Scottie Scheffler crouches to his knees and puts his hand to his head as his second to the 17th sticks up on a hill in the scraggly rough next to the green. Not a nice place to be.

Tyrrell Hatton has to lay up from the rough and is well short of the green, while Bryson DeChambeau carries his second shot too far and it comes to rest at the back of the green in the wispy grass.

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With a birdie on the par-five 14th after a bit of a quiet spell, Ryan Gerard joins fellow Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Sam Burns on five under par, three shots off the lead.

Justin Rose is in a similar position on the 18th fairway as he was yesterday, but he failed to hit the green with his second shot in his opening round.

Rose lines it up and drills his second, but his ball rolls into the greenside bunker. Agonising stuff for Rose.

As it stands, the Englishman is set to miss the cut.

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

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Tommy Fleetwood has missed to the left. Goodness gracious me.

I cannot believe that. What a chance that was. You can't miss chances like that.

Jon Rahm to putt first. Dead centre. I dread to think what might have happened to his putter had that missed.

Here's Tommy Fleetwood... the groans speak volumes. That's a poor miss. Pulled left. The birdie train is halted.

Jon Rahm took out a bit of the bogey-anger on his drive down 16 and then flicks a wedge from 130 yards to three feet. Bounce back birdie coming up? He's still six inches outside Tommy Fleetwood's approach.

Here's what awaits this three-ball on the 17th at Royal Birkdale - which is playing as the easiest hole on the course but can still pose problems for the world's best...

Chris Jones
BBC commentator on Radio 5 Live at Royal Birkdale

Look at these grand stands fill up, they know Tommy is on his way!

Something like a 9-wood for Tommy Fleetwood off the tee on 16 and that leaves him with 140 yards to the pin from the centre of the fairway. Oh wow. Another pin-seeker from Southport's finest. Another big birdie chance coming up.

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

The crowds think Tommy Fleetwood is heading for something magical here.

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The roar from the 15th green for Tommy Fleetwood's birdie putt can be heard on the 16th fairway as Tyrrell Hatton sends his approach to within five feet. It might even have hit the flag on its way down.

Scottie Scheffler will putt for birdie first from 28 feet - only just off target. The story of his day.

Bryson DeChambeau, currently in a tie for fourth, has a putt of similar length and no joy for him either.

Hatton tidies up for his birdie. He's recovered well from that little blip earlier on the back nine. Barring a horrendous finish, Hatton will be around for the weekend.

Oh, Justin Rose...

After holing a lovely 12-footer on the 16th to leave him three over par, the Englishman has missed a birdie opportunity on the 17th.

Rose has had a much better day at Royal Birkdale today, but his chances of making the cut are looking slim now as he heads onto the 18th.

The projected cut is currently at one over par - can Rose evoke memories of 1998 and produce something special on the last hole?

"Tommy, Tommy Fleetwood" rings out around Birkdale. The local boy is doing good as we reach the halfway point. Three holes to play.

...and that can only mean one thing this late on a Friday evening at Birkdale.

Tommy Fleetwood has drained another. A wee fist bump from the local lad.

Jon Rahm can't get up and down for par and he's not a happy bunny as he stalks off the green.

Jordan Spieth also has a six-footer for par... holes it.

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Scotland's Jack McDonald was three over at the turn but is now in with a great chance of making the cut.

He holed his second shot from 114 yards on the par-four 10th and has just birdied the 12th to get to even par.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

Fantastic tee shot from Tommy Fleetwood. There is no room right of this flag. That was straight at it. He has a fantastic chance for a two.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Jon Rahm. They have been talking about this rule all week. I am intrigued to see what happens.

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Oh Tommy, that's a terrific tee shot into the par-three 15th. Is that another birdie incoming? He's got about 20 feet left.

Jon Rahm misses left and Jordan Spieth misses right. Both are a cricket pitch length from the hole. Rahm with perhaps the slightly easier shot to come.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

Tommy Fleetwood has been playing solid golf. A couple of mistakes, and it felt like in the middle part of the round it was getting away from him. That was a big birdie on the 14th. He has got the momentum going the right way.

Tommy is out with the flatstick and nudges his ball round the bunker, using the slopes to help coax his ball in to around four feet. And he drains it for a birdie.

Jon Rahm eyes a 25-footer. Plenty of break in this one and downhill for the last third. He judges it pretty well. But his drive into the rough has cost him - just a par.

But Jordan Spieth's race is run. The 2017 Open champion, at Royal Birkdale, has to chip out sideways from the bunker and then takes three more for a double-bogey seven.

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Justin Thomas isn't far away from the iconic Royal Birkdale clubhouse now.

The two-time major champion had a rocky start to his second round with a double bogey on the first hole, but the American has picked up six birdies since then, leaving him three under par for the tournament and five shots off the lead.

Thomas' best finish at the Open was in 2019 at Royal Portrush, when he finished in a tie for 11th.