The Open: Paul Dunne leads five amateur golfers to make cut

“I’m just going to take what it throws me”, said Dunne, who has remained calm and collected throughout.

“I think I might get in if I win here this week – maybe it’s too late, I don’t know”, he laughed. It would be something I would remember forever. His response was to find a tour van to go back to sleep, before going out for the delayed second round.

Those out early took full advantage – as well they might as the forecast is predicting they will get the worst of the weather on Friday afternoon.

HE may need help from his 16-year-old son when it comes to certain things on a mobile phone but Paul Lawrie certainly knows how it works for social media.

“All I’m thinking about is getting off the first tee tomorrow, picking my line that I want to hit it on, making a good swing, and moving on to the second shot at the first“.

With the course initially defenceless before the wind strengthened, 1999 champion Paul Lawrie, England’s Danny Willett, Jason Day, Retief Goosen, Zach Johnson and Robert Streb all shot 66, with US Open runner-up and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen one of four players to match Spieth’s score.

Woods meanwhile was way down at the bottom of the leaderboard on five over par and already in danger of missing the cut after failing to make a birdie through 12 holes while making five bogeys.

On a day which started as one borrowed from the darkest depths of winter, with floodwaters rolling down the road past the luxury apartments of Hamilton Hall and finding an outlet onto the 18th and first fairways, and as other parts of the links soaked in water as if it were going out of fashion, the decision to suspend play was entirely necessary. I played really well and then it carried over to today.

As he did at Chambers Bay, Johnson carded an opening 65 to claim the lead, with Spieth this time a shot closer thanks to a five-under 67 which made a mockery of concerns about a lack of preparation in his bid for a third straight major. I went out with a number in my head trying to shoot 68.

The last time such a major upheaval occurred at St Andrews was in 1960, the Centenary Open marking 100 years since the event was launched. “And that’s kind of what happened to me on the back a couple of times”.

“I knocked a few putts in and played very well out there, apart from on 17 which was probably nearly a par-5 anyway”. Lawrie’s T-17 finish at last week’s Scottish Open was his best of the year, the product of four days of solid ball-striking and an overall disappointing display on the Gullane greens.