Allenby shares British clubhouse lead

AFP ©

Greg Norman's spectacular British Open rolled on as he grabbed the clubhouse lead in his second round at Royal Birkdale.

Norman added another par-70 to his even score from the first round to sit one shot clear of a group on one-over with many players yet to start.

"Of course you feel like you're stepping back in time," said 53-year-old Norman.

"My expectations were almost nil coming in, to tell you the truth.

"I hadn't played a lot of golf."

Another Australian, Robert Allenby, started the day in a share of top spot at one-under 69 with American Rocco Mediate, who was the US Open runner-up last month, and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.

All three overnight leaders shot second-round 73s to be two-over for the tournament.

Former world No.1 Norman, playing his first major tournament since 2005, momentarily hit the front after birdieing the par-four first to go one-under after four holes and top the field alongside Mediate.

The Shark dropped back to one-over with a double bogey on the troublesome par-four sixth but then sunk a mammoth putt for birdie on the par-three seventh to go even again.

Another birdie on the eighth put Norman at one-under.

He narrowly missed a putt for birdie at the 15th and a wayward second shot at the 16th left Norman with a tough task to get out of a bunker, but he managed to place the ball within about two metres of the pin and holed his putt to save par.

Norman came to grief again with a bogey at the 17th that could have been a double bogey were it not for a solid putt under pressure.

When he sent a difficult putt for birdie past the hole and it rolled well away at the 18th, a bogey looked certain, but his experience came to the fore and he holed another high-tension putt to keep the chasing pack at bay.

Norman said a second warm reception from spectators as he walked up the 18th fairway in as many days may have affected his first putt.

"I didn't think about it at the time, but thinking back on it ... I just hit it a little bit harder because my adrenaline might have been running a little bit more," he said.

After his first round, Norman said he would not increase his playing schedule, preferring his sport to take a back seat to his business interests and family life, which includes former tennis star Chris Evert, whom he wed three weeks ago.

"Now, really, golf is second and everything else is first as far as I'm concerned, and it's a great feeling," Norman said.

Norman and fellow Australian Adam Scott started the day in a three-way tie for fourth at even-par.

Scott, who had a disappointing finish to his first round when he slid back from two-under with bogeys on the 16th and 17th, shot a second-round 74 to be four-over for the tournament.

Conditions were better than those which greeted the early starters on Thursday, but the weather was still cold and windy with light drizzle falling at times rather than the persistent driving rain that struck the previous round.

Within moments of Norman ending his round, a heavy downpour battered the course.

Gale-force winds and rain are forecast for Saturday.