TROON, Scotland -- Glorious sunshine and balmy temperatures were replaced by a more typical Scottish summer day as rain and wind came in off the Firth of Clyde on Friday.But none of it threw Phil Mickelson off his game.Despite playing 10 holes in rainy, blustery conditions, Mickelson maintained his lead at the 145th Open on Friday, adding a 2-under 69 to his opening-round 63 to take a one-shot advantage over Henrik Stenson.I really enjoy the challenge that this weather and these elements provide, Mickelson said. I thought it was a good round to back up the low round yesterday. I played kind of stress-free golf again. I made one or two bad swings that led to bogeys but for the most part kept the ball in play.Mickelson finished 36 holes at 10-under 132 and was looking at having more than 24 hours until he starts the third round at Royal Troon, where he will be in position to win a second Open and a sixth major championship.He has now played five straight rounds in the 60s at Royal Troon dating to the 2004 Open, where he tied for third and missed a playoff by 1 stroke.That was the first time the World Golf Hall of Famer contended in an Open. After years of struggling on links courses, he has now embraced them.This is where I stopped trying to overpower the golf course, where I kind of accepted playing it as its designed, if you will, and not trying to find a new, better way to beat the course other than just straightforward golf, he said. Thats probably why I love it so much.Mickelson was the last player in the field to make a bogey, and it took him until his 30th hole of the tournament, his 12th on Friday. He had another bogey at No. 15, but four birdies -- including a near ace at the par-3 eighth -- got him in the 60s again.Stenson, 40, won three weeks ago at the BMW International in Germany, his 10th victory on the European Tour but first worldwide since winning the 2014 DP World Tour Championship. At sixth in the world, he is the highest-ranked player without a major championship.I was 5 back of Phil from yesterday, so of course I was hoping to gain a little, and the way it turned out I gained quite a lot, said Stenson, who shot a 6-under 65 on Friday, including a 32 on the back nine. Its still early in the tournament, though. Were only halfway through or not even there. But so far, so good. Its not easy out there. Its a great result, really.Mickelson was still perplexed by how his birdie putt on the final hole Thursday stayed out. He was putting for 62, a score never shot in a major championship. Despite looking good, the ball somehow veered just enough to catch the lip and spin outside onto the back of the hole.Mickelson joked about finally believing in the golf gods, who conspired to keep any player from breaking 63 in a major. And he had an explanation after watching a replay.It looked like 3 or 4 inches short of the hole it hit something and kicked it dead right, Mickelson said. I couldnt figure out how I missed. Obviously it hit something, so it happens, unfortunately.Mickelson, 46, could be the fourth-oldest winner in major championship history. Only Tom Morris Sr. -- who won his fourth Open title in 1867 at age 46, when the tournament was played down the road at Prestwick -- would be an older winner in Open history.The oldest winner of any major is Julius Boros, who was 48 when he captured the 1968 PGA Championship. Next is Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won the 1986 Masters.Billy Horschel, who began the second round at 4 under, made four double bogeys or worse and shot the high score of the day, 14-over 85. Only one player in British Open history had a larger differential than Horschels 18 shots between the first and second rounds. Robin Davenport went from a 94 to a 72 in 1966 at Muirfield.Notable players to make the weekend cut included Masters champions Bubba Watson and Danny Willett, both who made clutch putts at the last hole.?The cut mark dropped to 4-over par late Friday after a flurry of high scores in the wind and rain among the afternoon starters at Royal Troon.A slew of former Open winners -- including Louis Ooshuizen, Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton, Mark Calcavecchia, and two-time champion Ernie Els -- failed to make the weekend cut.?Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.?
NFL Jerseys China .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend.
Cheap NBA Jerseys China . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51.
http://www.cheapjerseysbasketball.com/ . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August.
NFL Jerseys Outlet . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday.
Cheap NFL Jerseys China . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Ferrari has decided to take advantage of Sebastian Vettels disasterous qualifying session in Singapore to fix new engine components and gearbox to his car, effectively doing so without a penalty.Vettel qualified 22nd on Saturday after suffering a right-rear suspension problem, forcing him to three-wheel through left-hand corners on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Ferrari did not have enough time to rectify the problem in time and it meant Vettel was consigned to starting from the back row on one of F1s most gruelling circuits.ddddddddddddFerrari has given Vettel a new internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger and MGU-H. All three components are the fifth in Vettels allocation, and therefore carry no penalty, but a gearbox change does -- though he cannot serve any of the five-place drop as he is already starting from 22nd. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace