Watson enjoying fairytale Open

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The 59-year-old five-time champion unbelievably sank 60-foot birdie putts on both the 16th and 18th greens.

And with the second of those he joined Marino out in front on five under par.

In the wind and rain Watson added a level-par 70 to his opening 65 and is thought to be the oldest player ever to lead a major.

Sam Snead was 54 when he held top spot halfway through the 1966 US PGA Championship.

Watson is playing his 32nd Open. Marino is playing his first - but that did not stop Ben Curtis winning at Sandwich six years ago or Watson at Carnoustie in 1975.

The 29-year-old is on his first-ever trip to Britain and a week ago he was not even in the field.

He has never won a US Tour title, but was in a play-off in May, stands 77th in the world and is a star in the making according to 1989 winner Mark Calcavecchia, who lies just a stroke behind.

Padraig Harrington, after early exits from his last five Tour events, was facing the possibility of another when he stood four over with five to play, but the Dubliner parred the next three, birdied the 17th and made his four on the last to make sure he survived.

First-round leader Miguel Angel Jimenez could add only a 73 to his 64, but England's Ross Fisher, whose wife could go into labour at any time, improved to the same three-under total with a 68.