TURNBERRY (Scotland) - UNHERALDED American Steve Marino got into the British Open as an alternate, had to fly his dad to Florida to send along his passport and found himself with the 36-hole lead at golf's oldest major.

Great story, right? No doubt.

But it was barely noticed on Friday.

Marino's second straight round in the 60s - and this one was really impressive the way the wind was whipping around Turnberry - was overshadowed by two other developments of some interest.

Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Watson rolled in two long putts to tie Marino for the top spot, and Tiger Woods headed home after missing the cut.

Watson became the oldest player ever to lead a major at the end of a round. Woods missed the cut in a major for only the second time in his pro career.

Of course, Marino could change all that by playing well enough over the next two days to get his name engraved on the claret jug.

'Obviously, it's an advantage to have experience,' the 29-year-old Marino said after shooting a 2-under 68 that left him tied with Watson at 5-under 135. 'But it can be an advantage to not have experience.' Someone pointed to Ben Curtis, who won the Open on his first attempt at Royal St. George's in 2003.

There was a lot of good in the second round, as Marino pulled off one improbable shot after another. He holed out a sand wedge from 116 yards at No. 3, and did the same from a bunker for another birdie at the sixth. There also was a 30-footer for birdie at No. 5, not to mention a 20-footer for eagle at the 17th.

Marino worked his way up through the mini-tours - once shooting a 59 - and claimed a spot on the Nationwide circuit through Monday qualifying and strong finishes. Finally, he earned his U.S. PGA Tour card at Q-school. He earned more than US$1 million (S$1.45 million) as a rookie, had a runner-up finish in his second year and nearly won in May at Colonial, losing to Steve Stricker in a playoff.

'He's a great kid and had a ton of talent,' said Mark Calcavecchia, who was just one stroke behind the co-leaders heading into the weekend. 'He's really kind of figured it out in the last couple of years. He hits it far, really doesn't have any weaknesses in the game that I've seen the few times that I've played with him.

It's great to see him playing well. It's just a matter of time before he wins.

'He could win this tournament. There's a whole bunch of people that could. But he's going to win soon, and it may even be this week.' -- AP