Rickie Fowler is back to where he started the day. The American teed off on two under and has just cancelled out a bogey on the third with a birdie on the par-four fifth.

He drove the green and two-putted from 75 feet. A par on the sixth has followed.

All this while apparently auditioning for a job as a catalogue model as well judging by this pose, what a guy!

Image source, Getty Images

Bob Sweeney from Washington DC is here for Rory McIlroy.

He went to Holywood Golf club yesterday and 500 McIlroy fans were given these T-shirts to wear here at The Open.

Bob is wearing about seven layers in preparation for today’s ever-changing weather.

In case you're wondering about the dog image, this is the club head for McIlroy's trusty driver.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Lee Westwood smiled his way around Royal Portrush on his return to the Open, and he's showing that age is just a number as he's chellenging the younger mob here.

And he'll no doubt smile when he learns that in the first round he was the best driver in the field - as he topped the strokes gained stats off the tee - at 52!

It's more about accuracy than power and distance though, and Westwood has been a wonderfully straight driver throughout his long career.

On Thursday the former world number one hit 11 fairways with even his three misses being just into the intermediate rough according to Data Golf.

Westy rolling back the years!

Graeme Storm
Two-time European Tour winner on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

Graeme Storm joined Rick Edwards on 5 Live Breakfast this morning and had his say on the big talking points from Thursday.

On slow play: “It’s a really difficult one, especially when you’re on a golf course there’s a spaghetti junction of tee boxes and greens all around one place and the fans are all around.

“You lose a ball and it all just snowballs and comes to a halt unfortunately."

On Rory McIlroy: “The crowd were great, they stuck by him, he was out the blocks quick.

"He was three under through eight. All of a sudden the wheels came off and it started to fall apart a bit but he dug in, he got it under par and he’s only three off the lead.

“It’s a marathon not a sprint."

One of our leaders Christiaan Bezuidenhout tees off for his second round.

It's not a great shot, he's tried to squeeze a low fairway wood up there but sliced it wide right, almost toying with those out of bounds stakes down there, but it looks in play.

Nervy start.

Image source, Getty Images

• 08:36 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (SA)
• 09:36 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
• 09:47 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng)
• 09:58 Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jordan Spieth (US)
• 10:09 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US)
• 10:25 Harris English (US)
• 11:26 Padraig Harrington (Ire), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Tom McKibbin (NI)

Friday's full tee-times

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy described the support he received at Royal Portrush as "absolutely incredible" in his first round.

"I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in. At the same time, you don't want to let them down, so there is that added bit of pressure.

"But I think I dealt with it well today, certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago."

Read more from Rory McIlroy

Image source, Getty Images

Keegan Bradley tees off on the first looking to make a rare cut at the Open Championship - having missed the last five in a row!

A winner on the PGA Tour this season and up to a career-best seventh in the world rankings, he's playing some of his best golf as he looks to qualify for his own Ryder Cup team.

He recently said that he can handle it if he's a player-captain at Bethpage, but will it work? Let us know with those thumbs...

It's filling up nicely again around Royal Portrush this morning where we spotted US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley going through a very methodical putting practice routine a bit earlier.

He's next to head out.

Image source, Getty Images

We've got some familiar faces out there playing their second rounds right now.

Rickie Fowler is one under par after dropping a shot early on today, while Sergio Garcia and Zach Johnson are both at level par with both also one over for the day.

Former Open champion Francesco Molinari is one over while Adam Scott is struggling a bit at three over.

• Fowler -1 (4)
• Z. Johnson E (4)
• Garcia E (3)
• F. Molinari +1 (5)
• Scott +3 (4)

Get me one of those!

The greenstaff at Royal Portrush are totally in sync this morning.

It was a late finish for most at Royal Portrush on Thursday - and a long day for many... not just the golfers [yawns, reaches for second coffee of the day].

But one benefit of a late finish on the north coast is getting a glimpse of a skyline like this.

Taken at 10pm on Thursday from behind the 18th grandstand.

Shane Lowry got a wonderful reception as the last Portrush Open champion, and started off absolutely striping it before having to battle hard to finish under par for the day.

It was fun to see the Irish hero taking a huge gallery around with him and there will be more of the same today no doubt.

Lowry's putter got him out of jail largely, ranking 32rd in the field as he struggled off the tee (102nd) and more alarmingly around the greens (106th) as he's got great hands and known as one of the best short game players in the business.

A bad start for Sergio Garcia as he finds the huge front bunker on the first hole and ends up making a double bogey there.

The Spaniard does pick up a birdie at the second to get back to level par for the championship though so that's a good instant response.

Stats guru Justin Ray says this is the first time at a men's major that five or more players representing different flags have co-led after a round.

And that diversity of nations tracks down the leaderboard.

Of all 32 players that begin the second day under par, 11 countries are represented from across the world, with America supplying 11 and the United Kingdom seven.

Truly an open championship.

Image source, Getty Images

Bryson DeChambeau faces a huge battle to make the cut after his worst ever round in a major yesterday saw him sign for a 78.

DeChambeau just cannot seem to get to grips with links golf - he's got the talent but perhaps just attacks too much, and you simply can't just overpower Portrush with length off the tee.

Bryson even managed an air shot - that's how bad things were!

Matt Fitzpatrick's slam dunk on the 16th was surely the shot of the day on Thursday?

Need something a bit different to listen to today?

This week's Commentator's View episode of the Football Daily podcast is an Open golf special.

John Murray and Ali Bruce-Ball are joined by BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter to talk about what it’s like commentating at The Open, explain what ‘wearing the armband’ means while Ali reveals the worst moment of his broadcasting career.

Listen on BBC Sounds

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport senior journalist at Royal Portrush

According to the R&A, only nine players have won The Open after not being in the top 20 at the end of the first round (since 1892 over 72 holes).

That would mean everyone at two under or better overnight is in with a chance of winning the Claret Jug.

But then most stats can be tweaked to suit your purpose... and given the congested nature of the leaderboard and the stat below, five shots back is roughly the top 70

On a packed leaderboard, 70 players ended day one within five shots of the leaders.