The 150th Anniversary of the British Open

At approximately 9.40am ET on Friday, play was suspended at the British Open due to unplayable conditions. The strong winds meant that balls were being blown around and, despite suspension being extremely rare, officials deemed it too difficult and called a temporary halt to proceedings.

Overnight leader Rory McIlroy sits on the fourth fairway during the suspension of second round play. The Northern Irishman had a tough day, dropping four shots between the aforementioned fourth and eighth. The Old Course can be an unforgiving mistress.

The new clubhouse leader at the halfway stage was South African Louis Oosthuizen. He shot a round of 67 that left him 12 under for the Championship. Could the host nation of the World Cup provide a major winner in the same month as its fabulous fiesta of football came to an end?

Hot on his heels was previous British Open winner, the American Mark Calcavecchia. The 50-year-old won at at Royal Troon in 1989 but times have clearly changed: his caddie is now his daughter Brenda. They took advantage of good early conditions -- Calcavecchia was the first to play Friday -- which puts him in contention for the Claret Jug. But not everything changes: when asked after his round which Scottish beers he liked, the laid-back Calcavecchia answered with a shrug, "Pretty much all of them."

Clubhouse porter Ford Horsefield poses with the original trophy of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. 2010 is the 150th anniversary of the Open and St. Andrews staged the very first one back in 1873. It was won that year by local caddy Tom Kidd and 2010 marks the 28th playing of the major at St. Andrews -- no British course has held it on more occasions.

Former champion -- and local hero -- Scotland's Paul Lawrie hits off the first tee to start proceedings at the Open. Lawrie had the honor at the unearthly hour of 6.30am (1.30am ET) but shot a healthy 69 for a score of -3. But he'll need to play exceptionally well over the weekend to be in with a shot come Sunday.

World number one Tiger Woods hasn't used a new putter since 1999. And for a golfer that has so much experience with just the one, his change of heart came as a shock to fans. Woods was using a Scotty Cameron but has opted for a Nike golf method putter at the British Open in an attempt to combat the slower greens of St. Andrews. Whether he sticks with it remains to be seen.

John Daly's fans make the case that he should be the 45th President (and it's fair to say that many a President enjoys playing golf). "Wild Thing" came to prominence at this event by winning it in 1995: that turned out to be a very good year for Daly, as he added the British Open to his PGA Championship crown, beating Italian Constantino Rocca in a playoff. But 15 years on, he promised that he would wear something special ...

... and he didn't disappoint, donning a turquoise cap, a short-sleeved blue sweater over a pink shirt, and trousers notable for their purple paisley swirls. "They're called Paiseltines," he said. "The good thing about them is that if you get dressed in the dark, any shirt is going to match." His performance on the Old Course wasn't too shabby either, carding a six-under-par 66, good enough to hold the early clubhouse lead. Daly doesn't want to be known for his colorful past, which includes multiple marriages and battles with alcohol and weight. "Call me the Mild Thing now," he said.

Britain's Justin Rose -- possibly the hottest golfer on the planet after winning two of his past three tournaments -- was paired with Tiger Woods Thursday and both came in under par. But Woods had the better of the early going, shooting a five-under 67 compared to Rose's two-under. Woods is bidding to become the first player to win the Open three times in a row at the Old Course. Indeed, his 67 matched his opening round score at St. Andrews in 2000.

But the man setting the early pace was Northern Ireland's phenom Rory McIlroy. The 21-year-old hit a quite sensational nine-under-par 63 (seven birdies and an eagle), which equaled the lowest-ever round in a major at the Open at St Andrews. That's exactly the reason why he went in as second favorite behind Tiger Woods: and if his final score Sunday is lower than Woods's, he might just have won his first major.

Spectators look out from a hotel on the 18th fairway of the Old Course. The golfing great Jack Nicklaus has famously said that, "if a golfer is to be remembered he must win at St. Andrews." But if you're not quite good enough to be playing, this view nearly makes up for it.

Justin Rose hits his tee shot on the 16th hole. Rose has had an up and down career. In 1998, the seventeen year old amateur wowed the golfing world by coming joint fourth in the British Open, holing a dramatic shot from the rough for birdie on the 18th to do so. He turned professional the following week, but missed 21 cuts in a row. He's since had nine tour wins, has been in sparkling form of late and the feeling persists that his first major success might not be too far off.

Tiger Woods at the 18th often means one thing: he's about to win another tournament. Woods has put in healthy performances since his return to the game earlier this year and will surely be in contention come Sunday. But the 14-time major winner still has much work to do if he hopes to break Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors.