American Brandt Snedeker modestly claimed he played “boring golf” to equal Adam Scott’s course record and snare a one-stroke buffer over Australia’s great hope at the halfway stage of the British Open.
His unblemished round of six-under-par 64 propelled Snedeker to a 36-hole Open record 10-under for the championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
Enjoying the calmest British Open conditions that 25-year veteran and 1989 champion Mark Calcavecchia can remember, Scott recovered from a wobbly start to carve out an impressive 67 to be beautifully placed to break Australia’s six-year major title drought.
Scott is three shots clear of the ominously-placed Tiger Woods – who holed out from a greenside bunker at the last for birdie to log a second consecutive 67 – with a bunch of stars sharing fourth spot at four under.
The chasing pack comprises last year’s US Open winner Graeme McDowell (69), Scotland’s 1999 champion Paul Lawrie (71) and American Matt Kuchar (67).
But leading the way is steady hand Snedeker.
The only thing more incredible than Snedeker not having recorded a single bogey over the opening two rounds is the 31-year-old’s supreme efforts to avoid all 206 bunkers scattering the links layout for 36 successive holes.
“To hit it in no bunkers around here, you have to get lucky,” Snedeker said. “I don’t expect that stat to hold over the weekend.
“No bogeys around here is getting some good breaks and playing some pretty good golf. I call it boring golf.
“I’m shooting away from every pin, trying to put it 25 to 30 feet away and hopefully make some putts, which I’ve done the first two days and plan on doing the next few days.”
Snedeker, who had missed the Open cut in all three previous attempts, admitted he was shocked to be leading and far from overconfident.
“I can’t taste it. We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. A great experience, but it gets you a whole lot of nothing.
“I’ve got a cushion, which is nice. I don’t have to play the best golf over the next 36 holes. I have to play good golf but maybe not the best of anybody.”
World No.2 Rory McIlroy all but threw away his chances of a maiden Open triumph with a second-round 75 that left the 23-year-old Northern Irishman at two over and just under the projected cut line.
“It wasn’t the best day out there,” McIlroy said after notching three bogeys and a double and only two birdies.
“I was doing pretty well just to hang in there around par on the front nine and making a double on the ninth there was sort of the turning point in the round and I couldn’t really recover from that.”
Defending champion Darren Clarke, Spaniard Sergio Garcia, former world No.1 Martin Kaymer and highly-rated Englishman Justin Rose were among the big names to miss the cut.
