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Open Championship 2022: Cameron Smith posts record-breaking score as Rory McIlroy remains in the hunt
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Published 15/07/2022 at 21:52 GMT+1
Rory McIlroy kept himself firmly in the hunt in the 150th Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews. Cameron Smith is the leader after the Australian produced a blistering round of 64. Cameron Young started the day as the leader, and did not back out in the heat of battle and is two adrift of Smith.
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Cameron Smith produced a record-breaking performance to take the lead of the Open Championship at 13-under, but Rory McIlroy is lurking three shots back.
Smith backed up a 67 with a 64 on Friday to post the lowest 36-hole score at an Open Championship at St Andrews, eclipsing the 12-under mark of Nick Faldo (1990), Greg Norman (1990) and Louis Oosthuizen (2010).
The Australian is looking to follow in the footsteps of Peter Thompson, Greg Norman and Ian Baker-Finch and win the Claret Jug for Australia, but McIlroy may have something to say on the back of a 68.
McIlroy made a slow start, with four straight pars. He appeared set for a fifth on the spin, when getting out of position on five, but he got up and down from an unpromising position to post his first birdie of the day.
The Irishman’s wedge play has been massively improved this year and he gave a demonstration on seven, as he sent the ball over the top of the flag and it zipped back to four feet for a simple birdie.
The rain earlier in the day had made the greens more receptive, allowing players to impart spin on the ball for the first time in the tournament.
He gave a shot back on eight but a run of three birdies in a row on 10,11 and 12 propelled him to 10-under.
Second Round Leaderboard
A rare wayward tee shot on 15 cost McIlroy a shot, but he lit up the big galleries on 17 when making only the fifth birdie of the day on the Road Hole to get to double figures.
Smith has been tipped to win a major for some time, and his game is well equipped for the challenge as he showed when winning the Players Championship earlier this year.
His short game is a thing of beauty, but he has driven the ball impressively on the Old Course this week and it all combined to propel him to 13-under following a round of 64.
There were many highlights, but the standout was a monster eagle putt on 14.
He began the day three shots adrift of overnight leader Cameron Young, and will kick off Saturday with a two-stroke lead
"I think being off late again tomorrow afternoon it's obviously going to be a bit firmer, more like the first day, I would say," Smith said. "So I would say it's going to be pretty brutal out there.
"I think there's going to be a few more gnarly pins, and I think being smart out there is definitely going to be the key to staying at the top of the leaderboard."
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‘A good spot to be in’ - Smith happy with clubhouse lead after 36 holes at the Open
Video credit: SNTV
Viktor Hovland holed his second shot from the rough on 15 for an eagle, backing up a birdie one hole earlier, and it catapulted him into the mix at 10-under alongside McIlroy.
Phil Mickelson will now turn his attention to the third LIV Golf event at Bedminster later in the month. While his fellow LIV players Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch were playing their way into the event, Lefty’s poor form continued as he carded a 77 to miss the cut.
Padraig Harrington had a day to forget as the two-time Open champion also missed the cut. He birdied the first two holes to get to five-under, but a run of bogeys and double bogeys saw him slip back to three-over for the championship.
The defending champion will not be around for the weekend, as Collin Morikawa finished at one-over for the Championship.
Jon Rahm cut a frustrated figure on the first day, but his putter was better behaved on Friday and a round of 67 took him to four-under going into the weekend.
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