Scottie Scheffler ignited his bid for a maiden title at The Open by surging through the field to take a one-shot lead after the second round at Royal Portrush on Friday.
The world No 1 brushed aside two torrential rain showers in Northern Ireland to fire a seven-under par 64, the best round of the week so far, and send an ominous warning to his title rivals.
He is 10-under overall at the halfway stage, one stroke clear of Matthew Fitzpatrick.
“Fortunately, it didn't pour the whole time,” said Scheffler after his lowest round in a major.
“We only had maybe four or five holes where it was really coming down, and I was able to take advantage of the holes where we had some good weather.”
Fitzpatrick produced a brilliant 66 to boost his hopes of becoming the first English winner since Nick Faldo claimed his third title in 1992.
Brian Harman, the 2023 champion, is one shot further behind on eight-under, alongside China's Li Haotong.
Home favourite Rory McIlroy carded a two-under par 69 to reach three-under for the tournament, but is already seven strokes off the pace.
Scheffler struggled off the tee on Thursday but still scored a first-round 68 to sit one stroke off the overnight lead.
He got his second round off to a flying start with a first-hole birdie in driving rain.
The PGA Championship winner then reeled off three consecutive birdies from the fifth hole, including a 34-foot putt down the hill on the par-three sixth.
A second downpour played its part in a rare bogey on the 11th, but Scheffler quickly responded with his sixth birdie of the round on the par-three 13th.
The three-time major champion picked up another shot on the treacherous 16th, dubbed “Calamity Corner”, before reaching 10-under on the 17th despite hitting his drive into the crowd.
One last birdie putt pulled up just short of the last hole, but Scheffler will be a firm favourite going into the weekend as he eyes his fourth win of the year.
Former US Open champion Fitzpatrick reeled off four straight birdies at the start of the back nine to briefly reach 10-under, before giving a shot back on the 14th.
He missed a three-foot birdie putt on the penultimate green but made up for it by draining a 23-footer for par on 18.
“He's world No 1, and we're seeing Tiger-like stuff. I think the pressure is for him to win the golf tournament,” Fitzpatrick said, looking ahead to playing with Scheffler in Saturday's final group.
Harman, who won by six shots at Hoylake two years ago, completed a bogey-free 65 with his sixth birdie of the day on the 18th green.
“It's a very boring approach that I take. I'm not trying to be heroic or do anything crazy,” he said.
Li is bidding to become the first Chinese man to win a major championship and he made five birdies in a second consecutive round of 67.
He came close to edging ahead of Harman, but saw a birdie putt on the 18th agonisingly slip by the hole.
“Definitely want to be comfortable … Will be a lot of pressure for sure, but just have to find a way to deal with that,” Li said of the scrutiny which will be on him over the weekend.
McIlroy's roller-coaster tournament continued, as his errant driving prevented him from taking full advantage of excellent early scoring conditions.
But the world No 2 found his groove late in his round, making two birdies in his final seven holes to stay in touch.
“I feel like I maybe could be a couple closer to the lead, but overall in a decent position heading into the weekend,” said Masters champion McIlroy.
Robert MacIntyre, hoping to become the first Scottish major champion since Paul Lawrie in 1999, cruised into contention with a 66 to reach five-under.
MacIntyre is level with Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, also seeking a maiden major title, Danish youngster Rasmus Hojgaard and Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup.
Shane Lowry, who won the tournament when it was last played at Portrush in 2019, was handed a two-stroke penalty after his round due to the ball moving when he took a practice swing on the 12th hole.
