The Open: Smith putting the lights out but McIlroy and Johnson lurk

Cameron Smith is the favourite for The Open after his sensational second-round 64 gave him a two-shot lead.

But he will need to keep his foot on the gas to see off a determined Rory McIlroy, who appears to have another gear and is playing at such a high level, it will take outstanding golf to stop him from claiming his fifth Major win.

McIlroy to keep turning the screw

The County Down man took a leaf out of the Dr Bob Rotella book of mental golf and insisted he just has to play his normal game to chase down the Australian and claim his second Claret Jug tomorrow.

"I know I've got the game and that's all I need," McIlroy said after a 68 that leaves him tied third with Viktor Hovland, just three shots off the pace. "If Cam Smith goes out and shoots another two rounds like he did the first two days, I am going to have a really hard time winning the tournament. I will just try to keep hitting good golf shots until I run out of holes."

Running through the tape is key Rotella-speak and McIlroy has been working with the American guru who helped Pádraig Harrington win three Majors, including two Open Championships.

Smith (3) is now hotly fancied to win his first Major after an eight-under 64 gave him a two-shot lead from overnight leader Cameron Young on 13-under 131— a record 36-hole total for The Open at the Old Course.

But I expect McIlroy (5.6) to keep it going for another two days.

The fact that 14 of the last 15 Open champions at St Andrews were within three shots of the lead through 36 holes would suggest it's a three-horse race.

Smith set for weekend test

But can Smith keep holing putt after putt?

He made a 50-footer at the first and a 64-footer for eagle at the 14th and looked like making everything he looked at.

"That was the most impressive two putting rounds I've seen," said Ireland's Séamus Power, who played alongside the mullet-wearing Australian for the first two days. "I don't know what his footage would have been today. But yeah, it was amazing.

"Even the putts that he doesn't make, a lot of them look like they're scaring the hole, even from all sorts of distances. His speed is down. He's an aggressive putter, bouncing off the back of the hole."

Scottie Scheffler remains a threat

While Young (10.5) looks like a player who will stick around and Hovland (11.5) has the talent to make birdies, Smith may be more concerned about the Major winners on his tail - McIlroy (three back) and Dustin Johnson (10) and world No 1 Scottie Scheffler (13), who are four and five behind respectively.

McIlroy has not yet had his traditional, nine-hole Major wobble, and it looks increasingly unlikely he will falter much given his form and determination to win at the Home of Golf and end his eight-year Major drought.

Taking Smith out of the equation, we're going to Scheffler and Johnson to make life difficult for the Australian, with rookie Sahith Theegala our bet for a surprise run over what promises to be an exciting weekend.

Recommended bets

Rory McIlroy @ 5.6

Dustin Johnson @ 10

Scottie Scheffler @ 13

Sahith Theegala @ 90