British Open golf …
(REUTERS) – The challenge to Louis Oosthuizen’s Open lead started to unravel in the high winds that battered St Andrews, as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy floundered in pursuit of the unheralded South African.
The 27-year-old carded a second-round 67 to add to his opening 65 and move to 12 under and a five-shot clubhouse lead over Mark Calcavecchia, and with every violent gust that buffeted the Fife coastline his advantage looked more impregnable.
Officials said enough was enough and 65 minutes was lost when play was suspended due to the winds clocked at over 40mph, and when the hooter sounded for the resumption, overnight leader McIlroy and three-time champion Woods immediately suffered.
Phil Mickelson (71) was sweating over his cut prospects on level-par 144 after being unsettled by the gusts.
“With winds this strong … your putts from three feet are greatly affected, not to mention trying to make eight, 10 or 12 footers from crosswinds,” the world number two said.
McIlroy, who had sat frustrated on the fourth fairway during the hiatus, resumed with a bogey and followed it with a second dropped shot at the sixth and another at the seventh to fall back to minus six, one behind 1989 champion Calcavecchia.
Woods’ resumption – again greeted by warm applause from the packed galleries – was just as bad, opening bogey-bogey after he had barely reached the first green when play stopped before getting one shot back at the fifth to go four under.
The driving winds that forced the suspension gathered strength and the heavy morning cloudbursts that forced players to change clothing as often as their clubs were blown away.
Organisers called a halt to the action, and players at the far reaches of the course were left to their own devices during the respite as the Royal and Ancient opted against an evacuation of the links course.
Tom Watson chatted to spectators and an injured serviceman, England’s Ian Poulter put on an extraordinary display of stretching to keep supple while it was all too much for South African Charl Schwartzel, who lay down on the fairway, used his bag as a makeshift pillow, pulled down the brim of his cap and closed his eyes.
Earlier Oosthuizen, who has played three Opens and missed the cut every time, fired three straight birdies from the fifth to overtake McIlroy’s overnight lead of nine under.
He birdied the 10th too before a three-putt from 60 feet on the par-three 11th knocked him back.
Oosthuizen, dubbed Shrek by his friends, put a chip at the 12th stone dead for another birdie.
He then bogeyed the 13th before picking up another stroke at the 14th and capping off a fine round by calmly rolling in from 15 feet on the last for his seventh birdie.
“I’m okay with anyone waking up and seeing my name on the top,” said the graduate of the Ernie Els Foundation who could easily have pursued a professional tennis career.
“I’m very confident the way I’m playing. I’m hitting it well; I’m just having a lot of fun.”
Oosthuizen’s best of the day 67 was matched by Calcavecchia, Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and American Rickie Fowler.
Calcavecchia, the first to tee off yesterday and playing under the watchful eye of his caddie wife Brenda, posted a bogey-free round which revived memories of his only major triumph at Troon, to finish seven under.
Jimenez lipped out with a putt at 18 that would have been his ninth birdie of the day and had to settle for five under for the day and for the tournament.
England’s Lee Westwood and Paul Casey finished on six under, a shot behind Calcavecchia, after contrasting rounds.
“I played a lot better than my score suggests,” said Westwood, who fired 17 pars and a solitary birdie at the fifth.
Casey looked set to challenge McIlroy’s overnight mark of nine under until calamity struck at the 17th, his tee shot finding the left-hand rough at the Road hole and he needed two slashes to get it clear of the thick gorse.
He went on to triple-bogey but a birdie at the last salvaged his day.
“I wanted to go straight sideways (from the rough on 17) but couldn’t go at it too hard because if I went at it too hard and it came out, I could end up in Room 312 (of the Old Course Hotel),” said Casey.
Casey and Westwood finished one ahead of a group on five under which included 1996 Lytham champion Tom Lehman, US Open champion Graeme McDowell, Jimenez, and South African Retief Goosen