Cameron Smith leads 150th Open but has Rory McIlroy breathing down his neck

Strap yourself in because the 150th Open is shaping up to deliver something special over the final two days at St Andrews.

After a heavy burst of rain in the early hours of Friday morning that turned into scattered showers for the early starters in the second circuit, some of that sting had been taken out of the Old Course from the previous day.

As a consequence, the overall scoring improved in this eagerly-anticipated edition of the Claret Jug event, with pride of place going to Australian Cameron Smith.

On the back of an eight-under 64, the Players’ champion moved to 13-under-par - a record 36-hole total at St Andrews - at the halfway stage, where he holds a two-shot lead over Cameron Young after the American maintained his eye-catching start by following an opening 64 with a 69.

The two Camerons, though, are being chased by quite a posse, led by world No 2 Rory McIlroy and ninth-ranked Viktor Hovland.

Late in the day on the Fife coast, 2014 winner McIlroy raised a huge roar in the grandstand at the side of the 17th green as he rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt that contributed to his 68.

That had come not long after Hovland had also sent the fans wild by holing from 139 yards for an eagle-2 at the 15th as a 66 also left him two shots off the pace.

Former world No 1 Dustin Johnson (67) sits one further back, with the game’s current top-ranked player Scottie Scheffler (68) alongside two-time Alfred Dunhill Links champion Tyrrell Hatton (66) on eight-under.

Add the likes of former Masters champion Adam Scott and 2021 FedEx Cup winner Patrick Cantlay into the mix on seven-under, as well as US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick on six-under and it’s exactly the leaderboard they were looking for to mark this special occasion.

Smi