Aaron Rai with a glimmer of a birdie chance at the seventh hole with a putt from eight or nine feet.

However, there's not quite enough power and it comes up short.

Pars all round as Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka both tap in.

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Nine feet for birdie for leader Lucas Herbert. Tucked away.

Branden Grace's record of 62 (eight under par) from 2017 around here is very much in play right now.

Herbert seven under par through 11 holes.

Bud Cauley makes a birdie on the 10th and he joins the group on five under just behind the leader. We shouldn't really be surprised should we as Americans have a great record in The Open with four wins in the past five.

We've seen a few players light up the front nine this morning, but this group are yet to catch fire.

Xander Schauffele makes his sixth straight par at the difficult par-four sixth, but the European Ryder Cup stars are in trouble.

Rory McIlroy missed the fairway right, the green left and was careless with his chip. Yet another putt stays above ground - from 10 feet this time - so he drops back to two over, level for the round.

Matt Fitzpatrick caught a nasty flyer from the rough with his second and it's all a bit untidy from there, but he holes a six-footer to avoid a double bogey.

McIlroy and Fitzpatrick are currently outside the projected cut mark. Not good.

Pretty gymnastic this from Matt Wallace.

And he got it up and down. Lovely way to finish at the 18th.

Thumbs up if you reckon you could pull this move off.

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BBC Radio 5 Live

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Matt Wallace has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after shooting a three-under 67: "After seeing what was produced yesterday morning, we knew if we had a decent round yesterday we'd get out early and have similar conditions. The course was perfect!

"I think this golf course plays so well. If you hit decent shots, you'll be rewarded. That's why everyone really likes it. The eighth hole is difficult but if you hit a good tee shot, you'll have six or a seven iron in.

"I was frustrated with the par fives - I was in a good position for both but didn't make a birdie. But it's tough, you expect that at The Open and I'm glad I came out with less bogeys at the end."

After his frantic run of birdies, Lucas Herbert finally misses a lengthy putt as his 22-footer for birdie grazes the edge of the cup.

He twirls his putter with a tinge of frustration. That was close.

Just staying one in front.

Adam Lanigan
BBC Sport reporter

Lucas Herbert shooting 28 for the front nine matches a record set by late Manchester-based pro Denis Durnian.

I used to play at Northenden in south Manchester where he was touring pro for years, including when he shot 28 at Birkdale in 1983 on his way to a tie for eighth, the only time he made the cut at The Open.

That score was legendary round the club. Apparently he had it on his car numberplate!

The short par-four fifth is giving up a lot of birdies, but Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick have work to do after missing the green.

Fitzpatrick rolls in a lovely 20-footer to bounce back after the dropped shot on four...but McIlroy can't follow him in, missing his nine-footer on the right.

That's a frustrating par.

A nice little chip and run from Collin Morikawa at the par-three seventh allows him a simple putt to secure par, but not without a nervous moment.

Morikawa's putt whirlpools around the hole for what feels like an absolute age before eventually dropping.

The American breathes a sigh of relief.

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

I was surprised the scoring wasn't slightly better yesterday morning. I thought someone would have got to six or seven under.

It's maybe slightly easier today - and it does seem there are good scores out there.

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There are plenty of birdies out there as we've seen all morning, and Ludvig Aberg has quickly hoovered up three of them in his first five holes to drive himself right into this contest.

The young Swede is a huge talent and surely has a major or three in him, I wouldn't have had the Open down as his best chance but he's surging at Birkdale now.

Shane Lowry and Aaron Rai both looking pretty consistent as they aim to stay in touch with the leaders.

Both men calmly dispatch par at the sixth.

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

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In football parlance, you better be sure of playing well if you put on white boots and perhaps the same can be same for a burgundy number on the golf course.

Matt Wallace has been in something of a mixed vein of form in recent weeks, marrying second place at the Italian Open with missing the cut at both the Canadian and Scottish Opens and finishing T33 at the John Deere Classic, but he's backed up a lively outfit today by shooting a three-under 67 to go with a one-under 69 yesterday.

A tie for 40th at Royal St George's five years ago is his best Open finish in six previous appearances but an excellent start means he should be aiming much higher come Sunday afternoon.

Another bounceback birdie for Jackson Suber on 14 as he continues to show he's got some guts - he doesn't seem to be scared of this at all so far.

Shaun Norris slips to back-to-back bogeys though to drop back to three under - by no means out of it but you just have to be careful not to get on a negative run as links golf can punish you in a heartbeat.

If anyone was sleeping on Lucas Herbert, then they need to wake up.

From off the back of the ninth green, he's just rolled in his sixth birdie already and turns for home after carding 28.

That ties the record at The Open for the first nine holes.

A 30-year-old Australian who has only made the cut twice on five previous visits to this tournament is at six under and is flying.

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

The thought that just occurred to me is how fast the major season goes.

Here we are in July and it will be done for the men by Sunday night.

When Cam Young won the Players' Championship in March, there was a real feeling he was on the threshold of winning one of these majors.

He's going well here and I think he'll be hanging around on the leaderboard.

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Collin Morikawa, sporting a pastel pink shirt and maroon trousers, is jostling nicely for a place toward the top of the leaderboard.

The American collects his second birdie of the day at the sixth after an iron shot plops on to the green and eight feet from the pin.

Morikawa duly slides it in.

A third of the way into his round and Nicolai Hojgaard is facing an uphill struggle after going four over with another bogey.

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Matt Wallace plays a nice bunker shot on the last, one of those one leg in, one leg out jobs with his right knee contorting outside the sand trap making those who've had knee operations like myself just squirm a bit.

It's a lovely escape though and he rolls in the putt for his four to finish with a fine 67 and on four under he should have a late tee time tomorrow.

He started off brilliantly, then seemed to get a bit down on himself as he can do at times, but despite not looking happy he stuck it out with five pars to finish off his day.

I have nothing more to say other than Lucas Herbert's caddie Nick Pugh has an absolutely fantastic beard.

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