Day, whose best finish at the tournament came in 2013 when he finished eighth, picked up where he left off yesterday as he earned three birdies in the first six holes of his round.

A bogey on the ninth proved only a blip in his round and three consecutive birdies from the 11th to 13th holes saw the Australian move to the top of the leaderboard on nine-under-par, before the deteriorating weather halted his charge on the 15th.

His compatriot Jones also ended on nine-under-par, with the storm drawing his round to a close on the 12th hole, but one man who was left unaffected by the conditions was Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata who set a course record after a stunning round.

The 34-year-old began the day on five-over-par but produced eight birdies and one eagle on his way to a round of 63, but will rue a bogey on the ninth which saw him miss out on a major record round of 62.

Iwata now lies in 15th after his blistering performance and one shot behind the overnight leader, the United States' Dustin Johnson, who endured a difficult day as he ended one-over-par through 15 holes having recorded four bogeys and three birdies.

Jordan Spieth’s pursuit of a third major victory of the year showed signs of faltering but picked up momentum as he carded a 67, including a birdie on the 18th, to move to six under-par and remain poised to make a move in the final two days.

Spieth is joined in seventh place by fellow Americans Scott Piercy, Brendan Steele, Russell Henley, and J.B. Holmes after they enjoyed solid second rounds to keep themselves in contention for the title in the final two days.

Their compatriots Tony Finau and Harris English, however, are in an even better position as they lie on seven-under-par for the tournament, along with Sweden’s David Lingmerth.

The best-placed man to challenge the lead of Day and Jones though is England’s Justin Rose, just a shot behind, as he aims to better his performance in 2012 when he finished third.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy should make the cut comfortably but his hopes of defending his title will depend on the world number one producing two superb final rounds as he currently seven shots adrift of the leaders on two-under-par.

The former world number one Tiger Woods looks likely to miss the cut for the third consecutive major for the first time in his career.

The American, winner of 14 majors, is four-over-par after 12 holes.

Another American who had a difficult day was the former PGA champion John Daly, who showed his frustration by throwing his club into the water on the 10th hole before ending the day 11-over-par.



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