Two years after having a putt to win a record-equalling sixth Open Championship title and become the oldest Major winner by 11 years, Tom Watson again rolled back the years at a wet and windy Royal St George's.
As the forecast wind and rain duly arrived in Sandwich to send scores soaring, Watson fired the lowest round of the day so far to claim the clubhouse lead.
The 61 year old, whose first Open win in 1975 came six years before playing partner Ricky Barnes was born, carded a 72 to post a 54-hole total of 214, four over par.
That was eight shots off the lead held by Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke and former US Open Champion Lucas Glover, but looked certain to keep climbing up the leaderboard as the final pair headed to the first tee.
Watson, who carded the 15th hole-in-one of his career in the second round, opened with six straight pars before taking advantage of the downwind par-five seventh, finding the green in two and two-putting for birdie.
Fellow American Gary Woodland had been the only other player to break par on the front nine, the 27 year old out in a remarkable 33 after birdies at the fifth and seventh before coming home in 41.
Three bogeys in five holes on the back nine halted Watson's progress, but the American holed from 20ft for birdie on the 16th before three-putting for bogey on the 18th from just short of the green.
US Open Champion Rory McIlroy would almost certainly have settled for matching Watson's 72, the 22 year old having played the front nine in 37, two over par.
Just as he had in the first round, McIlroy dropped two shots in the first three holes before missing a short birdie putt on the fifth after hitting his drive around 30 yards short of the green on the 417 yard par four.
McIlroy did take advantage of the downwind seventh to make his first birdie of the day, but then twice found the left rough at the eighth to card another bogey.
Clarke made an ideal start with a 15 foot birdie on the first, the only one on that hole all day, but missed from more than half the distance for another on the second.
However, with Glover dropping a shot at the first and Thomas Björn dropping a shot at the fourth after a birdie on the second, Clarke found himself with a two-shot lead as the rain eased and wind dropped.
In contrast, compatriot McIlroy's chances looked to have suffered a potentially fatal blow when he drove out of bounds on the 14th - where Gregory Havret ran up a ten earlier - and carded a double-bogey seven.
At four over for the tournament, McIlroy was nine shots adrift of his good friend Clarke and his hopes of becoming the youngest Open Champion since 1893 looked to be in trouble.
