The 150th Open: At the halfway point of The 150th Open, Cameron Smith shot a course record to take a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
Smith shot an outstanding eight-under 64 on the Old Course, moving him to 13 under 131 and shattering the previous mark for the lowest 36-hole total in a major. He also carded an eagle and six birdies on the round.
The world No. 6 started his back nine with a birdie and rolled in a long-range eagle at the par-five 14th, which he holed from over 50 feet away, to start a run of three straight birdies. He then added back-to-back gains from the sixth to reach the turn in 31.
The 28-year-old needed one birdie in his final four holes to surpass Branden Grace’s record 62 and needed to play the final stretch in two under to do so. Instead, he parred the last few holes to move ahead of Young by two strokes going into the weekend.
Young shot a three-under 69 in the second round to back up his opening-round 64, while McIlroy kept up his quest for his third victory of the season and first major championship since 2014.
When McIlroy started his back nine with three straight birdies, he was able to offset a long-range three-putt bogey at the eighth. However, he then three-putted the par-five 14th for par and the subsequent hole to drop back to nine under.
The four-time major champion birdied his penultimate hole to tie Hovland for third place. Hovland had a six-under 66 after making a hole-out eagle at the par-four 15th and birdied the last.
Dustin Johnson shot a bogey-free 67 to pull within four of the lead, and Tyrrell Hatton and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler are five behind. US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick returned to the mix with a six-under 66.
As reigning champion Collin Morikawa and Tiger Woods both missed the cut, the group on four under that also includes 2019 winner Shane Lowry comprises three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and former world No. 1 Jon Rahm.
Woods missed the weekend in The Open for just the fourth time in his career after rounds of 78 and 75. The 46-year-old had just one birdie in a round where he struggled on the greens once more.
After missing his first attempt at an eagle at the fifth hole, Woods made a three-putt par. The three-time Champion Golfer of the Year then bogeyed the seventh hole before capping off a run of pars with a double-bogey at the sixteenth hole.
Huge crowds lined the 18th fairway to show their support for Woods, who appeared emotional as he received a standing ovation from the Scottish audience and admitted after the round that St Andrews may have been the site of his final major.
“I’m not retiring from the game,” Woods said. “But I don’t know if I will be physically able to play back here again when it comes back around. I’ll be able to play future Opens, yes, but eight years’ time, I doubt if I’ll be competitive at this level.”
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