- photo courtesy Royal & Ancient G.A.

The 20 year-old amateur from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, dropped four shots to par while compiling a second round 74 but is still in touch with the Championship leaders on 139 and also holds a narrow lead in the race for the Silver Medal, awarded to the leading amateur who completes 72 holes.

The truth is that Lewis was never likely to repeat his exploits during the first round when he carded a superb five under par 65 to share the lead with Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn. However, he can draw sustenance from a battling second round performance during which he hit the ball well but failed to hole out quite as efficiently as he had done 24 hours before.

Lewis dropped his first shot of the day on the 495-yard par-4 fourth and was maybe guilty of a little bit of inexperience two holes later when he failed to give himself enough time to regain his composure after playing partner, Tom Watson, had holed his tee shot, and paid for that error by missing the green to the left.

The youngster dropped his second shot of the day on that hole and shed another shot on the 12th, regained it with a birdie on the 13th but then finished somewhat raggedly with two bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes. Still, at that stage, he was just outside the top-12, and certain to make the cut on his maiden appearance in the world’s oldest Championship.

“If you’d asked me two days ago about my position, I would have taken it,” he said. “But, at this moment, it doesn’t feel too good.”

“I’m only three back at the moment and, hopefully, I can stay there and have two good scores over the weekend.

“It would be nice to win the Silver Medal and try to finish in the top-15,” he added

At the mid-way point of the second afternoon the race for the Silver Medal appeared to be turning in to a two-horse race between Lewis and reigning US Amateur champion, Peter Uihlein, a man who he will also compete at the forthcoming Walker Cup, to be staged at the formidable Royal Aberdeen Golf Club on September 10-11.

Uihlein, the 21 year-old son of Titleist FootJoy chairman and chief executive, Wally Uihlein, opened with a one over 71 but was one under par through five holes of his second round and just one shot adrift of his English rival.

Elsewhere, reigning Amateur champion, Bryden Macpherson from Australia, was one shot outside the predicted cut line, standing at four over par after rounds of 71 and 73. European Amateur champion, Lucas Bjerregaard, from Denmark, missed out after rounds of 73 and 75 while it would take a miracle to save English qualifier, Craig Hinton, who carded an 82 in the opening round.

-- story courtesy Royal & Ancient G.A.

amateurgolf.com Notes:

Peter Uihlein, the No. 1 ranked amateur in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com Player Rankings, kept his hopes of a silver medal for low amateur alive by posting his second straight 71. He stands at 2-over par, 3 strokes behind Lewis