ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Danny Willett's mind was on the task at hand Friday afternoon when caddie Jonathan Smart asked him to take a peek at one of giant leaderboards on the Old Course.
Willett was leading the oldest championship in golf.
The Englishman shot a 3-under-par 69 after a 3-hour, 14-minute weather delay to take the clubhouse lead through 36 holes at The Open.
"I think it's a childhood dream, and looking up there it's still a little bit surreal but something I'm going to have to get used to; otherwise no point being up there," Willett said. "We're going to try and rest up and then try and go out for another good weekend, and hopefully we can be up there in two days' time."
His total of 135, 9 under par, led by two strokes over first-wave finishers Marc Warren, Zach Johnson and Adam Scott.
Willett was eventually overtaken by first-round leader Dustin Johnson, who was at 10 under through 13 holes when play was suspended Friday. Willett is one shot back with Paul Lawrie and Jason Day two behind at 8 under.
The 27-year-old Willett, who has two victories on the European Tour, both last year, has a solid record around the Old Course, which he has played several times during the tour's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
But he's never done much in major championships, his best finish a tie for 15th two years ago at Muirfield.
Willett and those who teed off Friday morning avoided torrential rains that caused standing water on the course and led to the round being postponed after only one group had started.
That is rare for links courses, which typically drain with such proficiency that play is not stopped. But there were large puddles on the first and 18th fairways as well as several bunkers filled with water.
"We're pretty fortunate we didn't have to play in the rain," Willett said. "The golf course was unplayable, and those were the only circumstances I'd have thought they'd suspend play for an Open Championship, especially around a place like that. It's unfortunate, but that didn't stop the fact that it was 20, 25 mile an hour winds, and we were just kind of hoping it kind of calms down and stays as it is to give us a relatively fair test."
Willett, who made it to the semifinals of the WGC-Match Play Championship earlier this year in San Francisco, made five birdies and two bogeys. Warren also shot 69.
Zach Johnson, who had one of the Thursday's best afternoon rounds, a 66, came back with 71 to put himself in position after having finished in the top 10 in The Open in two of the past three years.
Scott, the tough-luck loser at Royal Lytham & St. Annes three years ago when he bogeyed the final four holes, has finished in the top 5 at each of the past three Opens. He added a 67 to his opening 70.
Willett is playing in his fourth Open and has two rounds in the 60s after managing just one in eight previous rounds in the tournament. He is bidding to become the first Englishman to win The Open since Nick Faldo won the last of his three titles in 1992; Faldo concluded his final Open here on Friday, missing the cut at 10 over par despite shooting a second-round 1-under 71.
A distinguished amateur career saw Willett rise to No. 1 and defeat Rory McIlroy at the 2007 Amateur Championship in the first stage of match play. After briefly attending college in the U.K., Willett decided to take his golf talents to Jacksonville State in Alabama, where he played for two years.
"It teaches you a lot of things, America," Willett said. "I think a few guys hate it because they've got moms and dads there getting them up in the morning, waking them up this, doing them that. I've been brought up a little different to that. It was a fantastic experience.
"You have to discipline yourself. You are in the gym six times a week. You're training, practicing, getting ready for the tournaments, which are pretty stressful I'd say in college golf. It's a good standard of golf. It's been a massive learning curve."
Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, who has 11 PGA Tour victories, held a share of the lead until consecutive bogeys on the back nine but finished with a birdie on the 18th to put himself in position for the weekend.
"I'm just excited where my game has been and where it is right now," Johnson said. "Whether it continues or even progresses from here this week, that would be fantastic. If it doesn't, I still like the state of where I'm at."
