Lefty on top: Mickelson maintains lead on rainy day at Troon

The 15th hole changed everything.

It’s been more than two years since Kaymer’s eight-shot, wire-to-wire victory at the US Open at Pinehurst.

He stared for the longest time at a leaderboard next to the 17th green, realizing that even par wasn’t going to cut it on a ideal day as this. Dustin Johnson played later in the day in the easiest conditions and shot 71.

SATURDAY FORECAST: Mostly dry with wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour.

With heavy rain expected on Friday, the weather on the seaside links course was gorgeous, bathed in bright sunshine. He then basically hung on the rest of the day.

“You’ve seen guys shoot four, five, six-under-par on the front nine so if I can do that I’ll get closer to the leaders”, said Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy is making his move on the leaderboard at Royal Troon.

Martin Kaymer and Keegan Bradley each made it to seven under before slipping back, the former dropping four shots in two holes at the start of the inward nine.

All three are in the middle of their rounds and could still make day 3 if they can improve.

“It was ridiculous”, said Justin Rose, who struggled to a 77 after shooting 68 the first day.

Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, is pretty much out as he sits on +3.

Monty and Paul Lawrie have both fallen down to +3, while Richie Ramsey is now down at +5 and all look very likely to miss the cut.

The 36-year-old, a two-time Open runner-up, said: “The course was playing totally different from yesterday, it was definitely tougher”. He shot 82 on Thursday.

Phil Mickelson of the United States wipes his club as caddie Jim Mckay looks at his notebook as he waits to play from the 16th fairway during the second round of the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Troon Golf Clu.

That’s because Phil Mickelson, who was named earlier this year as the ambassador for the CareerBuilder event played in La Quinta in January, has held the first- and second-round leads of the Open, the third major championship of the year in men’s golf.

He opened with a 76 at Oakmont and had to play well just to make the cut.

Just two of the many players finding it tough at “The Railway” hole.

All in all, the 2003 champion at Royal St. George’s had six shots in the sand, starting with taking three to get out of a fairway bunker after pushing his tee shot left.

Not surprisingly, several scorecards were wrecked at the 10 and 11 holes, statistically the two most hard on the course. I feel like I’ve played very well and that gives me optimism going into the weekend. At least 84 people were killed.

“You see nothing but trouble”, Jones said. He shot 4-over 75.

“Well, it’s obvious right there, there’s a curse because that ball should have been in”, Mickelson said to laughter. He almost made a hole-in-one at No. 8 – the famed “Postage Stamp” hole – his ball rolling right up to the edge of the cup for a tap-in birdie, roughly the length of a postage stamp.