Cameron Smith set a 36-hole St Andrews Open Championship record but predicts a "brutal" test in the third round.
The Australian started Friday three shots back of first-round leader Cameron Young but held the clubhouse lead after reaching 13-under for the tournament thanks to blemish-free second-round 64.
Smith opened with three birdies before adding another trio to go six-under through the first 10 holes.
The Players Championship victor managed pars on his next three holes, before sinking a remarkable long-range putt to eagle the 14th.
Rory McIlroy and Paul Broadhurst's Old Course low-round Open record of 63 appeared in danger, but Smith closed with four pars to finish eight-under for the second round.
Smith still managed to set the 36-hole record at a St Andrews Open, having taken just 131 strokes across his first two rounds, with 132 having been achieved on three occasions before Friday.
While Smith will head into the weekend leading the final major of the year, he expects a tough challenge with a later tee time on Saturday.
"I think being off late again tomorrow afternoon it's obviously going to be a bit firmer, more like the first day, I would say," he told reporters.
"So I would say it's going to be pretty brutal out there. I think there's going to be a few more gnarly pins, and I think being smart is definitely going to be the key to staying at the top of the leaderboard."
Smith remains in search of a major maiden win, with his best finish coming at The Masters in a tie for second in 2020, and believes his patience will again be key with tricky conditions and slow play on the course.
"I think just being patient. I obviously got off to a really hot start and it's very easy to just keep going, getting on the front foot and maybe trying to hit some shots that are a little bit too aggressive," he added.
"But I just stayed patient and holed some really nice putts. I don't think we can really do anything about [the slow play], to be honest, the way the course is set up.
"I'm a really impatient person. Everyone that knows me hates me for it. So I have to try my best out there to be really patient, with the pace of play, and with the golf course as well."
Smith is no stranger to being in contention at a major, having finished in the top five on five occasions across The Masters, U.S. Open, US PGA Championship and The Open.
While appreciating the historic occasion of the 150th Open, Smith insists he will not get caught up in the moment as he prioritises treating every round the same.
"It's obviously a really good spot to be in. I feel like I've been in this spot a lot over the past couple of years, and things just haven't quite gone my way yet," he continued.
"But like I said before, I've just got to be really patient over the weekend. I think the golf course is going to get a lot harder and a lot faster. So just be patient and make good putts.
"I think I've always done a pretty good job of just treating every round the same. I think it's going to be a really cool experience being out there. It has been this whole week.
"But I've always done a really good job of just doing the same thing, going through the same process every morning, making sure I feel the same – get on the range, hit the same shots. It's very boring, but it does the trick."
Venezuela 1-1 Argentina: Rondon equaliser thwarts world champions on Messi return
Argentina dropped points in a second successive CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, as Venezuela held them to a 1-1 draw in Maturin.
The spoils were shared at Estadio Monumental de Maturin, where Salomon Rondon's second-half header cancelled out Nicolas Otamendi's earlier effort.
After heavy rain delayed kick-off, Argentina took the lead in the 13th minute.
Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo failed to properly clear the returning Lionel Messi's free-kick, and Otamendi reacted quickest to poke home from 12 yards out.
The hosts went close to levelling either side of the break. German Pezzella cleared off the line from Rondon, while Geronimo Rulli - deputising for the suspended Emiliano Martinez - kept out Yangel Herrera's powerful header.
However, Venezuela did grab their equaliser in the 65th minute - and subsequently a point - when Rondon rose at the near post to power home from Yeferson Soteldo's cross.
Messi returned to the international scene for the first time since limping off in tears during the Copa America final.
But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner could not help Argentina get back to winning ways, while he conceded possession the joint-most times (19) by any visiting player.
The conditions certainly affected the flow of the game, and was more to the suiting of Venezuela. Although they had just 40.1% of possession, the hosts outshot their opponents 16-8.
However, they have now failed to win their last five CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers; their longest streak since going six without victory between June and October 2021.
Haaland becomes Norway's record scorer with Slovenia brace
Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer with a brace in their 3-0 victory over Slovenia.
The Manchester City striker was captaining his first nation for the first time, and marked the occasion in trademark record-breaking fashion.
Haaland broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of the Nations League clash at the Ullevaal Stadium, where Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.
Sorloth then turned provider just after the hour mark for Haaland, who broke Jorgen Juve's 87-year record with his 34th international goal in just 36 caps.
The result put Norway firmly in charge of Group B3 with seven points, three ahead of Austria and Slovenia, with Kazakhstan propping up the table on one point.
Italy 2-2 Belgium: Trossard completes comeback to deny 10-man hosts
Italy dropped their first points of this Nations League campaign, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in Rome.
The 10-man Azzurri, who had Lorenzo Pellegrini sent off, were pegged back from 2-0 up at Stadio Olimpico, where Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard cancelled out earlier efforts from Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui.
Just 59 seconds had elapsed when Italy broke the deadlock as Federico Dimarco played a one-two with Pellegrini, before his low cross was turned in at the far post by Cambiaso.
It was 2-0 in the 24th minute when Koen Casteeles parried Cambiaso's low drive straight to Retegui, who tapped into an open goal.
However, the Azzurri's momentum was halted after 40 minutes when Pellegrini was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after his late challenge on Arthur Theate.
Belgium quickly took advantage to halve the deficit with a neatly worked free-kick as Youri Tielemans and Trossard combined to tee up De Cuyper, who curled past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
And the comeback was completed just after the hour mark when Wout Faes nodded a deep corner into the six-yard box, where Trossard nipped in ahead of Donnarumma to ensure a share of the spoils.
Data Debrief: Italy's quick start counts for nothing
After back-to-back victories over France and Israel, Italy were quick out of the blocks in their quest to make it three wins from three.
Cambiaso's strike saw the Azzurri score in the opening minute of a match for the first time since June 2013, when Emanuele Giaccherini struck early against Haiti.
However, the pendulum certainly swung away from them following the dismissal of Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a direct red card since Domenico Criscito against Netherlands in June 2018.
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