Cameron Smith of Australia delivered another consistent round at The Open to lead after day 2 at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
The Australian golfer’s combined score of 131 after rounds of 67 and 64 broke the previous record for the lowest 36-hole score in The Open Championship at St. Andrews.
A bogey-free 8-under 64 gave Smith a two-stroke lead over day 1 leader Cameron Young. Norwegian Viktor Hovland and Irishman Rory McIlroy, who carded a rock-solid 68 sit two strokes back of the leader tied for third.
LIV Golf’s Dustin Johnson was a further shot back on nine under with world number one and fellow American Scottie Scheffler another stroke behind alongside Briton Tyrrell Hatton.
A raft of former Open winners missed the cut including Tiger Woods who struggled once again. Defending champion Collin Morikawa also was sent packing along with Americans Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, David Duval, and Mark Calcavecchia, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, and Scotland’s Paul Lawrie.
Woods needed a huge improvement on his opening 78 to make the cut at the scene of his 2000 and 2005 Open triumphs. The 15-times major champion flickered into life with a birdie at the third before two bogeys quickly halted his momentum.
A double-bogey on the 16th took the 46-year-old to nine-over-par, ending any faint hopes he had of returning at the weekend.
Woods received a standing ovation from the galleries as he walked up the 18th fairway before he missed a short birdie putt to complete a round of 75 that left him tied for 148th place in the 156-man field.
Cameron Smith will tee off at 03:55 PM (PST) in a bid to improve his lead at The Open.
