Scottie Scheffler produced a masterful display in torrential rain to seize control of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, carding a brilliant 64 to reach 10-under-par at the halfway stage.
The world No1's sensational round featured eight birdies and just one bogey, edging him one shot clear of England's Matt Fitzpatrick, who signed for an equally impressive 66.
Fitzpatrick's round contained eight birdies and raised hopes of a first English winner of The Open since 1992.
The 2022 US Open champion holed a crucial 23-foot par putt on the 18th to maintain his position at nine-under.
Getty
|Matt Fitzpatrick has enjoyed a near-perfect start, carding 66 at the halfway stage
Former champion Brian Harman and China's Li Haotong sit two shots back in third place on eight-under, whilst Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy remains in contention at three-under following a steady 69.
Scheffler began his round in sunshine before dark clouds gathered and unleashed the worst of the day's downpours.
"We get to the first hole, it's sunny. Then all of a sudden, you look around and it's super dark and it starts pouring rain," he said. "You're like, 'boy, I wonder how long this is going to last'."
The American found just three fairways in his opening round but improved his driving display on Friday.
JUST IN: Crystal Palace demand UEFA explanation over emails with Nottingham Forest and 'secret deadline'
Getty
|Scottie Scheffler carded a tremendous 64 by the end of the second day
Fitzpatrick made a strong start with a 10-foot birdie at the first before reaching the turn in 34. He then sparked into life with a 15-foot putt at the tenth, beginning a run of four consecutive birdies that briefly gave him a two-shot advantage.
The Yorkshireman's momentum stalled with a missed five-footer at the 14th and a squandered four-foot birdie opportunity at the 17th. His remarkable recovery at the last, holing from 23 feet to save par, kept him within touching distance of Scheffler.
"Given myself an opportunity to win the golf tournament, but there's still a hell of a long way to go," Fitzpatrick said. "Obviously the aim of the game is to stay in it for as long as possible and hopefully you can pull away right at the death."
McIlroy produced an improved performance off the tee to card a bogey-free back nine, ensuring he avoided a repeat of his missed cut at Royal Portrush in 2019.
READ MORE: Shane Lowry's rule break erupts into controversy amid furious outburst: 'F*** this place!'
"I didn't have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I'm very excited for that," he said.
The four-time major winner added: "I feel like my game's definitely good enough to make a run. I'm excited for the weekend."
Shane Lowry's hopes suffered a blow when he was assessed a two-shot penalty after his ball was adjudged to have moved during a practice swing at the 12th. The 2019 champion sits at level par.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Getty
|Rory McIlroy carded 69 on day two to leave himself three-under-par
Bryson DeChambeau mounted a remarkable recovery from his opening 78, firing a 65 to make the cut at one-over.
England's Tyrrell Hatton and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre share fifth place on five-under alongside Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard, last week's Scottish Open winner Chris Gotterup and Harris English.
Hatton revealed his unconventional preparation involved an evening round at a nearby pitch and putt followed by three pints of local stout.
When asked if he would repeat the drinks routine, he replied: "Be rude not to. I think three's the magic number."
MacIntyre carded a second-round 66 featuring six birdies.
"I'm in a good spot," said the Scot, who finished runner-up at last month's US Open. "I'm not scared. I'm not going to back away. If I've got a chance, I'm going to roll the dice."