Earlier we asked you who you think is going to win The Open, and it seems that after today's round of 66, Rory McIlroy is your man.

He's taken 25% of the vote, while 21.7% of you don't think it'll be any of the players on our list. 16% of you think Justin Rose will be the first Englishman to win the Open since Nick Faldo did so at Muirfield in 1992.

Lowry has birdie four of the last five, including this doozy on 14 to get to three under. John Senden with an absolute peach of a chip on 18, back down the fairway Dufner has got his club tangled up and hooked his second down the first. Adam Scott in discussion with the rules folk on the 18th, or rather down the first, where he shouldn't really be.

Image source, AFP

John Daly, champion at St Andrews in 1995, lets shots go at 14 and 15 and is now four over. Dufner on tee at 18, which is measuring 551 yards. That's not great, started left and stayed left. Scott has double-crossed his tee shot, which has ended up down the first, he'll have to drop it away from the railings. Rose, too, finds rough...

Andrew Cotter
BBC Sport commentator

"Bubba Watson hasn't got a great open record and it doesn't look like it will improve this year. But he does own the General Lee [the car from the Dukes of Hazard] so there you go."

Phil Mickelson finally makes a longun disappear at the last but that was for a bogey after getting into all sorts of bother off the tee. The 2013 champion finishes with a 74 and is two over, eight shots behind leader Rory McIlroy. A 76 for Bubba Watson and a disastrous 79 for former two-timer champion Ernie Els.

Bubba Watson's frustrations continue as he thins a bunker shot straight into the wall. Nasty.

Back at 17, Adam Scott pushes a very makeable putt to miss the chance to move to five under and Jason Dufner makes his to move to three under.

This time Mickelson goes right and finds yet more rough. With four shots already played, he really needs to limit the damage here.

Image source, PA

Who leads the list of longest average drives? Why it's our leader Rory McIlroy. American Brooks Koepka and Australia's Adam Scott, and, perhaps not too surprisingly John Daly, complete the top four. Koepka and Scott are both on four under but Daly, the 1995 champion, was maybe not so accurate... he's four over as it stands.

McIlroy 340.50 yards

Brooks Koepka 338.50

Adam Scott (currently) 329.00

John Daly 320.00

And that is a beautiful approach to the 17th from Jason Dufner. The American is still one of only two of this afternoon's players without a bogey. Justin Rose and Adam Scott also have birdie chances coming up.

Phil Mickelson's approach was out of bounds and now he is heading back down the 18th on a buggy to have another go.

Jamie Donaldson taps in for a 79 on 18 but walks off with a grin. As the Welshman heads off to the scorer's hut, Phil Mickelson tries to reach the green from an average lie from a mere 292 yards, only to push it right and into some deep rough.

Jordan Coey:, external Adam Scott has a massive chance of winning the Open. Looking good so far. Looking forward to the weekend.

David Caffrey:, external Ken Brown wanted to know why Martin Kaymer plays with golf balls with the number 59. This was the lowest score Martin shot whilst playing on the Challenge Tour.

Big Bob:, external Please let's have a British winner - too much inconsistency from them at majors!

17th (Lake)

Par four, 458 yards

Image source, Getty Images

Normally played into the wind, the fairway is well protected by bunkers and the approach requires a long iron into a long and undulating green.

2006 difficulty rating: 4

Mark James
Former Ryder Cup captain on BBC TV

"After a round of 75, Miguel Angel Jimenez has a look of total disappointment. He's on the verge of the Ryder Cup team on the points list so he needs to make the most of every week."

Dufner for birdie on 16, doesn't hit it. Rose dribbles his birdie putt left of the hole from about four feet, he remains level...

US Open champion Martin Kaymer is in with a 73, which sounds bad, but really isn't given the state of the scoring this afternoon. It makes you wonder, if a lick of wind can toughen this course up this much, what might a howler and a bit of rain do? Ernie Els ushers a toad off the 18th green, as we switch back to 16, with Scott leaving his eagle putt just short. But the Aussie will pop that in to get back to -4.

John McEnerney:, external Dufner top ball striker, he's really worked hard on his putting in the last 18 months and it's paid off.

Stefan:, external Why do players rarely shout 'fore' even when it's obvious the ball is hurtling into the crowd? Should be a two-stroke penalty.

Sam Taylor:, external Poor The Big Easy Ernie Els, definitely out of sorts.

Scott on 16 and he muscles his ball onto the front of the green. Mickelson remains +1 after 17, just hasn't been able to find top gear today. Zach Johnson for eagle on 18, dribbles it right of the cup but should be in with a 71.

Selected others: -3: Adam Scott (Aus), Rickie Fowler (US), Tiger Woods (US); -2: Louis Oosthuizen (SA); -1: Stewart Cink (US), Hunter Mahan (US), Lee Westwood (Eng)

Par: David Howell (Eng), Darren Clarke (NI), Henrik Stenson (Swe), Zach Johnson (US), Justin Rose (Eng)

+1: Martin Kaymer (Ger), Ian Poulter (Eng), Luke Donald (Eng), Phil Mickelson (US); +2: Paul Casey (Eng), Graeme McDowell (NI); +3 Bubba Watson (US); +7 Ernie Els (SA)

Full leaderboard; , externalTee times

Miguel Angel Jimenez has carded a 75, the old fella normally likes a spot of links golf. Dufner on 16, no idea where that approach went, but it wasn't on the green. Rose with a three iron, comes up short.

Ireland's Shane Lowry hits some form around the turn, birdies at nine and 10 for -1. Scott rasps a drive down the middle of the long 16th, that's massive. Westwood into the breeze at the par-three 15th, let's see what he can do... corker, left himself 15 feet for birdie. Bill Haas's birdie putt on 18 lips out, seen that a few times today, and he finishes two under and four off the leader, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.