last Updated: 16/07/16 4:31pm
Phil Mickelson will head into the weekend of The 145th Open with a one-shot lead after a stunning round from Henrik Stenson closed the gap at the top on a wet and windy second day at Royal Troon.
Leaderboard
Mickelson made the most of calm early conditions as an outward 33 extended his overnight three-stroke lead, but he dropped his first shots of the tournament after the turn and returned a 69 to set the target at 10 under par - his total of 132 one shot lower than the previous 36-hole record for The Open at Troon set by Bobby Clampett in 1982 and equalled by Darren Clarke in 1997.
But as heavy rain and a strengthening wind hit the Ayrshire links, Stenson defied the elements to fire a 65 which lifted him into outright second ahead of Soren Kjeldsen, who shot 68 and was the only player in the field to keep a bogey off his card on Friday.
Rory McIlroy mounted a strong charge with three early birdies before dropping four shots in five holes around the turn in the worst of the conditions. He closed on two under alongside Dustin Johnson after the US Open champion birdied three of the last four holes to salvage a 69 after two earlier double-bogeys.
Jason Day responded to his opening 73 with a battling 70, while Jordan Spieth and Masters champions Bubba Watson and Danny Willett all made the cut with nothing to spare on four over.
Mickelson picked up where he left off following his major record-equalling 63 on day one, moving to nine under with a birdie at the fourth before he added another at seven and came within a couple of rolls of making a hole in one with a near-perfect wedge to the Postage Stamp.
At 11 under, he would have had his sights set on breaking the overall 36-hole Open scoring record of 12 under until he got into trouble at the 12th and could not avoid making his first bogey of the tournament.
The 2013 champion hit back with a great putt for birdie at the short 14th, but he gave the shot straight back at the next and parred in just as Stenson rolled in his sixth birdie putt of the day at 13.
The Swede made a well-crafted four at the long 16th, and two closing pars added up to a 65 and took him ahead of veteran Dane Kjeldsen, whose course-management was in fine order as he followed birdies at four and six with a run of 10 straight pars before another gain at 17 got him to seven under.
He was later joined by former PGA champion Keegan Bradley, who turned in 33 and then stumbled with bogeys at 11 and 12 before bouncing back with excellent birdies at the 14th and 15th.
Defending champion Zach Johnson bogeyed two of the last four holes to card a disappointing 70 and slip to five under, while Charl Schwartzel looked set to eclipse Stenson's round of the day after he birdied five of the first seven holes.
His momentum halted with bogeys at 10 and 12, but he got both shots back at the next two and parred in to post a 66 and join Tony Finau and Bill Haas in the clubhouse on four under - a score later matched when Andrew 'Beef' Johnston finished an entertaining round with three late birdies to post a 69 which also included a triple-bogey seven at the 11th.
Major nearly-man Sergio Garcia is also six off the pace after a 70, while McIlroy is two further behind after he took the gloss off his encouraging start with three-putt bogeys on the ninth and 10th greens and then made further mistakes at 12 and 13 to slip to one under.
But McIlroy regained his composure and rolled in a confidence-boosting putt for birdie at the short 14th, and he parred safely in as the rain relented to close on two under with Dustin Johnson, who soured his six-birdie round with errant drives at the seventh and 11th which both cost him double-bogeys.
Day looked in serious trouble when he bogeyed the first to drop to three over, but the world No 1 got his Open campaign back on track with a sparkling run of four birdies in five holes from the third that got him under the card for the tournament.
The errors which cost him on Thursday returned on the inward stretch as he laboured home in 37, but a 70 was comfortably enough to make the cut. Spieth and Willett both double-bogeyed the Postage Stamp and had to dig deep to avoid a weekend off - with Willett holing a brilliant putt at the last to return a 75.