Xander Schauffele is really finding top gear now as he knocks in a 13 footer on the second to improve to three under for the day and two under for the tournament - just a shot behind Rory McIlroy.

That's because McIlroy just can't find the right line in his birdie putt as the frustration starts to grow with two chances gone begging on the last two holes.

It's been tough going for Robert MacIntyre as the Scotsman went four over for his front nine, but he's hit back nicely at the start of the back nine with a birdie on the 10th.

At three over he's bang on the cut line as it stands, but with the course drying out and getting faster then that cut mark is sure to get higher later on.

Patience being tested on the par-five 10th.

Tommy Fleetwood goes for the green in two but comes up short and in the scrubland. From there he hits what looks like a delightful chip onto the green but the intense heat is drying the putting surfaces out and his ball keeps on rolling, and rolling and rolling and off the green.

His chip back up the slope is bold. Too bold. His ball skips back down towards the front of the green and he can't hole the 20-footer for par.

Tyrrell Hatton misses his birdie putt but a straightforward par. If he can par his way in, three under might be looking good come the end of the day.

Xander Schauffele hits another nice approach on the first, but oh, hang on, nope, it's started to trickle back and runs off the green.

Pinehurst is getting firmer and faster by the minute here.

Schauffele manages to recover though to save his par - a score all three of our group get as they start their back nine but only after Rory McIlroy trickles a quick putt down the hill that just clings to the edge of the cup - nearly bringing him to his knees in despair.

The golf gods shine on Sepp Straka after his stroke of misfortune earlier, as he lands the first hole-in-one of this US Open!

The big Austrian hit the flag earlier in his round and spun off into a bunker causing a triple bogey, but he takes dead aim on the ninth hole from 194 yards and this time the ball lands soft and has space to roll all the way up to the flag before dropping into the cup.

And that triggers some energetic celebrations from the big fella!

Three good tee shots on the par-three ninth, none more so from Bryson DeChambeau.

From 195 yards out, DeChambeau puts his 9 iron shot into five feet of the pin.

Max Homa is the furthest back and his birdie attempt from over 30 feet away narrowly whistles past the hole and he taps in for a good par.

Viktor Hovland goes one better, an excellent putt from 16 feet goes for him as he makes a second birdie of the day.

DeChambeau finishes off what he started on the tee and moves to within two shots of leader Patrick Cantlay.

The par-four eighth has been incredibly challenging for all three of Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa and Viktor Hovland.

Homa, who took two attempts to chip on from the left side of the green, holes a stunning putt from 29 feet, but it is still for bogey. The crowd cheers the putt, he does not show any emotion.

Viktor Hovland has a run-in with the front slope of the green, also needing two chip attempts to get on. Like Homa, his bogey attempt is from range and he goes close, but taps in for a double bogey, his first dropped shots off the day.

DeChambeau also had one putt for a save, but for par rather than bogey after a good chip off the back of the green. From 16 feet, he gets the putt spt on.

A double fist pump and rightly so!

Tommy Fleetwood splashes out of the sand to about eight feet. Big par saver coming up with the cut line expected to be around four/five over.

Tyrrell Hatton for birdie. Stabs at it a bit and the ball dribbles right. Par.

Fleetwood in the front door. Par.

Image source, Getty Images

Martin Kaymer has hit a wall, carding back-to-back bogeys to slip back from a promising position to level par.

The 2014 US Open champion here needs to just gather himself now to avoid slipping out of the picture altogether.

Xander Schauffele is getting his irons dialled in now, as he ends his front nine by sticking his second shot stone dead only a couple of feet from the 18th hole - and taps in for a birdie to dip under par.

That bogey on the opening hole for Tyrrell Hatton seems a long time ago - a lot longer than the near three hours it's taken him to play the front nine.

He's just arrowed in another belter to 10 feet to set up what could be a third birdie in five holes that will move him one off the lead.

Tommy Fleetwood is struggling with a left pull right now though. From 195 yards, he misses the green.

Much like I fancy Romelu Lukaku to do at the Euros, Belgium have a hat-trick at the US Open as Thomas Detry makes it three straight birdies with a three on the 13th.

A decent approach still leaves him 16 feet, but Detry rolls it in nicely and at four under he's now in second place just a shot behind Patrick Cantlay.

Tommy Fleetwood tugs his approach to the eighth left. And that's not a good miss because the run-off is among the most severe on the course. His ball plunges down, down, deeper and down.

Tyrrell Hatton, coming out of the scrub, is also left, but his ball doesn't quite catch the same slope.

Fleetwood's chip up is fractionally short. And fractionally short on this course spells disaster as his ball trickles back off the green. But that's more like it. His fourth is lovely. Clipped up and has a look in the hole before settling at kick-in range. But that's a bogey.

Hatton gets up and down to stay two back.

Viktor Hovland with a brilliant approach shot towards the green on the par-four seventh gives him a birdie chance from 13 feet, but he keeps the putt too straight.

Max Homa is in a bit of trouble in the greenside bunker after two, but an excellent chip into six feet gives him every chance of a par save.

Bryson DeChambeau catches the low lip of the hole in his attempts to make par from 10 feet, with the putt turning left and missing. He is forced to settle for bogey.

Homa and Hovland both finish well for par.

After the crowd settles following McIlroy's heroics, Scottie Scheffler steps up and misses his par attempt and cards another bogey to drop back to three over.

The world number one hit one of the worst iron shots I've seen him hit off the 17th tee, and he's looking really frustrated as he skulks off the green.

As things stand, three-over-par is currently what T60th place is on.

The top 60, plus any ties, will make the weekend following the cut at the end of today's play.

Tiger Woods will start his second round later today on four-over-par, but given the limited number of under-par scores at Pinehurst No.2, ending the second round on five-over-par may still be enough to make the weekend.

Are you kidding me! Incredible stuff from Rory McIlroy who went from zero to hero in the space of one shot on the 17th.

His tee shot leaves him 40 feet down the hill, but he hits it too hard and the ball rolls down the hill, past the hole and off the green!

Rory McIlroy being Rory McIlroy though, he only goes and holes the chip shot coming back up the hill for the craziest of pars.

We've not heard much of Thomas Detry, but the Belgian has just made back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th to fire himself right into contention at the top of the leaderboard.

And he's not scared to go close as he finished T4 at last month's US PGA Championship at Valhalla, so has the temperament as well as the game in majors.

Rory McIlroy leaves himself a fiddly up and down from the edge of the 16th green, but he gets the job done nicely, which will be a boost after the bogey on the last hole.

The sixth hole presents the first par-three for this group and Bryson DeChambeau welcomes it with a beautiful putt for birdie.

From 25-feet, DeChambeau gets it spot on and returns to three-under-par.

The same cannot be said for Max Homa, who skewed his tee shot well to the right and into the rough. His chip out is good, but he still needs two putts to hole out, giving him a second bogey in as many holes.

Viktor Hovland takes par, finishing off from a few feet.