England's Danny Willett is five over, and one of those who currently look like missing the cut.

He makes par on the 15th, but it's birdies the Masters champion needs if he is to creep into the weekend's action.

The top 70 on the leaderboard, plus ties, make it through to the weekend. At the moment, there are 71 players at +3 or better.

However, there are several players, such as Billy Horschel at +7 for the day after 12 holes, who are on the slide. This cut mark could go to +4.

Well, with Steve Stricker plummeting down the leaderboard, you have to scroll down to tied 15th and eight shots off the lead to find a player still out on the course.

That is Ricky Fowler, on two under, who is level for the day - that's also been enough for him to climb seven places today.

On 17, the par three, and Jordan Spieth comes up short with his tee shot and is eyeing a 45-foot birdie putt from the front edge. A tremendous effort but it pulls up six inches short and he will stay four over.

The projected cut line is still +3. Rumblings it may slide out to +4 but you don't want to be relying on others.

Birdie up the last Jordan?

Steve Stricker parred the first 14 holes and was looking in good nick at four under for the tournament but he hit a wayward drive on the par-four 15th and it all began to unravel.

A provisional was played off the tee, which also found the long grass. The first ball was lost, the second found. He hacked out to the middle of the fairway for four. His fifth found greenside cabbage. His sixth flopped onto the green. A putt for seven dribbled wide and he tapped in his eighth for a quadruple bogey and back to level for the tournament.

Don't worry Steve, we've all been there.

Jordan Spieth gives his birdie putt a rattle up the hill but that's not threatening the hole and rolls a good three, four, five feet past the hole. A knee-knocker for par coming up and one he can ill-afford to miss...he doesn't but he could probably do with a birdie on the 17th or 18th.

Playing partner Justin Rose makes an incredible par, draining a 25-footer and the Englishman stays one over.

So Rory McIlroy makes it out of the 13th in fewer shots than he did on Thursday, but it's still a bogey for the world number four.

That's four in five holes.

He has a chance to pull a shot back on the 14th, but the 27-year-old doesn't hit it and will have to settle for par. That might seem welcome at this stage.

Ben Dirs
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

It's pretty horrible out there and it looks like a host of marquee names who went out late will be wiped out. As it stands, Masters champion Danny Willett, world number three Jordan Spieth, world number five Bubba Watson, world number 14 (and former champion) Louis Oosthuizen and world number 17 Hideki Matsuyama are all going home early. Such are the vagaries - and such is the inherent unfairness? - of links golf.

Watch Darren Clarke's final approach shot of the day almost end up in the hole.

Jordan Spieth needs a birdie in his final three holes to have a chance of making the weekend. He's short of the green in two on the par-five 16th and flicks a wedge up there.

But that's not getting close enough and he's got a 40-footer to get back to three over. 

The good news is that the rain appears to be abating.

Image source, Getty Images

Bubba Watson drops another shot on the par-four 13th, it took him three shots to reach the green, and is currently outside the projected cut - the American has five holes to put that right.

That will take a sharp turnaround in form though, as since hitting the back nine Bubba has posted bogey, double bogey, par, bogey.

Rory McIlroy makes his approach up the 13th, but can barely see the flag.

Bubba Watson, without a rain jacket, also struggles in the conditions and appears to be having a moan about the wind.

It was on this hole yesterday that McIlroy double-bogeyed, and he overdoes his third shot a little heading up the hill into the breeze. A tricky putt for the former world number one.

It all seemed to be coming good for Jordan Spieth.

A birdie on the 14th put him on three-over and within the new projected cut.

That was until the 15th which he bogeyed to leave his chances hanging by a thread.

And then to the 16th, where the American got visibly angry.

First the ball fell of the tee. A quick reload but his drive down the left was not blown back to the fairway as he hoped. He's in the rough. Again.

Almost exactly a year after having surgery for testicular cancer, Matthew Southgate has made the cut for The Open.

The 27-year-old is at level par after his two rounds.

He told Radio 5 live: "It is sinking in now. I am chocked up to be able to stand here and play this weekend.

"All the years I came here as a kid and watched it from the stands and now I will play on the Sunday of an Open. I can't put into words how it feels without crying. I am chuffed to bits and just want to get stuck in at the weekend."

Image source, Getty Images

It's safe to say it's miserable at Royal Troon, and perhaps unsurprisingly there's little inroads being made on the leaders.

Par-machine Steve Stricker's model of consistency is proving the way forward, no blue or red on his card today, but that's easier said than done in howling winds and pouring rain.

Summer? What summer? Looks like we used up all that South Ayrshire sunshine on Thursday.

If anyone knows a good rain dance...

Rory McIlroy finds the bunker at the 12th after sending his second shot right. Not where you want to be when the rain is teeming down and the wind is up.

He guides it out, but doesn't quite catch the run of the green and is left with a difficult putt up the hill.

The 27-year-old's effort for par sails wide, and that will be another dropped shot.

It's not quite clicked for the 2014 champion since three early birdies, carding back-to-back bogeys and another one there on the 12th.