Brandt Snedeker Soars Into Lead at British Open ANNES, England - Brandt Snedeker has not been a gallery magnet in this part of the world until now, not with missed cuts in his previous three British Opens, not when American golf still tends to be condensed to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the minds of international audiences. But this overseas business trip has been different from the start for Snedeker, a 31-year-old from Nashville. He generated buzz at Royal Lytham & St. Annes even before the Open began by making a hole in one in a practice round on the par-4 16th. Only a few marshals and hardy spectators were there to appreciate that shot. "Complete waste of a great shot because it does me no good in a practice round," Snedeker said. But he has hit plenty of great shots that have counted in the last two days. As the water table has continued to rise on this historic and rain-drenched course, he has kept dropping further below par. He is so low that his 10-under-par total of 130 matched the lowest 36-hole total at any British Open (Nick Faldo did the same at Muirfield in 1992). This year Snedeker not only made the cut, but has the lead, one shot ahead of Adam Scott. He has not made a single bogey and - this helps explain why - has not hit into any of Lytham's 206 bunkers. "I'm sure everybody in this room is in about as much shock as I am right now," Snedeker said in his opening comment at a packed news conference. In truth, there have been much bigger shocks at the halfway point of the British Open. Consider, to name just one, Jean Van de Velde, the then-obscure Frenchman, who was leading in 1999 (and kept leading until imploding on the 72nd hole). Snedeker is, in fact, a well-established threat. He was named rookie of the year on the PGA Tour in 2007, is ranked 29th this week and is particularly adept with his putter. He put it to excellent use Friday, making six birdies, three of them with putts he estimated at 20 feet and another, on No. 6, with a putt of 45 feet. "He's one of the best in the world with the flat stick," said Mark Calcavecchia, the former British Open champion. Brandt is a momentum type guy once he gets going and starts making putts and hitting shots. He plays quick, and he putts quick, and they go in quick. That's awesome golf, 10-under par. Snedeker had the rare privilege of being invited to play regularly as an amateur at Augusta National, verdant site of the Masters, when he was a star of the golf team at Vanderbilt. As a professional in 2008, he made a run at the green jacket, finishing third, which would have been cause for celebration for some 20-something golfers. But it left Snedeker crestfallen. He broke down in tears after the final round, burying his head in a towel during a news conference. The scene struck a chord and sent a lot of sympathetic mail his way, but Snedeker said that it felt like that happened a long time ago. "I've lost a lot since then, gotten used to it," he said. He has won three times on the PGA Tour, including once this year at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. He has also been a consistent top-20 finisher at major tournaments, though he missed this year's United States Open when he broke a rib while coughing. "Thank you for laughing, whoever that was," he said, after explaining the source of his injury. Snedeker has an easy manner, a light touch. With his shaggy blond hair and lean build, he could pass for a California surfer. The surfboard he was awarded for winning in San Diego this year will, in his own words, "never see the light of water." But it is hard to know just what to make of his Open success in a year when this singular championship is playing more like the Famers Insurance Open than a classic links. Two days in, there has still been little wind. Two days in, the greens are soft enough to be holding the spin off approach shots, generating roars of appreciation and surprise from fans who rarely see such happenings on their seaside courses.