Justin Rose

Justin Rose made his way to the clubhouse for a ‘spot of lunch and a cup of tea’ - and an afternoon watching the skies and praying for a gentle sea breeze to become a howling gale.

Rose recorded his best-ever score at The Open and became the principal early mover on moving day with a seven-under par 64, moving him to four-under after 54 holes.

It equalled the Open course record set by Steve Stricker and Richard Green and is the best Open round of his career.

It capped a remarkable 15 hours for the former US Open and reigning Olympic champion, after he needed to hole a nervy birdie putt on the 18th to make the second round cut.

“It was a beautiful morning to play golf,” said Rose, whose best Open performance remains his tie for fourth on his debut as an amateur in 1998.

“I felt like it was an opportunity to score well out there.

“The greens were somewhat receptive and the pins weren't as tough as the first couple of days. I felt like it was a typical setup for a moving day, so it was nice to make that move.

“I’m hoping the conditions will change for those to come. It feels a little benign right now. We need the tide to change and the winds to pick up, that's always part of it.

“It's forecast to build a little bit more this afternoon but it hasn't seem to pick up all week.

“I felt like those late couple birdies certainly will make tomorrow at least interesting.

“I think the birdie on 18 last night freed me up, and I'm just very happy to be out on this golf course and not down the road somewhere else this morning.

“That might have been part of the shift in mindset. I had nothing to lose from that point of view.”

Chris Wood looked like threatening the course record as he reached the turn in just 31 but dropped shots on the back nine meant he finished with a 66 to move to three-under.

Japan's Yusaku Muyazato also strung together some impressive numbers, he is also three-under after a 65 today.