Englishman Chris Hanson posted this photo on Twitter after a nine-over-par round of 81: Bit of practice with JJ after the round! :-) #bunkertroubles

Image source, Chris Hanson

Ken Brown
BBC Sport commentator

"The surprising thing about the difference in scoring from this morning to this afternoon is that it's such a small change in the breeze. The flag on the clubhouse is only just pulling out of limp."

Philip Parkin
BBC Sport on-the-course reporter

"Everyone has been so surprised by Ernie Els's performance. He got off to a dreadful start and it seems he just couldn't mentally get out of whatever state he was in."

First birdie of the day for Els on 16, he's still fighting despite that torrid start. Ah, the buzz of a bee, one of the finest sounds I know... Mickelson makes par on 16, stays one over. Here's a startling stat - the morning starters have gone round in a combined +27, the afternoon boys in +82...

Scott on tee at the par-three 15th, crackerjack shot. Welshman Jamie Donaldson has had some decent results of late but today is not his day - he's +7 after 16. Els with a monster putt for eagle on 16, leaves it well short. Kaymer for birdie on 17, from a long way out, and he leaves it just right of the hole and stays +1. Mickelson slides his birdie attempt by on 16, the defending champion remains one over.

Phil Mickelson has certainly enjoyed having possession of the Claret Jug over the last 12 months:

"One of the things that I stressed is that we have to treat the Claret Jug with the reverence and respect that it deserves and only put good stuff in it.

"And each person that I brought it to had a different definition of what the good stuff was! But one of my friends, their definition of the good stuff was a bottle of 1990 Romanee-Conti wine."

A bottle of 1990 vintage Romanee-Conti retails at £11,583 a bottle...

16th (Field)

Par five, 577 yards

Image source, Getty Images

The longest hole but was also the easiest in 2006, with 27 eagles and 252 birdies scored. It requires a drive towards the fairway bunkers on the right, before needing a full wood to stand a chance of reaching the green in two. Beware of Farrar's Folly, a hollow at the front right of the green, named after a former secretary of the club.

2006 difficulty rating: 18

Irish amateur Paul Dunne birdies 10 to get back to level, Justin Rose makes bogey on 14 and drops back to evens. Shot gone for Scott on 14, they're really making a meal of things out there, you'd think a hurricane was blowing through.

15th (Rushes)

Par three, 161 yards

Image source, Getty Images

The tee is elevated and set into the sand dunes, while the green is protected by five bunkers. Birdie chances for those hitting the green but for those wayward tee shots championship hopes can go up in smoke.

2006 difficulty rating: 14

Jason Dufner, who puts me in mind of Oliver Hardy, will have another makeable birdie putt on 14 after a peach of an approach. Queensland's John Senden rams one in for birdie on 12, gets to two under. Scott's birdie putt on 14, comes up five feet short, iffy par putt from there. The only holes playing under par on the back nine are the three par-fives, it's tough out there. Dufner misses that putt...

Shing-Yung Wong:, external I think Tiger will grab his 15th major title come Sunday afternoon!

Timothy Walton:, external A cup of tea, hot toast with lots of butter, half a pack of ginger biscuits and Peter Alliss commentating on The Open. Perfect.

Jamie Millar:, external It's like Bubba Watson has never played a major before. Complaining about crowds and letting his emotions get the better of him.

Zach Johnson lets a shot go at 15, drops to -1. The play rather drifting in the wind at the moment, here's Rose with a mishit into some cabbage on 14. Kaymer for birdie on 16, straight left off the club face, misses from a few feet. Scott on 14, overcooks it...

Bad day for young Macpherson of Australia - 90 blows today - but he was still a long way off Maurice Flitcroft's 121 in a qualifier for the 1976 Open - Flitcroft claimed to be a pro golfer, having prepared for the tournament by studying a golf instruction manual by Peter Allis.

Philip Parkin
BBC Sport on-the-course reporter

"The wind has picked up but I can't see why they're struggling so much. They're playing too safe off the tee.

"They need to be more aggressive. Some of these fairways are quite wide and I can't see why they're not being more aggressive and trying to make it easier to hit the greens."

As the breeze has freshened, so the scoring has fallen off. Australia's Jason Day hacks out of the rough on 16, that won't help his dicky thumb. Westwood leaves an eight-footer short on 12, he drops to -1. Justin Rose with a 20-footer for birdie at 13, misses by a whisker.

Selected others: -3: Rickie Fowler (US), Tiger Woods (US); -2: Louis Oosthuizen (SA), Zach Johnson (US); -1: Stewart Cink (US), Hunter Mahan (US), Justin Rose (Eng), Lee Westwood (Eng); Par: David Howell (Eng), Darren Clarke (NI), Henrik Stenson (Swe); +1: Martin Kaymer (Ger), Ian Poulter (Eng), Luke Donald (Eng), Phil Mickelson (US); +2: Paul Casey (Eng), Bubba Watson (US), Graeme McDowell (NI); +8 Ernie Els (SA)

Peter Alliss
BBC Sport commentator

"This afternoon there have been some good holes, nice putts and shots just dribbling away. We've seen it from all the top boys."

Westwood in some nonsense on 12 and he finds more of the stuff with his second. Shot gone for Rose at 12, the Englishman is one under. John Daly, champion in 1995, reached the turn in 38 but birdied the 10th. Another shot gone for Mickelson, he's also one over after 14.

14th (Hilbre)

Par four, 454 yards

Image source, Getty Images

A dog-leg to the left, a few of the bravest might try to carry the bunkers protecting the green. Overshoot the dog-leg and thick rough awaits, while the green will throw any shot veering to the right down into an uninviting hollow.

2006 difficulty rating: 2

Just a reminder that you can watch the action on holes 13-15 via the Live Coverage tab above.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport at Hoylake

"Military golf for two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson - left, right, left up the 12th, way left into the hay on the short 13th down by the beach. That unique swing, as swirly as the wind turbines far offshore, is not so far delivering an Augusta-esque performance. Four over and looking fragile."