The 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon: Spieth

Jordan Spieth squeezed through the cut to extend his Open Championship before attempting to make light of a bad draw.

The American went out in the afternoon and caught the worst of the conditions at Royal Troon as wind and heavy rain made life tough.

He finished with a 75 to ensure he will be back on Saturday, though his chances of adding to his two majors this time around are remarkably remote.

"We might have caught the rough end of the draw," he said. "That happens.

"I kind of shook it off to an extent at the end of the round, just tried to smile, tried to enjoy the fact that you don't play in this often.

"You wish your score didn't matter when you play in this. You wish this was just a round with your buddies where you go into the clubhouse and have one or seven pints afterwards."

While Spieth laboured, compatriot Phil Mickelson – who was among the early starters – remained at the summit amid pressure from Henrik Stenson.

Asked about Mickelson's performance in Scotland over the first two days, Spieth added: "Really, really impressive. He's Phil Mickelson though, you know. We all know that guy can do things very few can do. As a legend, Hall of Famer.

"He's been talking about how confident he is in the way he's swinging the ball. So he's going to be a tough guy to beat."