Saturday 4 October 2014 11:28, UK
Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin shot a two-under 70 around Kingsbarns to move into a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Jacquelin could not match his superb Thursday 65 around Carnoustie - widely regarded as the toughest of the three venues - but birdies at the last two holes took him a shot clear of four players on eight under.
They are Irishmen Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington, overnight leader Oliver Wilson of England and another Frenchman, Alexander Levy.
Further down the leaderboard, World No 1 Rory McIlroy was much improved following his opening round 73, carding a 67 at Kingsbarns to move up to four under par, five off the pace.
Fellow European Ryder Cup star Martin Kaymer was less successful, however, with rounds of 74 and 72 leaving him on two over par.
Victorious captain Paul McGinley, making his playing return, posted rounds of 72 and 70 to lie on two under par.
The best performer from last week's Ryder Cup team was Scotland's Stephen Gallacher, who added a 70 at Kingsbarns to his first-round 68 to finish on six under par, three shots off the lead.
Eleven of the top 12 scores came from players who were at Kingsbarns on Friday and Carnoustie on Thursday, when calm conditions meant traditionally the hardest of the three venues played relatively easy.
Wind and rain made scoring more difficult on Friday but Jacquelin birdied his final two holes to move into pole position for a fifth European Tour title.
"I'm pretty happy, especially the way I finished," said Jacquelin, whose last win came in a record-equalling nine-hole play-off in the Spanish Open last year. "I birdied 17 and 18 so it was good before having dinner and going to rest.
"I've been working hard every year since the last 20 years to be at this position. I feel good. It's a long weekend. It's a lot of golf to play, so you know, the game of golf, it's not that easy. You just have to stick to the same plan and see what happens."
Lowry, who finished joint third in this event 12 months ago, was the only player in the top 12 to play at St Andrews on Friday, meaning he will face Carnoustie on Saturday before the final round is again played over the Old Course.
"To be honest, the way I played to shoot two under was quite good," said Lowry after a round containing four bogeys and six birdies. "The forecast was pretty bad today and everyone was expecting the worst, but it wasn't actually that bad.
"It played quite easy toward the end and I could have picked up a couple more, but I'm happy with the position I'm in with two rounds to go. Hopefully I can go out to Carnoustie tomorrow and hopefully the weather is not too bad over there and I can shoot a decent score."
Harrington won the first of his back-to-back Open titles at Carnoustie in 2007 but has not won a tournament on a major worldwide tour since the 2008 US PGA.
The 43-year-old was a vice-captain at last week's Ryder Cup and although he admits he has a lot more to learn before bidding to captain the side, he has set himself an ambitious target.
"I think the big one for me, I've got to get inside the top 15 in the world to make the Olympics in 2016," said Harrington, who is currently ranked 324th. "I've got 22 months to go. I'm starting at absolute zero probably at the moment.
"I really feel good about my game, so I believe I can do it."
