Spieth ignores caddies to seize Open advantage

Rory McIlroy's caddie J.P. Fitzgerald stole the headlines the day before, after his mid-round pep-talk fired up the Northern Irishman to rescue his hopes of glory at Royal Birkdale.

But while he and caddie Michael Greller are thick as thieves, three-time Major winner Spieth insisted that sometimes you have to turn a blind eye to your bagman and go with your gut.

The 23-year-old Texan pulled off one of the shots of the day at the par-five 15th hole, smashing a three-wood from the rough onto the green in two, before nailing the eagle putt that proved to be the difference between himself and nearest challenger Matt Kuchar.

And if Greller had his way, Spieth might not have secured the advantage heading into the weekend.

"Michael gets two vetos, but he hasn't used one yet this year," he said. "But I need a cautious voice out there, sometimes I get myself into problems when I'm trying to force something.

"He didn't necessarily disagree with me on 15, he just wanted to know what I was thinking. But he did think I should have played short, as my wedge game was going so well.

"I actually mishit the shot which is why it looked so gross on the shot tracker. But it scooted around the bunkers and was fortunate to get all the way up there.

"It was really nice to capitalise on it and knock the putt in; it got me to a place I didn't think I'd get to, and I'm really happy with the round."

The 23-year-old American once again played with maturity beyond his years, shooting a one-under 69 when the howling wind and rain Open fans adore arrived with aplomb during the afternoon, to finish six under overall.

"I'm just happy to be back inside," he joked. "I would gladly have stayed on the couch and not come out here at all.

"I knew the wind and rain was coming, and that was only going to make the course play harder."

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson's bid to become the oldest man to win the Open will have to wait for another year as he missed the cut – but Lefty was happy he had at least done it in style.

Second last year at Royal Troon, Mickelson bucked trends this time around as he ditched his driver for the week in favour of the very same three-wood that helped win him the title of Champion Golfer back in 2013.

His gamble did not come off however and a second-round 77, which included eight bogeys and a triple, saw him finish way short of the cut line.

"It's just one of those things where if it starts going bad in these conditions, it's just going to go really bad," he said.

"Unfortunately it's the first cut I've missed this year and I missed it with a lot of flair. I was surprised because I really thought on Thursday I was prepared.

"I felt like I was ready, that I had a good game plan. I thought my game was sharp. But obviously it wasn't."

Henrik Stenson, the man whose inspired ball-striking beat Mickelson last year at Troon, also endured a trying day on the links – but that had just as much to do with a burglary of his rented home while he played his first round.

An emergency call to his sponsor ensured he did not have to endure the ignominy of returning to Birkdale in the same clothes as the day before, but the enigmatic Swede urged his fans to be on the lookout.

"If you see people wearing all Hugo Boss like me, feel free to ask what they were doing between 12 and 4pm yesterday," he joked after a three-over second round left him eight shots behind Spieth.

"Of course, it was not news I wanted. Having the police running around last night before going out wasn't ideal, but nothing happened to any person, which is the main thing.

"Actually, they missed my carry-on, so I still have some stuff. If they're listening, they got my clothes but not the full jackpot."

Sportsbeat 2017