Senior men Calcavecchia and Lehman in the hunt for Open glory

Extreme winds tore through the Open Championship field on Friday to send some famous faces home and put South African Louis Oosthuizen five shots clear.

Oosthuizen is leading a major for the first time and, at twelve under, is 3/1 favourite to win the Open.

The forced break in play may have been a new scenario for the golfers, but some of the names at the top of the leaderboard were seriously old school, with more than one veteran making a charge for the title.

50-year-old American Mark Calcavecchia, who won the Open at Royal Troon 21 years ago, turned back the clock to slip into second place almost unnoticed.

He finished his second round lying seven under par for the tournament, but by the time the gusts had finished with the unfortunate souls out on the St Andrews course in the afternoon, he had moved nearer the summit.

Calcavecchia’s surge brings back memories of 60-year-old Tom Watson’s unlikely run at the Claret Jug last year and the younger man, caddied by his wife Brenda, is 33/1 to go one better this time.

Calcavecchia said: “Brenda and I just have fun out there. It’s enjoyable for us to come out and battle the elements together.”

One of those elements is something no other golfer left in the Open has to contend with, though.

“You know, I’ve got a little bit of arthritis in my knuckles,” Calcavecchia admitted. “This knuckle is killing me. But when I play, it doesn’t bother me too much, because you hit one shot every five, six, seven minutes.”

Tom Lehman is a year older than the man in second place, and the 1996 champion is another on the senior tour with a shot at St Andrews.

Lehman, who won the Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes, is on five under par after carding a second-round 68. He is a lenghty 80/1 to do it again.

Miguel Angel Jimenez is a third elder statesman vying for the Championship. The 46-year-old lies in tied seventh, with Lehman, at five under after a superb 67. He is 33/1 to win the title.

The delays on Friday mean the Calcavecchia and Oosthuizen won’t tee off until 4.40pm, with the South African having had a 29 hour wait since he finished his second round. See the full Open Championship betting market.