Phil Mickelson with a wedge on six, he has to flick this over a bunker and will do so easily, I genuinely think he plays these shots in his sleep.

Remember how Forrest Gump used to sleep with a table tennis paddle, I think Phil sleeps with a lob wedge. He's on point here, leaving 15ft for birdie on this par five.

The top Englishman on show is Andy Sullivan and he's one over today but hang on a minute, is this long putt going in? It is. That was a full 30ft and just dropped over the lip.

Back to four under.

Carin Koch
Last year's European Solheim Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Zach Johnson certainly looks like the way he is playing he is in with a shout.

Expectations play a really big role in golf, all of a sudden you're in a press conference, there is a lot of fuss around you and inside you put so much more pressure on yourself that you should be a champion.

Some of the best golf is played when you don't expect anything, they say beware of the sick golfer. 

That's something that is hard to train, it is hard not to have expectations.

You can listen to The Open coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra here.

-9: Mickelson (5)

-6: Kjeldsen (8),

-5: Z Johnson (2), Reed (13:04)

-4: Haas (8), Schwartzel (7), Kaymer (3), Keegan (09:47), Thomas (12:53), Stricker (14:15), Horschel (15:10)

Selected others:

-3: Garcia (09:47), Rose (14:04)

-2: Fowler (14:26), McIlroy (14:37)

-1: Westwood (5), D Johnson (3), B Watson (14:37)

E: Spieth (14:04), Willett (14:26)

+2: Day (14:26)

Tee times and full leaderboard, external

Image source, .

Jason Day had one of those mornings on the links yesterday. It never got going. We know the class is there. Power in abundance, putting from another universe, but bringing it all together week after week is what the legends do. The Tigers, the Jacks, you know the kind.

Day will know how far off the cut he is as he's not out until this afternoon alongside Danny Willett (level) and Rickie Fowler (-2). Scores are needed.

Andrew Murray
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live spots extra

It wouldn't surprise me if he tip-toes up to the turn and then gives us a little bit of character on the way home.

The highs of the 63 and the way he played and emotions of the almost-62 yesterday will no doubt have played on him, but he's an experienced guy.

The multiple majors he's won, he'll cope with it. He'll just be playing, posting a score. He's seen it all - he'll play the way Phil plays.

He's so comfortable on this golf course. He loves the place.

You can listen to The Open coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra here.

Phil Mickelson's hot touch evades him briefly as a putt for birdie slides away leaving about an inch for par. Zach Johnson has eyes on retaining the Claret Jug and this chip on two underlines just how badly he wants it. He starts it on line, it breaks right, breaks back left and drops, birdie.

Remember when Phil presented Charl in Augusta?

The South African may be getting a shining jug if he carries on. A stunner of a putt on seven to make it five birdies today. Quite something. No one can match what he's doing here.

Image source, Getty Images

Jay Townsend
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Guys like Mickelson, Els and Westwood have played these conditions in the past. These golfers play a lot from memory, that will help the older players.

Mickelson has been a little bit scruffy this morning, but that's to be expected. It's going to be a very difficult outward nine.

It's a totally different golf course today.

You can listen to The Open coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra here.

Sergio Garcia accepts he is going to have to improve to stand a chance of winning his first major.

The 36-year-old, twice runner-up at the Open, carded a 68 but said he struggled with his game.

"They are probably some of the best conditions I have played in in an Open," said Garcia, who tees off imminently. "It is a good score for sure, but I didn't feel like I played well at all. 

"I hit some good shots, obviously, but my swing didn't feel too compact. I need to play better, obviously, the next three days if I want to be up there."

Image source, AP

Martin Kaymer just tried to chew a little too much on the second, his waltz with the rough and bunker took its toll and it's a bogey, back to four under as Dustin Johnson finally converts a chance.

He has missed too many so far but it's one under for the US Open champ now, nice putt on two. DJ took 32 putts yesterday and hence he's eight back.

We have a three-shot lead and it was almost four. Phil the thrill makes birdie on four - a par five. Another well judged putt. At the same time Soren Kjeldsen has to really find something to get up and down from a greenside bunker. Brave sand play, brave putt.

Ben Dirs
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

Nowhere near the nasty conditions some were predicting this morning and low scoring remains eminently possible. Westwood with one of those most of us can only imagine in our wildest dreams, a driver from the middle of the fairway into the heart of the fourth green. Like shelling peas.

Jay Townsend
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Double bogey for Ernie Els on par-five fourth...

Ernie has been a friend of mine for a long time, but that's absolutely terrible. As a fellow professional you hate to see short putts missed.

He's been a little scrappy.

You can listen to The Open coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra here.

Image source, Getty Images

Good to see Charl Schwartzel on a roll. I can't help but think there's another major inside him. This was a guy who can dig so deep he rattled off four straight birdies in a row to win the Masters in 2011.

Image source, Getty Images

Charl Schwartzel finished one over on Thursday, but the South African is flying through the front nine this morning. He's needed just seven putts so far today, making four birdies in his first six holes. 

That puts him three under.

Matt Kuchar is also enjoying a productive morning - three successive birdies sandwiched by pars for the American's opening five.

He's also at three under.

The trio of Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Adam Scott all reach the green for two on the opening hole, long putts left.

Martin Kaymer is on the second and in trouble. Into the rough off the tee he's in Hail Mary territory and just swings the club face through the thick stuff. Out comes the ball but only into the bunker. Trouble.

There are plenty of players making scores on the opening holes again, these conditions aren't halting scoring too much. As we know though, the back nine tends to give up little.

A shot of Beef. Just because we know you love him.

And you will be thrilled to know a run of birdie-birdie-birdie has moved Andrew Johnston to three under. Two bogeys, three birdies. A gutsy fightback.

Image source, PA

Never nice for those that have to withdraw from sporting events.

Englishman Chris Wood only got to play 12 holes on Thursday and was on three over when he had to quit because of a neck injury. He later tweeted this...

"This is game number 15, on the tee from the USA, Zach Johnson".

This diminutive figure says "get left" to his ball but he's not in major trouble, just some scraggly rough. Johnson is not a big hitter so we will have to see how the wind impacts upon him today.

Adam Scott is alongside him and this strapping Aussie stands over the ball, a frame like a catwalk model, he grimaces as he looks down the fairway and sends his ball floating onto the target area easily. Could Scotty land this? Why not?

Henrik Stenson is certainly placed to do so on three under and also finds the fairway.