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Smith's 13-under 131 is the lowest 36-hole score in relation to
par in the history of The Open. The mulleted Australian got
there by making 253 feet of putts, reportedly the most in a
single round in PGA Tour history.
Smith drained a 47-foot birdie at the par-4 first, went on to
birdie his first three holes and added a 21-foot par save at No.
5. But the biggest highlight came at the par-5 14th, where he
reached the green in two and got a downhill, right-to-left eagle
putt to drop from 64 feet out.
The bogey-free round allowed The Players Championship winner to
lead Cameron Young (69 Friday) by two, with Northern Ireland's
Rory McIlroy (68) and Norway's Viktor Hovland (66) three back.
"I think you have to play smart golf. You have to play away from
the pin around here," Smith said. "I think a lot of sandbelt
golfers like that, using slopes to your advantage, sometimes
having a big curling putt is your best option. And I think the
Aussies will do good this week as it gets firmer and faster."
Calm conditions following some overnight rain at the Old Course
created much easier scoring for the morning groups, which had
struggled to go low during Thursday's afternoon wave.
Dustin Johnson was the first to reach 9 under par, a number that
stood throughout the morning as the clubhouse lead. Johnson
recovered from a three-putt bogey on the first hole to make six
birdies and shoot a 5-under 67.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (68) and England's Tyrrell Hatton
(66) moved into a tie at 8 under. Australian Adam Scott, who
turns 42 Saturday, fired a bogey-free 65 early to vault to 7
under; he was tied for eighth with Patrick Cantlay (67), Sahith
Theegala (68) and Talor Gooch (69).
Young, the first-round leader, rebounded from an early bogey by
chipping in for birdie at the par-4 fourth. Making his Open
debut, the PGA Tour rookie countered two bogeys with five
birdies -- including a 14-footer at No. 18 -- to position
himself at 11 under.
"(St. Andrews is) obviously a special place for golfers,
especially competitive golfers playing one of our greatest
championships on one of our oldest, greatest golf courses is a
lot of fun," Young said. "But I'll be head down, trying to just
do my job the next few days."
McIlroy, on the hunt for his first major title since 2014 and
his fifth overall, got hot in the middle of his round with three
birdies at Nos. 10-12. His 23-foot birdie at the 17th, the "Road
Hole," got him back to 10 under.
"I'm picking holes in everything and walking off thinking I
could have been a couple better, but I'm in a great position
going into the weekend," McIlroy said, per Sky Sports.
Hovland shot up the leaderboard late in the day with an
unexpected eagle at the par-4 15th. He missed the fairway left
but holed out from the rough with a perfectly-placed iron shot.
He birdied No. 18 to tie McIlroy.
Scheffler posted his second straight 68 thanks in part to three
consecutive birdies at Nos. 10-12. The Masters champion is vying
to join Woods and Nick Faldo as the only men to win at Augusta
National and St. Andrews in the same year.
The top 70 golfers and ties made the cut of even par or better.
Tiger Woods was not among them.
Woods shot a 3-over 75 Friday to drop to 9 over for the
championship, missing the cut at The Open for only the fourth
time in his career. He made just one birdie Friday and lipped
out a birdie try for a would-be memorable moment at the 18th
green.
Woods received an ovation at No. 18, and though he didn't pause
on Swilcan Bridge, he saluted the fans and admitted after the
round that it may have been his last Open at St. Andrews.
"I understand what Jack (Nicklaus) and Arnold (Palmer) had gone
through in the past," Woods said. "I was kind of feeling that
way there at the end. And just the collective warmth and
understanding.
"It felt very emotional, just because I just don't know what my
health is going to be like. And I feel like I will be able to
play future British Opens, but I don't know if I'll be able to
play that long enough -- that when it comes back around here,
will I still be playing?"
Phil Mickelson followed an even-par first round with a 5-over 77
Friday. After skipping the Masters and PGA Championship earlier
this year in the wake of his comments about LIV Golf, Mickelson
failed to make the cut at either the U.S. Open or The Open.
Also missing the cut were defending champion Collin Morikawa (1
over through two rounds), South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen (1
over) and Brooks Koepka (4 over).
--Field Level Media
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