Nicklaus pats playing partner Luke Donald.

For one very special hour the golf world had eyes only for two players at St Andrews - one leaving the stage for good and the other threatening to leave the rest for dead.

First to a standing ovation came 65-year-old Jack Nicklaus, unable to extend the greatest career in the sport's history for two more days.

As at the Masters in April Nicklaus did a good job of holding onto his emotions as his unforgettable journey through the majors - 18 wins and 19 runners-up finishes remember - built to its final destination. Appropriately, the Home of Golf.

His son Steve, caddying for him, was the first to cry as they posed for pictures on the Swilcan Burn after his father's final drive. No wonder - Steve's own son Jake died aged just 17 months earlier this year.

By the time he reached the ball, though, Jack was wiping tears away too. But that did not stop him doing what was even more appropriate - a putt through the Valley of Sin and a 12-footer for birdie.

There were hugs for Steve, wife Barbara and other family members, more photos and then, of course, the signing of his final scorecard and the recording of his final total. A 72 for three over.

It was an impossible act to follow, but coming not far behind was the only man equipped to do it.

Tiger Woods, the one player around with any hope of rivalling the Golden Bear, completed the latest lap of what now threatens to become a one-man show this weekend.

One ahead after an opening 66, Woods put on another scintillating display to extend his advantage with a 67 for 11 under.

His nearest challenger at that point was seven under and one of the tournament's rank outsiders - 27-year-old German Tino Schuster. Not even a member of the European tour, Schuster came through final qualifying in a play-off last weekend.

Those shocked at his opening 68 were even more surprised when, late in the day, he completed an outward 32 with an eagle two.

A bogey at the short 11th, however, handed Woods a four-stroke advantage.

By the time the world number one was signing his own card Nicklaus had received the first of what will be thanks for a contribution to the championship and to the sport that will never be forgotten and maybe never surpassed either.

Those thanks came not just from the 40,000 crowd, who cheered him virtually every step of the way as he battled in vain to survive the halfway cut, but from fellow players as well.

Each and every one of them knew they were witnesses to a momentous day - and how much they owe to Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer for their current lifestyle.

But Nicklaus also knows he is handing over the torch to somebody pretty special. As indeed do those same players.

Woods is trying to emulate his fellow American by winning twice over the Old Course. And on the evidence of the first two days it is going to take some performance to stop him.

The first nine holes of his second round maintained the pace at which he had started the championship.

Woods, winner by eight in 2000 with a major record 19 under par aggregate, birdied the third, fifth and ninth to turn in 33.

Then came a frightening reminder of why the 29-year-old loves this hallowed ground so much.

The 10th hole measures 380 yards and for mere mortals the task is to try to thread the ball between bunkers and leave a pitch to the distant green.

Woods just blasted a driver pin-high, 45 feet off the flag. Two putts later he was 10 under and four ahead and that became five when he was on in two at the 618-yard 14th - the longest hole in Open history - and birdied again.

Five years ago he stood 11 under at halfway and three ahead.

The chase has not been given up, of course. And Woods showed in the first two majors this season that over the closing stretch he is not infallible.

At the Masters, which he won, he bogeyed the last two holes to fall into a play-off with Chris DiMarco. At the US Open he bogeyed two of the last three and finished second to Michael Campbell.

World number two Vijay Singh, a player who has certainly done enough over the last two years not to write off his chances at this point, had several hours earlier come in with a second successive 69.

That matched the six under aggregate of South African Trevor Immelman, American qualifier Brad Faxon, Australians Peter Lonard and Robert Allenby and also Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, who playing with Woods closed with an eagle two from the Valley.

Colin Montgomerie threatened for a while to be a central part of the story as well when he played the first 10 holes in five under.

That took him into the group on six under, then came bogeys on the 12th and 13th, but further birdies at the next two very much kept his interest alive.

On the same score and still with six to go was American Scott Verplank.

Schuster also bogeyed the 12th. Woods led by five and Montgomerie, if he could par the 17th and birdie the last, had the chance to be paired with him in the last group in the third round.

The last time that happened in a major was the 1997 Masters. Woods shot 65, Montgomerie 74 and while Woods completed a 12-shot win the following day the Scot crashed to an 80.

Montgomerie did par the 17th and then parred the last from 10 feet.

He would indeed be playing with Woods unless Verplank, who birdied the long 14th to be seven under as well, or anybody else could get to eight under.

That looked beyong Schuster, who was back to five under after a third successive bogey at the 13th.

Collated scores and totals

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72, (x) denotes amateurs)

133 Tiger Woods (USA) 66 67

137 Colin Montgomerie 71 66

138 Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 68 70, Vijay Singh (Fij) 69 69, Brad Faxon (USA) 72 66, Peter Lonard (Aus) 68 70, Jose Maria Olazabal (Spa) 68 70, Robert Allenby (Aus) 70 68, Scott Verplank (USA) 68 70

139 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 70 69, Fred Couples (USA) 68 71, Bo Van Pelt (USA) 72 67, Bart Bryant (USA) 69 70, Simon Khan 69 70

140 Richard Green (Aus) 72 68, Hiroyuki Fujita (Jpn) 72 68, John Daly (USA) 71 69, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 72 68, (x) Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 70 70, Tim Clark (Rsa) 71 69, Thomas Levet (Fra) 69 71, Bob Tway (USA) 69 71, Bernhard Langer (Ger) 71 69, Sean O'Hair (USA) 73 67

141 Ernie Els (Rsa) 74 67, Phil Mickelson (USA) 74 67, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 74 67, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 71 70, Graeme McDowell 69 72, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 69 72, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 73 68, Simon Dyson 70 71, Sandy Lyle 74 67, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 68 73, Luke Donald 68 73, Michael Campbell (Aus) 69 72, Adam Scott (Aus) 70 71, Chris Riley (USA) 68 73

142 Duffy Waldorf (USA) 74 68, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 73 69, Ian Poulter 70 72, David Frost (Rsa) 77 65, Pat Perez (USA) 72 70, Kenny Perry (USA) 71 71, (x) Eric Ramsay 68 74, Tino Schuster (Ger) 68 74

143 Darren Clarke 73 70, Nick Faldo 74 69, Steve Webster 71 72, Greg Norman (Aus) 72 71, Kyoung Ju Choi (Kor) 75 68, Maarten Lafeber (Nor) 73 70, Mark Calcavecchia (USA) 70 73, Paul Lawrie 72 71

144 Robert Rock 73 71, Ted Purdy (USA) 72 72, (x) Matthew Richardson 75 69, Joe Ogilvie (USA) 74 70 , Chris Dimarco (USA) 75 69, Tom Lehman (USA) 75 69, Justin Leonard (USA) 73 71, Mark Hensby (Aus) 67 77, Tadahiro Takayama (Jpn) 72 72, Steve Flesch (USA) 74 70, Nicholas Flanagan (Aus) 73 71, (x) Lloyd Saltman 73 71, Peter Hanson (Swe) 72 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 72 72, S K Ho (Kor) 73 71

145 John Bickerton 75 70, Rod Pampling (Aus) 74 71, Paul McGinley 70 75, Graeme Storm 75 70, Scott Gutschewski (USA) 76 69, Tom Watson (USA) 75 70, Scott Drummond 74 71, Tim Herron (USA) 73 72, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 71 74, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 74 71, David Smail (Aus) 73 72

The following players failed to make the cut:

146 Alex Cejka (Ger) 74 72, Peter Fowler (Aus) 74 72, Daniel Chopra (Swe) 76 70, Joe Durant (USA) 79 67, Peter Baker 70 76, Lee Westwood 76 70, Charles Howell III (USA) 71 75, Stephen Dodd 75 71, Mark O'Meara (USA) 71 75, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 72 74, Euan Walters (Aus) 72 74

147 Mardan Mamat (Sin) 75 72, Jerry Kelly (USA) 74 73, Jack Nicklaus (USA) 75 72, Alastair Forsyth 77 70, Zach Johnson (USA) 77 70, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 73 74, Danny Chia (Mal) 74 73, Yong-Eun Yang (Kor) 76 71

148 Tom Byrum (USA) 79 69, Fred Funk (USA) 77 71, Nick Price (Zim) 76 72, Jim Fruyk (USA) 78 70, Ben Curtis (USA) 78 70, Ian Woosnam 73 75, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 75 73, Jason Allred (USA) 74 74, Todd Hamilton (USA) 74 74, Shaun Micheel (USA) 75 73, Andrew Oldcorn 76 72, Brian Davis 77 71, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 76 72, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 71 77

149 Scott Hend (Aus) 73 76, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 77 72, Kenneth Ferrie 74 75, Martin Doyle (Aus) 73 76, Stewart Cink (USA) 76 73, Davis Love III (USA) 75 74, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 75 74, David Diaz (Aus) 74 75, Lars Brovold (Nor) 75 74

150 Paul Casey 75 75, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 77 73, Robert Coles 76 74, Stephen Ames (Can) 76 74, Douglass McGuigan 74 76

151 Chad Campbell (USA) 78 73, Mike Weir (Can) 76 75, Richard Barcelo (USA) 80 71, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 72 79, Oscar Floren (Swe) 73 78, Murray Urquhart 73 78, Andre Bossert (Swi) 74 77

152 Tim Petrovic (USA) 77 75, Peter Lawrie 74 78, Craig Parry (Aus) 78 74, Wilhelm Schauman (Swe) 81 71

153 (x) Robert Steele 78 75, Sean McDonagh 77 76, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 78 75, Rich Beem (USA) 74 79, (x) Brian McElhinney 78 75, Toru Taniguchi (Jpn) 75 78, Stephen Gallacher 75 78, Andrew Butterfield 77 76

155 Chris Campbell (Aus) 81 74, Tony Jacklin 79 76

157 David Duval (USA) 80 77, Tom Pernice (USA) 78 79

158 John Wade (Aus) 76 82, Andrew Marshall 84 74, Richard Moir (Aus) 83 75

159 Peter Oakley (USA) 81 78 161 Thammanoon Srirot (Tha) 84 77

Disqualified: David Toms 74