McIlroy fires warning shots at Open Championship leader Mickelson

World number four golfer Rory McIlroy has warned that he could pose a threat to Open Championship leader Phil Mickelson despite trailing by eight shots.

The four-time major champion battled atrocious conditions to shoot a level par 71 in the second round on Friday but issued a warning to the American saying "I'm coming after you", the Mirror reported.

McIlroy said that he was optimistic about making a comeback while pointing out that he had previously won titles after being in similar positions.

Despite acknowledging that Mickelson will be 'tough to beat', the 27-year-old Northern Irishman refused to rule himself out of the contention and said he will draw inspiration from his previous experience to make a stunning comeback.

This is the sixth time Mickelson has led at the halfway stage of a major, but he has only been able to win once out of the other five.