Rory McIlroy finds the left fairway bunker on the 11th. Still at least he knows what to expect from there given he was in it on Thursday as well.

Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele go right, albeit the reigning champion is hampered by overhanging tree branches.

Ben Griffin was burning along after an electric start, but as happens in golf the course bit back and he dropped a shot on the 16th, unsurprisingly as it's one of the toughest holes on the course.

He did manage a par on 17 though so just 18 to go to get through the Green Mile.

Alex Smalley takes a crack at the 1th green but his tee shot is out to the right and hung up in the rough, leaving him a knee-trembler of a chip shot from up on that bank down to a green sloping away to the water.

Surpirse, surprise he leaves it well short, but he hits a nice putt from 30 feet and knocks it in from there for a par.

A birdie on the 12th has brought Shane Lowry back inside the projected cut mark but you know he'd like at least another one to make this comfortable - particularly with the ridiculously tricky 18th still to come.

He's powered his tee shot on the 14th into a greenside bunker.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live at Quail Hollow

Xander is hanging in there. It's sort of reminiscent of Scottie's round yesterday. It's what the best players do when they're not quite at their best, they just hang in there and find a way to shoot a score.

At the moment, that's exactly what he's doing. He's probably got to find another birdie [to move above the cut line] but he's doing everything he needs to right now.

Rory McIlroy has a long putt from just off the green at the par-five 10th and he judges it perfectly, rolling it across the putting surface to five feet before draining his birdie putt.

He was 13 shots off the lead when he started this round. His deficit is just seven strokes now.

The Northern Irishman strides purposefully on towards the 11th and has a real spring in his step now. Xander Schauffele also makes a crucial birdie to move to two over but Scottie Scheffler looks a tad peeved mind as he misses his chance of a four from eight feet.

Take a look at how much better Rory McIlroy has been in round two compared with round one.

This graph shows his strokes gained for a variety of golfing metrics - and today has been different gravy to his first day.

Interestingly, he is slightly worse on approach today though. That's the only number where he is not way ahead of Thursday's metrics.

Trending in the right direction for sure.

That's a lovely putt from Jon Rahm, who clenches his fist after sinking his par attempt from about 20 feet.

The Spaniard keeps that momentum going.

Now, can Matt Fitzpatrick follow him in from simiolar range for birdie? No he can't, and the Englishman will have to settle for a par.

Tommy Fleetwood is only about a foot short of chipping in on the 11th for birdie, but has to settle for yet another par in a round full of them.

He's carded nine pars so far in 11 holes, with just a birdie and a bogey breaking that run up as he stays where he is at one under.

Ryan Gerard has been going quietly about his business until now, as he picks up a birdie on the par-five 15th thanks to an 11-foot putt.

Thanks to yesterday's 66 he's in no real rush to try and force the issue, which is a good thing around Quail Hollow, especially as he's now heading down the Green Mile...

Luke Donald snatches his ball out of the hole on the fifth green in utter disgust. The captain is fuming. And rightly so.

He drilled his second in to around five feet but pulled the putt left. He rams in the par saver from a couple of feet but he's not a happy bunny.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

There has been criticism of the setup [of the course] but right now we've got a very mixed leaderboard.

It's certainly not playing how we're used to it playing, with such dominance from the players who are really good drivers of the ball. There are a number of guys who are not necessarily that long.

It's producing a mixed leaderboard, with the guys we're now following making a bit of a charge.

We're starting to see the top players in the world creep up the leaderboard as we head towards the weekend.

Coverage is now on BBC Radio 5 Live and available via the link at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Smalley goes long and right of the 12th green - and you just can't miss it there with a front left flag perched on that huge slope, so there's no surprise he leaves his chip shot well short.

That means a stinker of a downhill putt for par though, and he can't make it so drops a shot for the second time today.

Rory McIlroy is in thicker stuff down the left of the ninth but sends an iron shot spiralling towards the green anyway.

He negotiates the front left bunker but there's just a lack of control and his ball chases through the green.

No need to worry mind, a little chip and run pulls up a couple of feet from the hole and it's par saved.

Scottie Scheffler is continuing in his normal metronomic style, zinging his second pin high to the right of the flag.

The par-five 10th hole is a good scoring opportunity today and England's Matt Fitzpatrick has tapped in his short birdie putt to move back within three of the lead.

Harry Hall is only on his sixth hole of but the Englishman could prove to be the Johnny Vegas of the second round.

Vegas kept us all hanging round late last night as he went on that five birdies in six holes blitz.

And Hall is mooching up the leaderboard with two birdies in his opening five holes and he's looking at another on the par-five 15th after sticking his third to about five feet.

Pushed it. Par.

Image source, Getty Images

Another bogey for Luke Donald on the par-four third but the Englishman goes pin-seeking on the next.

He birdied this hole in round one and he does so again today after firing his tee shot in to about three feet.

It moves him back above Keegan Bradley, who has had two bogeys and four pars so far today.

Rory McIlroy's short game is really something else. The current Masters champion zips a wedge into five feet and then drops in a tricky putt for a second consecutive birdie.

He looks like a man on a mission and he may need to be as Scottie Scheffler drops in a putt from just inside 10 feet for his three.

Ben Griffin is on fire at Quail Hollow as the American has gone birdie-eagle on the 14th and 15th to hit four under after only six holes of his second round.

After a first-round 70 he's now on five under for the tournament and only three shots off the lead.

Par saves for Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm on the ninth and both reach the turn in one under par.

Barring something ridiculous on the back nine, they both should be around for the weekend - the next objective after that is to try to eat into Jhonattan Vegas' lead.