Should never have doubted Xander Schauffele - from the thick rough, he puts his approach to within 12 feet and could easily make birdie.

That's why he's got two major titles and an Olympic gold medal, while I'm writing about it and munching a chocolate digestive.

6.09pm. Jonathan Bradley from BBC Sport NI said umbrellas would be getting used again.

It's 10 minutes later and the heavens have opened at Royal Portrush.

Man's in the wrong job.

Image source, Getty Images

It's clinical golf from Scottie Scheffler as he kicks off the back nine with a birdie to go eight under.

The American's superb approach shot from the fairway leaves him within nine feet of the hole, and he duly sinks it with a minimum of fuss.

Polite applause from the crowd. Scheffler looking in ominous form here.

Shane Lowry has a tricky putt for a birdie going from right to left and does not quite generate enough power for the ball to get up the hill.

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Matt Fitzpatrick moves two shots clear!

Four birdies in a row now for Fitzpatrick, who is aiming to become the first Englishman to win the Claret Jug since Sir Nick Faldo in 1992.

It's par for Matthew Jordan at the 15th.

He cut a frustrated figure after his approach shot, slashing at the turf with his club. A two-putt keeps him at three under with three left to play in his second round.

Over at the 18th, there's rapturous applause for Darren Clarke as his Open quest comes to an end.

The 2011 champion, now 56, has navigated his home course in six over par for the two rounds.

It'll miss the cut but those who have seen him will have enjoyed every minute.

Xander Schauffele is 156th of 156th in driving accuracy today, with just the one fairway found off the tee.

He goes left again at the 11th.

With the cut line likely to be around two over par, the defending champion needs to sort this out quickly or he might be in a bit of bother here...

Gotta love the positivity from Jonathan there.

That's exactly how I approach life when it's not raining.

"I think it's going to rain."

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI senior journalist at Royal Portrush

Brollies are starting to come down among those watching the late groups negotiate Calamity Corner.

Reckon they'll be getting some more use before the day is over, though.

Chris Gotterup and Lee Westwood make pars at the 16th as they head into the final two holes hoping to pick up a birdie or two.

Thomas Detry, however, makes a mess of it on the green and picks up a bogey. The Belgian is teetering on the projected cut at two over.

This is the type of golf that Haotong Li's been producing today.

Re the Haotong Li 'Most Handsome Man in China' post, he's been known to have some pretty interesting headcovers too...

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Oh, Fitzy, brilliant!

Our new leader, on the 13th, sends his tee shot within six feet to give himself another good look for birdie.

Xander Schauffele finds some mischief on the 10th - his tee shot goes left and he can't recover the situation, so he drops backwards for the first time today. A bit of confusion whether it's a bogey or a double for the defending champion - the official Open scoreboard says it's a double-bogey six, so we'll go with that for now.

A par for Jon Rahm, while a special approach to within three feet by JJ Spaun is rewarded with a birdie.

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

Certainly these last few holes it’s been textbook (for Matt Fitzpatrick).

Middle of the fairway, middle of the greens and doing what exactly what he needs to do, rolling the putts in.

Very controlled and confident - he just looks like he is in full flow right now.

It's seven birdies in 12 holes now for the man from Sheffield.

It's been a rollercoaster round for Matthew Jordan, and after back-to-back birdies it's a bogey to take him back to three under.

His drive went nearly 300 yards but ended up in the right bunker, with his second shot spent getting his ball back on to the fairway. He set himself up for a fighting chance of a par with a putt from 18 feet, but it only goes in two and it's a fourth bogey of the round.

In his defence, the 14th hole is playing the hardest of all today at Portrush.

The 12th is the easiest hole on the golf course, playing almost half a shot under its par five, so you have to make it count - and Matt Fitzpatrick has.

The Englishman is 50 feet away in two, lags a putt five feet away and sinks it for birdie to take the outright lead on nine under par.

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Haotong Li has five top-10 finishes on the DP World Tour this season, including a victory at Qatar in February.

It's two years since the Chinese nearly quit golf and dropped out of the top 500 but now finds himself leading The Open after 36 holes.

And after one bogey in two rounds, he fully deserves it.

So close from Haotong Li to a closing birdie and he taps his cap in acknowledgement of the crowd as he approaches his ball to tap in for par.

Another fantastic performance from the world number 111 and he enters the clubhouse as co-leader alongside Brian Harman at eight under par.

A word too for Jordan Smith who has put together a very tidy round alongside Li. Three under for the day, and the tournament, he'll be teeing off in and around Rory McIlroy tomorrow.

Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson will definitely be around for the weekend.

He looked in a bit of trouble at three over for the tournament after 14 holes, but has made birdies in three of the final four holes to reach the clubhouse at level par.