Image source, Getty Images

The 2009 winner Stewart Cink had a brilliant verdict on the conditions today:

"This is not the Birkdale I've ever seen before. Lush would be the opposite of the way to describe this place right now, and obviously very calm. The wind was kind of not there and then when it picked up it shifted about 90 degrees or more today.

"It's a different Birkdale. It's way different!"

On his experience of courses in the UK: "That's kind of what you expect over here. The golf courses are how the weather goes. They're either fast, firm, dry, fiery and dusty. Or they're never really soft but they can be lush and green and a little slower.

"This week we've got it very dry, and it's a lot of fun."

Ryan Gerard's momentum was halted by that bogey on 11 but he's just picked up his fifth birdie of the day at par-five 15th and moves alongside Sungjae Im and Dan Brown at the summit.

On the par-five 17th, Russell Henley, Justin Rose and Viktor Hovland all have chances from 10 feet or closer for birdies - and all are made.

Hovland and Henley are back under par with just the tricky 18th left to play.

Image source, Getty Images

Now then, it's been a grand old day on the links so far, with plenty of birdies for the early starters.

But don't go anywhere as a slew of big guns are about to begin their quest for the Jug.

Here's a taster of what's on the menu this afternoon, with major winners and star names aplenty set to tackle the freshening Birkdale breeze.

14:42 Collin Morikawa (US), JJ Spaun (US), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den)

14:53 Shane Lowry (Ire), Aaron Rai (Eng), Brooks Koepka (US)

15:04 Cameron Young (US), Wyndham Clark (US), Ludvig Aberg (Swe)

15:15 Rory McIlroy (NI), Xander Schauffele (US), Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)

And remember - you can listen along to 5 Live's coverage right up until 20:00 BST on this page!

Get the kettle on.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport golf reporter at Royal Birkdale

What a place for Fleetwood to get back on the birdie train!

Behind the 15th green is an imposing three-story hospitality tent which looks like a modern canal-side apartment block.

The punters are hanging over the balcony, and packed six-deep in the gully underneath, as they cheer on their local hero.

The cheer that greeted Fleetwood sinking his putt would have been heard back at the clubhouse.

"What is that?", says Tyrrell Hatton as his approach to the 16th comes up right and woefully short of the putting surface.

It doesn't cost the Englishman though. He chips from a horrible position to 18 feet and then sinks a left-to-right putt.

While Scottie Scheffler also picks up a par, it's birdie time for Bryson DeChambeau who plays a superbly controlled second into four feet and then tidies up.

Image source, Getty Images

Shot of the day at the 15th for Tommy Fleetwood as he drills a long iron 200 yards but manages to get it to land softly on the green to about 12 feet.

Then he rolls in the birdie putt to another huge roar with a massive hospitality tent based just off the back of the green. Great place for Tommy to produce his best hole of the day.

It's back-to-back bogeys for Jon Rahm though, as he misses the green to the left and this new hole has much bigger slopes off it than the traditional greens here at Birkdale so that leaves a really tough up and down.

This hole's had some mixed reviews so far - and even in this group Fleetwood will walk off thinking it's pretty good while Rahm will hate it.

Three off the tee for Alex Smalley after going OB. Given his serene progress to this point, his head must be a little scrambled, but he finds the short stuff this time.

He still has 211 yards for his fourth...and he plays a stunner! The ball lands softly on the front of the green and rests 12 feet from the cup.

It would be a brilliant bogey all things considered if he drops this one, but he doesn't. That's a double bogey and a five-six finish for Smalley.

Lunch will taste bitter.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport golf reporter at Royal Birkdale

Fleetwood and co arrive at one of the most talked about holes on the course.

The par-three 15th is a new hole with a narrow but long green - which is a pretty intimidating sight from the tee.

The run offs on either side are steep if you’re not metronomic with your tee-shot.

Tellingly, Fleetwood is the only one of the stellar group to hit the dancefloor, with Rahm going left and Spieth going right.

Getting your ball to stick - from the tee and from the trenches if you end up there - is not going to be easy…

Andrew Murray
Former European Tour winner on BBC Radio 5 Live

For me, the 18th is one the of the great closing holes. 508 yards and it is fraught with danger. I have been down the right-hand side where Alex Smalley has been. It is not a nice place to be.

Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

The 18th at Royal Birkdale is an brute of a way to close out a punishing round in these conditions.

It's playing 500 yards today which, considering the firm ground, should leave most of the field with a mid iron into the green. Throw in a slight headwind and some bunkers to catch your attention and it can get in your head.

At Monday's Last Chance Qualifier, we didn't see a single birdie. Of the first 15 players to finish round one, there was just one from Henrik Stenson.

Any players chasing victory on Sunday may want to get their scoring done on the previous 17.

The warm weather has burnt away some of the rough at Birkdale, so it's not thick, juicy wet fescue that can be so dangerous in soggy Opens.

BUT that doesn't mean it's easy - as Ken Brown explains...

Another birdie chance goes begging for the world number one at the par-three 15th, albeit this time from 20 feet.

It's a more scrambling scenario for his playing partners Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton, who get up and down after straying right.

Image source, Getty Images

When Argentina's Mateo Pulcini holed his 18th putt, he was inspired by his compatriot Enzo Fernandez's celebration last night.

On BBC Radio 5 Live, Pulcini said: "On the 18th my caddie said: 'Make this putt and make everyone scream and do anything you want.'

"It just came from the moment. I wouldn't want to be disrespectful with an Argentina flag. It is unbelievable the treatment I am receiving here. That came from just a good putt.

"It was a great moment. I struggled all day. I am really grateful to be here. The first 10 holes were awful, and then I started to enjoy it and had some more fun."

Image source, Getty Images

The par-five 14th is the third easiest hole on the course, but Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood both make a bit of a mess of it when tangling with the left rough.

Fleetwood escapes with a par but Rahm lips out with his try so he cards his first bogey of the day. Coming on what's basically a birdie hole will leave the Spaniard fuming.

Jordan Spieth at least plays it nicely as he just about gets on the green in two and ends up making his first birdie of the day to get back to two over. He'll be thinking about finishing level par now.

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

Image source, Getty Images

Scottie Scheffler is very good from 40-to-50 feet. He holds a lot of putts from that range. Anything from 10 feet and he doesn't commit. That one was a wide for his level of play.

Image source, Getty Images

Bryson DeChambeau has made a right hash of the 14th. He'd have been looking at the par-five as an opportunity to make hay, so to speak.

Instead he drops a shot after missing the fairway and being forced to lay up. But he then takes three with his putter and it's a shot frittered away in the Birkdale breeze.

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler can't drop in a birdie effort from nine feet. His putter was red hot earlier. Not the case now.

Alex Smalley looks nervous.

Failing to sufficiently factor in the stiff breeze off the left on 18, his drive is blown out of bounds!

Trouble for the leader. Watch this space.

Long-range birdie putts for this trio on the par-four 16th.

Justin Rose's attempt from almost 50 feet comes to rest about a foot from the hole and he registers a par - as do Viktor Hovland and Russell Henley.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport golf reporter at Royal Birkdale

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