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| Angel Cabrera of Argentina, right, gestures after taking a shot from the fifth tee, as Ryuji Imada of Japan, left, looks on, during the second round of the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Friday, July 17, 2009. |
TURNBERRY, Scotland (AP) -- Steve Marino can thank his dad for making sure he got to the British Open.
Marino, a 29-year-old American who scuffled to qualify for the PGA Tour, looked right at home at Turnberry with a 2-under 68 Friday - a most impressive score in windy conditions that put some bite in the ol' course.
He had the lead all to himself at 5 under, safely in the clubhouse while most everyone else surrendered ground with the breezes whipping off the Firth of Clyde.
Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Watson, the star of Day 1, followed a 65 with bogeys on four of the first six holes. Japan's Kenichi Kuboya had the lead for a while, but lost it - along with his ball - when an errant tee shot at No. 13 led to double bogey.
First-round leader Miguel Angel Jimenez struggled to a 73. The 2003 Open champion, Ben Curtis, took an even bigger hit, going from challenging for the lead (he opened with 65) to possibly missing the cut (he soared to an 80 in the second round).
Overwhelming favorite Tiger Woods started Friday's round with a couple of pars, desperately needing to make up ground after facing the largest 18-hole deficit of his Open career. Two-time defending champion Padraig Harrington plodded to a 74 and had a lot of work to do in his quest to keep the claret jug for a third straight year. He was at 3-over 143.
Marino got in as an alternate, though he was forced to scramble when it became apparent he might be able to play in golf's oldest major for the first time.
"I didn't have a passport," he said. "I had to fly my dad down to Florida so he could get my passport and FedEx it to me. ... I wasn't even expecting to play in this tournament."
His father dashed down to the sunshine state from his home in Virginia, sent along the passport to his son playing in the John Deere Classic and flew back - all in the same day. When Shingo Katayama withdrew from the Open last weekend because of an injury, Marino got the spot.
Though he had never played on a true links course, Marino felt his game was suited to a style of golf that requires imagination and keeping the ball low.
"I would consider myself a feel player," he said. "I kind of see shots before I hit them. I don't really hit the same shot every time. Over here, you kind of have to be that way a little bit and hit some low shots and some high shots and bounce them in there and use the slopes. I've really been enjoying the golf over here, for sure."
On a day when low numbers were hard to come by, Marino pulled off one improbable shot after another for a 135 through two rounds.
He holed out a sand wedge from 116 yards at No. 3, and did the same with a bunker shot at the sixth for another birdie. There also was a 30-footer for birdie at No. 5, not to mention a 20-footer for eagle at the 17th.
"It was probably one of the best scoring rounds I've ever had," Marino said. "There were points in the round where I felt I was one-putting every hole. I really don't think I could have shot one stroke less today, to be honest with you."
Hey, someone deserved to have a little good fortune.
The pristine conditions Thursday - partly sunny with barely a hint of breeze - gave way to thick, gray clouds, occasional sprinkles and strong gusts that are counted on to keep the players from taking target practice at the seaside course.
With the wind barely rippling the flags during the opening round, Jimenez shot a 64 - just one stroke off the major championship record - while Kuboya joined Curtis and Watson at 65. In all, 50 players broke par and another 17 were even.
That wasn't the case on Friday.
"We were hitting 3-woods into the wind from 210 yards," moaned Mike Weir, who went from 67 to 78.
Curtis' day started promisingly enough - a birdie at No. 1, a short par 4 with the wind at his back - but things quickly went south when he turned back into the teeth of the breeze. He bogeyed six of the next seven holes before a double bogey at No. 9 sent him around the turn with a 42. It didn't get much better from there, with two more bogeys and another double before he straggled home with an 80 - 15 strokes higher than the previous day.
"I just hit it bad," Curtis said. "I got lucky yesterday with the weather. That helped me keep it in play. Today was different."
But it looked as though the afternoon starters - Watson and Woods among them - could benefit from the luck of the draw. The sun began to peak through the clouds, and the breeze appeared to be easing up just a bit.
"It looks like it's clearing up," Weir said, glancing toward the sky behind the 18th hole. "It might be a nice break for those guys."
Jimenez, the ponytailed, cigar-smoking Spaniard, spent most of the day just hanging on. He kept spraying the ball into the tall grass lining the fairways and took three straight bogeys. He lost another stroke at No. 6 after driving up against the face of a greenside bunker.
When Jimenez tried to strike the ball with his left knee planted on the grass, he barely made contact and had to take another whack to get it out.
There were a few good scores on the board, however.
Australian Daniel Gaunt had the best score among the early finishers with a 67 - nine strokes better than his opening 76. England's Ross Fisher matched Marino with a 68.
"It suited me to have tough conditions," said Gaunt, a 30-year-old journeyman ranked 1,212th in the world but in position to make the cut with a 143. "I had nothing to lose after being 6 over yesterday. I'm delighted with that round."
Woods failed to take advantage of Thursday's conditions, struggling to a 71 that he knew should have been so much better. Heck, the world's No. 1 player had as many thrown clubs as birdies (three each) and headed straight to the practice range to work on his swing.
