Dunhill Links: Treacherous conditions pushes field to limit as Richard Mansell races into lead

Even by Scotland’s standards, this was one hell of a bad day to be out on a golf course or, when it comes to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, three courses.

Alex Noren in action on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns Links. Picture: Jan Kruger/Getty Images.

Due to the weather forecast being horrific, the tournament organisers went early with a shotgun start only for that to leave 168 professionals and their amateur partners out at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns in quite appalling conditions.

Heavy rain fell from around 10am on the east coast and high winds buffeted all three venues, turning it into a day when it was impossible for anyone to feel they were enjoying themselves.

In fairness, Englishman Richard Mansell came closest to ticking that box as he carded a four-under-under 68 at St Andrews, where his effort was the best of the day by four shots, to open up a two-shot lead over Swede Alex Noren after 36 holes in the $5 million event.

Richard Mansell is wrapped up against the elements in the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Picture: Oisin Keniry/Getty Images.

Scottish No 1 Bob MacIntyre also had something to smile about when his war of attrition ended at Kingsbarns, where a two-under 70 left him just four shots off the lead in fifth spot as he chases a second win in three starts on the DP World Tour.

However, there was carnage all over the place and even some of the big guns were made to look a tad foolish in some of the worst conditions ever witnessed for this event.

A day after carding a seven-under 65 at Carnoustie, Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters slumped to an 83 at Kingsbarns, where a messy card contained a triple bogey, two doubles and five bogeys.

Shane Lowry, winner of the recent BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth, has coped well in tough weather on many occasions over the years, but, also playing at Kingsbarns, the Irishman was left signing for a 79. That included a quintuple-bogey at the 15th, having already had a 7 - a double-bogey in this instance - three holes earlier.

Rory McIlory tees off on the 11th hole ay Kingbarns Links in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Picture: Jan Kruger/Getty Images.

Rory McIlroy, the world No 2 and another playing at Kingsbarns for the second, also ran up a triple-bogey 7 – it came at the 14th – as he had to settle for a 75, though what Alexander Knappe would have given for that.

The German had opened with a level-par 72 at Kingsbarns on Thursday and was level-par for the day through 11 holes at St Andrews before the wheels came off in spectacular fashion.

He’d already gone double bogey-double bogey-bogey from the 11th on the Old Course before spilling another two shots at the 15th before things then went from bad to worse.

The 33-year-old sent two shots out of bounds from the fairway at the par-4 16th as he ran up a 9 there, was out of bounds again en route to a quadruple-bogey 8 at the 17th before a closing bogey brought him home in 52 and added up to an 88. Ouch!

A day after he’d equalled the Old Course record with an 11-under 61, Frenchman Romain Langasque was brought back down to earth with a bump as he took 19 shots more at Carnoustie.

By the time it was all over – and, rather cheekily, the sun had just started to show its face by then – only three players, namely Mansell, Swede Alex Noren and Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick - had broken 70 and just eight had beaten par.

“It wasn't golf, to be honest,” declared Mansell as he summed up how tough it had actually been. “It was just a real big personality thing, and just try and stay positive and stay focused.”

Starting out at the sixth, the 26-year-old birdied the seventh, ninth, tenth and 12th, dropped his only shot of the day at the 16th but got that back with a birdie at the par-5 fifth.

“Yeah, it's up there,” he replied to being asked if it had been the best round of his career. “I mean, I can't feel anything in my body right now. It was just gritty. Yeah, obviously really, really happy with that today.”

This is just Mansell’s 40th DP World Tour start but, on the back of three top-four finishes, mostly recently in the European Masters in Switzerland, he’s sitting 42nd in this season’s rankings.

“Just to be in this position is a really good thing,” admitted the leader, a position he holds for the first time on the top tour. “Still 36 holes to play, and Carnoustie tomorrow. Hopefully we can go and warm up and not have pneumonia for tomorrow and see what tomorrow brings.”

Noren, who won the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart in 2016, is lurking ominously after bagging five birdies in a 69 at Kingsbarns, with Frenchman Antoine Rozner and Dane Niklas Norgaaed Moller a shot further back after they signed for matching 74s at Carnoustie and St Andrews respectively.

“It definitely ranks up there,” said Noren of where the conditions stood in his playing career around the world. “The wind on this course was probably the best wind we could have, you know, kind of blowing to the ocean.

“I played well. I thought, you've just got to trust that you can actually play golf because you can't feel your hands. You can't do anything. You don't try to be a hero. So it was a very tough round but I felt like that guy in Caddyshack. It was a nice round.”

Saturday’s third round will revert to a two-tee start from 9am local time at all three courses, where it is again set to be windy but not wet. Noren heads to St Andrews for his next test and admitted: “I like the Old Course, and it's going to be fun.”

McIlroy, who is bidding to cement his place at the top of the DP World Tour Rankings, sits nine shots off the lead, with US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and also his younger brother, Alex, one ahead of him.

American Johannes Veerman and his amateur partner Will Ahmed share the lead in the team competition with South Africa’s Christiaan Burke and his partner, Bruce Mitchell, on 19-under-par.