The projected cut line is back one under, meaning anyone under par.

The slight change in the conditions, and the breeze starting to change direction a touch, has put paid to the same number of low scores as we saw earlier on.

Bob MacIntyre, notably, would be safe as things stand and returning for some weekend golf.

Some 20 players are currently on one under.

Lovely stuff from Bob MacIntyre at the par-three 12th, sending a pinpoint iron shot to within 12ft of the cup.

Scottie Scheffler is also in close, with just eight feet left for his birdie.

Adam Scott also found the green but is a lot further away.

Can any of this trio convert?

Martin Watt
BBC Sport Scotland at the Renaissance Club

Bob MacIntyre gives his ball a hard stare and waves his arm left after that birdie chance slips by.

It did look like it would break from the right, but annoyingly stayed straight.

Bob MacIntyre has around 10ft for a much-needed birdie at 11, but gets his putt all wrong and it never threatens the hole.

A par for the defending champion, which matches the score made by his playing partners Scottie Scheffler and Adam Scott.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland at The Renaissance Club

Right, I’m back out on the course. I’m absolutely slathered in sun cream, don’t worry Mum.

Walking past the sixth, I encounter Nico Echavarria and partners walking to the grandstand.

The Colombian ignores a high five offered by a boy no more than 10 years old. Heartbreaking stuff, but an early dose of reality.

Martin Watt
BBC Sport Scotland at the Renaissance Club

A third bogey of the day completes a miserable front nine for Sam Burns as he falls below the cut line.

Thomas Detry makes par at the ninth and is another player scrambling to be around at the weekend.

Adrien Saddier looks done for, with yesterday's 74 doing most of the damage.

Scottie Scheffler races a birdie putt past the hole on the par-five tenth.

He eagled this yesterday, but now has a tester for his par. He misses it and drops to three under.

Adam Scott has a similarly long look for birdie but manages to sweep it in from distance with his unique broomstick putter.

A par for Bob MacIntyre here too - he needs some birdies.

Rory McIlroy drew crowds of thousands this morning, while yesterday was all about Bob MacIntyre and his adoring crowd.

"It would be amazing [to play with Bob on Sunday]," McIlroy said after his round of 64. "Three years in a row where the two of us would be right in contention. I would love that, that would be a wonderful opportunity.

"That would bring another level of pressure and meaning to the whole thing. Hopefully Bob can have a good day and get right back in it this weekend."

MacIntyre won the competition last year and came into this one high on confidence after his second-place finish at the US Open a few weeks ago.

"It was a bit of a funny US Open. Bob did great, he hung in there. He's a fighter. He's gritty. Those are things that he sort of prides himself on, so it was no surprise that he was up there at Oakmont."

The duo were on the Ryder Cup team back in 2023 and McIlroy has seen a real progression for his old teammate.

"He's blossomed as a player because of that. We always say in Europe, if you do play a Ryder Cup, it is a platform to go on because there's no there's no bigger pressure or atmosphere that you face than a Ryder Cup."

Image source, Getty Images

Only two players are currently inside the top 10 and still out on the course.

As just mentioned, the breeze is picking up and all it can take in links golf is a calm breeze off the sea to wreak havoc.

Nico Echavarria, seven under for the tournament, and Jake Knapp, also seven under, are the two players on the course inside that group, both T-5.

Rory McIlroy said he was glad that he was one of the early starters, and we're starting to see why.

The wind has picked up a little, and scoring has not come as easy to the players out on the course this afternoon.

This morning it was much calmer, and the names near the top of the leaderboard were all pretty much finished by lunch.

Image source, Gett

Another dip on the rollercoaster for Bob MacIntyre fans. He had a difficult chip to set up a par putt, and left himself to much to do. From 13 feet, he just misses and has to settle for a bogey.

The world number one up next, and he's exasperated.

Scottie Scheffler rubs his face in his disbelief. His three foot putt rolls wide. Did the wind push that? Two bogeys in three holes.

Adam Scott, meanwhile, safely makes his par.

Englishman Laurie Canter fizzes a driver off the deck all of 290 yards towards the green on the par-five tenth.

He's unfortunate to see it run up the left after an unfavourable kick off the slope, though.

A great angle from behind there to see that rise low and hold its trajectory all the way.

Collin Morikawa, the 2021 Open Champion at Royal St George's Golf Club, is not enjoying this walk around the links.

Bogies on the first and seventh have him lingering on the wrong side of the cut line. He has just placed a well-weighted birdie putt within range to par the eighth.

Ludvig Aberg has done similarly, and remains in decent shape heading into the weekend, having parred the eighth too.

Young Frenchman Martin Couvra is faring well. Three birdies and a bogey on his card this afternoon.

Image source, SNS

Matt McCarty is putting together a fine round. He's gone birdie-birdie on the front nine after going four under on the back nine.

That's now six under for the day for the man from Scottsdale, and it puts him in contention.

The organisers of the Scottish Open have just announced Saturday is now sold out, with the capacity of 23,000 met.

They add that tickets for Sunday's final round are "very limited".

Image source, Getty Images

It was a glorious tee shot at eight for Bob MacIntyre, right in the middle and avoiding the fairway bunker. He chips onto the green but it's a little short.

He has a look at birdie from 23 feet. He putts, rolling, rolling, rolling... and an inch wide on the right hand side. Painful. But a tap-in par.

Scottie Scheffler's birdie putt was from much closer, and he sinks it.

The big-hitting Jake Knapp takes a more delicate approach with his birdie putt on the 18th green, the ninth hole for him.

It trickles in and he moves to T-5 on seven under.

Image source, Getty Images

It's been a quieter day for overnight leader Sepp Straka, with just one birdie and one bogey in his eight holes.

He has 23ft for birdie at the ninth - can the Austrian kick-start his round?

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A seldom-seen Scottie Scheffler bogey on the seventh as he drops a shot after a bit of scrambling around the green and a wayward left tee shot.

A par each for Adam Scott and Bob MacIntyre who could both do with finding a few birdies if they want to guarantee some golf this weekend.

Bob MacIntyre told us to expect a rollercoaster yesterday, and that is what he's delivering. After two poor shots, he chips onto the green from out left and gives himself a good look at par.

He's been fortunate with those two lies though, which both somehow avoided any thick rough.

He putts from 13 feet... and sinks it. He lets out a big sigh of relief, and he's not the only one.

Image source, Getty Images