As the American pair of Steve Stricker and Chris DiMarco stormed into contention with rounds of 64 and 66 respectively, both Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington also made their moves in the right direction.

Given that he had an opportunity at last year's US Open, and that he flirted with the lead during the final round at Augusta earlier this season, Harrington's presence high on the leaderboard was not unexpected. However, even after McGinley's impressive opening effort, there was nothing remotely in his recent form to suggest he would be able to stay the pace here.

Currently ranked 170th in the world, McGinley got his round off to an ideal start when he chipped in for a birdie at the second, and he quickly followed that bonus with more orthodox birdies at the fourth and the ninth to be out in 33. Playing superbly controlled golf, the Dubliner closed the gap on Garcia with another birdie at the long 14th, only to give a shot back at the demanding par three 16th. Then after an impressive long-iron approach to the last, his birdie putt agonisingly stayed out. A fine 68 for 210 means he has an outside chance of victory.

If Harrington has reason to be more confident about his pursuit of Garcia, he is on the same mark as McGinley at three-under par for the tournament.

There was both rain and a chill in the air once more as both Woods and McGinley had the mittens out, and while it was a touch miserable for the leaders, the apocalyptic weather which had doused England and Wales never materialised.

Although the R&A have made a bags of one or two rules decisions this week, there has been no controversy similar to the debacle of 1999, or to the season's previous two majors, when the course set-up had everyone in a lather. The only disgruntled people in these parts of Scotland have been the sun cream vendors.

If a minor debate swirled around the state of the world number one's game . . . he did remarkably well to salvage a 74 in the second round so wayward were some of his tee shots . . . the burning question of the day concerned how Garcia would cope with the pressures of leading a major championship.

While his track record of five top-10 finishes in the past six Opens would be the envy of many, he has only once before put himself in a position to win. And who will forget his capitulation at the hands of Woods at Hoylake last year when he started out just one stroke in arrears and eventually finished seven behind?

An imperious ball-striker at his best, Garcia's putting woes had threatened to leave him as a complete also-ran in the chase to close the gap on Woods, and when he missed the cut earlier this season at both the Masters and the US Open, he took the decision to switch to the belly putter.

And change, it appears, has been as good as a rest.

"It feels miles better under pressure, " he said, and if the benefits of the new implement are probably as much psychological as technical, Carnoustie's greens are nowhere near as intimidating as the surfaces which caused him so much grief at Augusta and Oakmont. Going into the third round a full 36 shots better than his tearful exit from this links in 1999, could he hold his nerve, especially with Woods prowling only a couple of double bogeys off the pace? He confidently provided the answer with a birdie at the first, and as his putting held up, it seems as if this Open is now Garcia's to lose.

If Woods cannot be deemed to be completely out of the picture, there isn't the slightest possibility that he will be in Garcia's head to the same extent as he was at Hoylake. So wayward was he off the tee that a second round of 74 had fully extended his powers of recovery, and when he bogeyed the second hole yesterday, it appeared for a moment as if he had bowed out of this tournament. But the world's best player has never been one to accept defeat easily, and he quickly responded with three birdies to put him in the mix once again. However, his momentum stalled and with less mortals making significant moves all round him, Woods's 69 for a one-under par 212 won't be enough to give him a genuine shot at a 13th major title later today.

And what of Rory McIlroy? It hasn't mattered one bit that a course, which Johnny Miller has called the toughest in Europe, has gradually taken the sting out of his challenge because he will always have that extraordinary first round of 68 to reflect on. The stone he lobbed into the amateur pond over the past couple of years has made considerable ripples, but to the game's great unwashed, he was unknown.

So, Thursday's flourish around this fearsome links didn't just give credence to his father Gerry's understated verdict that Rory was going to be "half-decent" after he had won the world under-10 title, it catapulted him onto a global stage.

If his form has been a touch anti-climactic since the brilliance of outscoring Tiger Woods, the media exposure he had been afforded comes as the ideal launch pad for his professional career which will get under way in September after he plays in the Walker Cup against the best US amateurs at Royal County Down. Without overegging the cake, there is a strong sense that like Woods and Garcia he has been born to compete at an elite level.

Blessed with some freakish DNA, his power belies a frail physique, and his cherubic features hide the desire of a winner. At 18, he talks the talk, and here he has already shown he can walk the walk.

With four bogeys in his first 11 holes yesterday, McIlroy admitted that he momentarily lost his confidence, however, he responded with a strong finish which included two birdies over Carnoustie's demanding closing holes for a 73 and a fourover par total of 217.

Heading to Dubai without his clubs for a 10-day holiday later in the week, there is no doubt that there are greater rewards in the game for McIlroy than the amateur silver medal at the Open championship.