Shane Lowry's topsy-turvy back nine continues on the 16th. From the first cut of rough, he fires a pin-seeker to about five feet and knocks in the birdie putt to end a run of three bogeys.

Brooks Koepka is also picking up a shot, while Aaron Rai ticks off another par.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live at Royal Birkdale

That will really hurt Rory McIlroy.

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No birdies yielded on the 15th for this group, but Sweden's Ludvig Aberg gives a shot away because of a missed par putt from shortish range.

Aberg has been in the mix at a few majors since his emergence three or four years ago, but is yet to get over the line in one.

Catriona Matthew
Captain of Team Europe at the 2019 & 2021 Solheim Cup on BBC Radio 5 Live

Xander Schauffele has been playing a very steady game of golf. He's not really making any mistakes.

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Rory McIlroy hasn't lost his turn on 14. Long in three, he badly misjudges his chip and his ball narrowly avoids trundling back down the slope.

He misses the putt, too, so that's an untidy six, the latest error in what's been a perplexing round from him.

Xander Schauffele two putts for a stress-free birdie to move two under, while Matt Fitzpatrick watches another birdie putt zip past the hole.

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Open debutant Pierceson Coody, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "Three under is really good. I would have loved to not make a five there [on the 18th]. I didn't feel like I hit my best, but I hit a lot of putts. A great start to The Open."

On experience of playing links golf: "Well, previously the Scottish Open was my first time in Europe as well. First time playing links golf. Trying to adjust and trying to get used to all the differences.

"It is a lot, but once you get in the flow of it and know where the ball is bouncing and see the bizarre way the ball can roll off the green, it is accepting it for what it is. To play a course like Royal Birkdale is really special."

On grandfather Charles Coody, who won the Masters in 1971: "I won't be talking to him tonight. It was his birthday on Tuesday. He finished fifth in 1971 [at The Open at Royal Birkdale]. We talked for a while on Tuesday.

"It was funny, at his age being 89 he wanted to tell stories. He wanted to tell me how the way the hole was different and asked if it is different now. I know he is watching my scorecard closely. I wish I had that fairway on 18, but he'll be watching closely."

Five pars in a row now for Collin Morikawa, who remains three under par for his round.

Former US Open champion JJ Spaun is back to even par thanks to a 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th.

Shane Lowry looks disconsolate as he sweeps a mid-iron off the 16th tee. It's a shortish par four and he's going for placement in the fairway. But perhaps it's a bit too much of a relaxed swing as his ball wanders off into the rough. It's sitting fine though.

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That was a strangely aggressive play from Rory McIlroy. In the cabbage on 14, he tries to muscle a seven iron as far up as possible, but it comes out left and his ball careens into the face of a pot bunker about 100 yards short of the green.

From there, he picks the ball cleanly and it goes long and right. Needs to get up and down to avoid another bogey.

Matt Fitzpatrick comes up just short in two while Xander Schauffele uncorks a quality long iron and finds the back of the green, so they're hunting birdies.

Shane Lowry's mood darkens on the 15th. The former champion is in reverse. He misses the green on the new par-three hole and cannot get up and down to save par. Three successive bogeys.

Aaron Rai and Brooks Koepka play the hole in similar fashion. Find the green, lag a 35-foot putt to tap-in range. Par apiece.

Cameron Young went off line with his tee shot on the 14th but is a whisker away from a birdie four, his putt just sliding by the edge of the cup.

Another par five up ahead at the 17th, which is a birdie chance that Young - and all of those heading for home - will be keen to take.

• American debutant Jackson Suber is the surprise leader of the Open, thanks to an opening-round 65 at Royal Birkdale.
• England's Dan Brown and Sungjae Im of South Korea are at four under par, while Bryson DeChambeau and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre are in the group at three under.
• World number one Scottie Scheffler ended two under, while England's Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood, playing in front of a home crowd at Birkdale, finished one under.
• Conditions have been tougher for the later starters, with Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick all struggling to make inroads towards the top of the leaderboard.

The 15th hole is a giant par three at 241 yards, in a section of the course which the marquee afternoon groups are at the moment.

Ken Brown shows us just how meaty a challenge this is.

After a lengthy wait on the tee at the par-five 14th, Rory McIlroy shoves his drive to the right and it looks to have nestled in some deep rough.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele are both in great shape so they'll likely have a dig at the green in two.

Pierceson Coody drops a shot on the last and finishes three under par, two off Jackson Suber's lead.

But on his Open debut, I'm sure Coody would have taken a 67 at the start of his round.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

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Really hard to deal with, and Shane Lowry has played so nice and solid. To give something so simple up like that is going to hurt. When he finishes his round he will not be able to stop thinking about it.

Aaron Rai has gone bunker bunker on the long 14th, so he's eventually on the green for four but looking over a 25-footer for par.

From nearly three times that distance, here's Shane Lowry for eagle. That's an average putt to about eight feet.

Rai gives his putt a rattle up the hill and over a little mound near the hole. Stays on the green. Bogey.

And Brooks Koepka is also dropping back. His 20-footer for par wanders off to the right at the death.

Here's Shane for birdie. And that's an awful try. Missed the hole to the left by about a foot. Par. Oh no! He's banged that from three feet and it's jumped out. Bogey. Oof. A four putt.

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The current Open leader Jackson Suber, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "It is great. I have been playing great. Seeing my hard work pay off is always nice."

On never playing links golf before this week: "I hadn't been to Europe until last Saturday.

"I played nine holes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - 27 holes of links golf in my life before today. All here. Nowhere else.

"I am sure I'm pretty spoilt with links golf. I don't think it goes better than this as a course goes. It is definitely a challenge.

"I don't believe course fit is the be all and end all. Knowing good golf takes care of it."

On memories of The Open as a youngster: "I definitely remember watching it. The bridge at St Andrews and people crossing that.

"Watching it the last few years as a professional has been cool and always knowing I wanted to be here."

Padraig Harrington will always have 2008, after winning his second Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, but today's opening round will be one to put to the back of his memory bank.

Harrington carded six bogeys and two double bogeys and has just finished at 10 over par, which is unsurprisingly the worst score today at present.

Shane Lowry pummels his second down the long 14th and his ball skips up onto the green. The Irishman looks suitably impressed although as the camera pans out, we realise his ball is front left, the flag is back right. He's got an eagle putt about the length of a cricket pitch to come.