Keep that card

Henrik Stenson: He picked up three quick birdies before the sideways rain and gusty winds showed up, and managed a few more during lulls in the weather. Stenson finished with a 6-under 65, his best in the British Open. He goes into the weekend at 9 under for the championship, one shot behind leader Phil Mickelson. Stenson's lone bogey came at No. 9, but he had plenty of company: That hole played nearly a half-stroke above average.

Toss that card

Ben Curtis: When his round — and his British Open, as it turns out — was completed Friday all Curtis could do was laugh. Hours earlier is wasn't so funny. Curtis, the 2003 Open champion, hit into three different bunkers on No. 3 en route to a sextuple-bogey 10 that ultimately led to a 12-over-par 83. "I wanted to go jump in the ocean," Curtis said. With no chance to make the cut, Curtis meandered through the rest of a rainy round with seven bogeys on the next 14 holes, before a birdie at No. 18.

On the course with …

Steve Stricker: The 49-year-old Wisconsinite began the second round with 14 consecutive pars to stay on the leaderboard. The 15th hole changed everything. Stricker lost one ball. He nearly lost another. He had to hack out of the hay back into the fairway, and then he hit his next shot back into the hay. When he finally tapped in, he had a quadruple-bogey 8 to fall back to even par for the tournament, then parred the final three holes. To recap: 17 pars, one snowman.

Open moment

French golfer Clement Sordet teed off in the day's first group and wrote "Pray For Nice" in blue ink on his cap. His girlfriend, Marie, and her family were in Nice celebrating Bastille Day when a truck drove through revelers gathered along the Riviera city's waterfront promenade. At least 84 people were killed. Sordet said that his loved ones are safe but that the tragedy happened 500 meters from his residence.

Chip shots

• Louis Oosthuizen missed the cut at 12 over. His 36 holes included 26 pars, no birdies, seven bogeys, one double bogey, one quintuple bogey ... and a hole in one.

• At 6 p.m. Royal Troon offered "twilight tickets" for 25 euros. Players still on the course at that hour: Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Danny Willett and Bubba Watson.

Clement Sordet

Key hole

Par-3, 123-yard No. 8: Mickelson came within a few inches of a hole-in-one and made birdie for the second straight day. But there were 15 scores of double bogey or higher.

Quote of the day

"He took a full swipe and the ball went 6 inches. I don't think he'll want a postcard of this moment, or postage of any kind."

— Golf Channel analyst Nick Faldo on Nathan Holman's adventures in a greenside pot bunker at No 8, named "Postage Stamp"

Tweet of the day

"If the poor weather is affecting your golf viewing you should try living in this country all year round."

— Scotland sports personality Stewart Armstrong (@FuzzyGolf)

Day 3

Mickelson and the leaders have escaped the elements for the most part, but how will they handle them Saturday afternoon?