Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI at Royal Portrush

Image source, BBC Sport

We're already in proper full four seasons in a day territory here and it's just ticked past 9am.

The sun is shining, but it's breezy enough and there's an awkward skiff of rain that leaves it up to chance if you want to stick your coat on or leave it in your bag.

With the late finish last night there's a bit of a relaxed feeling this morning.

I'd expect that to fairly ramp up the closer we get to Rory McIlroy's tee time as fans filter in.

Image source, Getty Images

A bounceback birdie for Christiaan Bezuidenhout to restore his position in a share of the lead at four under.

Rasmus Hojgaard matches the birdie four on this second hole that's looking pretty kind this morning and the Dane improves to three under.

Marc Leishman felt like he spent 12 hours on the course yesterday, but he teed off first thins morning and is obviously relishing the freedom of an empty course in front of him as he's flying.

The Australian is four under for the day and two under for the tournament after a birdie at 10 - no bogeys on the card either.

Image source, Getty Images

Don't tell Jason Day, but there may be some changable weather at Portrush today again.

Some decent sunshine this morning but some pretty dark clouds around the place as well. Plus the wind is schedule to change direction later on today too.

Personally I just love it.

Image source, Getty Images

There are 156 players in this field.

On day one, Rory McIlroy ranked 130th off the tee. Scottie Scheffler was 120th. You'd have got long odds on that before the tournament.

But these two are still well in contention, because they are so darn good with the rest of their clubs.

Keegan Bradley drops in an eagle on the second! The American Ryder Cup captain just dies his effort in with a final roll to make a fine three.

Actually, let's just call him the American Ryder Cup player-captain as there's absolutely no chance of him not taking his clubs with him to Bethpage now is there?

He simply has to play, but handling that and captaincy duties will be a huge test. Anyway, for now he's under par at The Open.

Just like that, Christiaan Bezuidenhout drops out of the lead with a bogey on the first, after drawing a tough lie in the thick stuff.

He had to lay it up and although he hit a nice approach the putt was poor so he had to settle for a five.

Rickie Fowler is back to where he started the day. The American teed off on two under and has just cancelled out a bogey on the third with a birdie on the par-four fifth.

He drove the green and two-putted from 75 feet. A par on the sixth has followed.

All this while apparently auditioning for a job as a catalogue model as well judging by this pose, what a guy!

Image source, Getty Images

Bob Sweeney from Washington DC is here for Rory McIlroy.

He went to Holywood Golf club yesterday and 500 McIlroy fans were given these T-shirts to wear here at The Open.

Bob is wearing about seven layers in preparation for today’s ever-changing weather.

In case you're wondering about the dog image, this is the club head for McIlroy's trusty driver.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Lee Westwood smiled his way around Royal Portrush on his return to the Open, and he's showing that age is just a number as he's chellenging the younger mob here.

And he'll no doubt smile when he learns that in the first round he was the best driver in the field - as he topped the strokes gained stats off the tee - at 52!

It's more about accuracy than power and distance though, and Westwood has been a wonderfully straight driver throughout his long career.

On Thursday the former world number one hit 11 fairways with even his three misses being just into the intermediate rough according to Data Golf.

Westy rolling back the years!

Graeme Storm
Two-time European Tour winner on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast

Graeme Storm joined Rick Edwards on 5 Live Breakfast this morning and had his say on the big talking points from Thursday.

On slow play: “It’s a really difficult one, especially when you’re on a golf course there’s a spaghetti junction of tee boxes and greens all around one place and the fans are all around.

“You lose a ball and it all just snowballs and comes to a halt unfortunately."

On Rory McIlroy: “The crowd were great, they stuck by him, he was out the blocks quick.

"He was three under through eight. All of a sudden the wheels came off and it started to fall apart a bit but he dug in, he got it under par and he’s only three off the lead.

“It’s a marathon not a sprint."

One of our leaders Christiaan Bezuidenhout tees off for his second round.

It's not a great shot, he's tried to squeeze a low fairway wood up there but sliced it wide right, almost toying with those out of bounds stakes down there, but it looks in play.

Nervy start.

Image source, Getty Images

• 08:36 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (SA)
• 09:36 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
• 09:47 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng)
• 09:58 Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jordan Spieth (US)
• 10:09 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US)
• 10:25 Harris English (US)
• 11:26 Padraig Harrington (Ire), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Tom McKibbin (NI)

Friday's full tee-times

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy described the support he received at Royal Portrush as "absolutely incredible" in his first round.

"I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in. At the same time, you don't want to let them down, so there is that added bit of pressure.

"But I think I dealt with it well today, certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago."

Read more from Rory McIlroy

Image source, Getty Images

Keegan Bradley tees off on the first looking to make a rare cut at the Open Championship - having missed the last five in a row!

A winner on the PGA Tour this season and up to a career-best seventh in the world rankings, he's playing some of his best golf as he looks to qualify for his own Ryder Cup team.

He recently said that he can handle it if he's a player-captain at Bethpage, but will it work? Let us know with those thumbs...

It's filling up nicely again around Royal Portrush this morning where we spotted US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley going through a very methodical putting practice routine a bit earlier.

He's next to head out.

Image source, Getty Images

We've got some familiar faces out there playing their second rounds right now.

Rickie Fowler is one under par after dropping a shot early on today, while Sergio Garcia and Zach Johnson are both at level par with both also one over for the day.

Former Open champion Francesco Molinari is one over while Adam Scott is struggling a bit at three over.

• Fowler -1 (4)
• Z. Johnson E (4)
• Garcia E (3)
• F. Molinari +1 (5)
• Scott +3 (4)

Get me one of those!

The greenstaff at Royal Portrush are totally in sync this morning.

It was a late finish for most at Royal Portrush on Thursday - and a long day for many... not just the golfers [yawns, reaches for second coffee of the day].

But one benefit of a late finish on the north coast is getting a glimpse of a skyline like this.

Taken at 10pm on Thursday from behind the 18th grandstand.

Shane Lowry got a wonderful reception as the last Portrush Open champion, and started off absolutely striping it before having to battle hard to finish under par for the day.

It was fun to see the Irish hero taking a huge gallery around with him and there will be more of the same today no doubt.

Lowry's putter got him out of jail largely, ranking 32rd in the field as he struggled off the tee (102nd) and more alarmingly around the greens (106th) as he's got great hands and known as one of the best short game players in the business.