Almost another birdie for Beef. This time at the Postage Stamp.

He finds the green in one and then lines up one the putting surface eyeing a second successive birdie.

But it's a little tentative and drops off to the right for the bearded man from London, who is a little disappointed. He'll settle for par.

On to the par-four fifth, called Greenan. It's 212 yards and Henrik Stenson has the honour. Another terrific shot from the Swede, drifts in on the wind and comes to rest 15 feet from the pin.

Follow that Phil. Mickelson is perfect for distance but his radar is a little off as his ball comes to rest 15 yards from the cup on the right edge of the green.

A steady start to the third round for Andrew Johnston is complemented by a birdie at the seventh.

That sends Beef to five under. He's hanging in there...

Phil Mickelson is first to putt, his ball spun back further than I thought. His birdie effort starts left and stays left. A par for the American.

Stenson for eagle. It wanders to the right and threatens to come back to the left as it nears the hole but runs out of gas. A simple birdie though and we have a new leader folks.

Martin Kaymer finishes off the front nine with a birdie, three in four holes towards the turn there for the German.

Coming back the other way was Steve Stricker, who enters the clubhouse at three under for the day. 

He shot a four under opening round and had it not been for that four over yesterday, including a quadruple bogey, could well have been in contention.

Rory McIlroy's day is not getting any better. We spot him, just, in the deep stuff down the left of the 12th fairway. He's out but not threatening the hole. 

A lengthy birdie putt is short and he's got another testy two-foot par putt. He's made it. 

Make that a double.

It's two shots dropped for Zach Johnson. Four to five feet away from the pin he drags one left and then points at the turf as if to suggest it had moved in front of him.

The defending champion takes a double bogey at the par-three fifth that drops him to four over.

Image source, Getty Images

Back up the fourth, and Phil Mickelson is out with a wedge, taking his punishment. He flicks back on to the fairway,

Henrik Stenson is 227 yards from the pin, in the centre of the fairway and he is pin-high for two. A 20-foot eagle putt coming up.

Lefty from 123 yards, is right on the money but his ball spins back down a wee slope, A 15-footer for birdie.

Defending champion Zach Johnson has opted for his woolly hat today, he's kept the dark glasses though. 

He tees off from the fifth but it head straight for the sand. Johnson then catches the wall of the bunker, and is fortunate to see it drop out for a playable lie - though not on the green as the American would have liked.

It's a long, long putt to take it towards the flag but Johnson will be dropping a shot here.

A bogey free front nine for Dustin Johnson for the first time this week and more importantly the world number two has three birdies to bring his overall score to five-under at the turn.

Image source, Getty Images

First error of the day from Lefty. Phil Mickelson tugs his drive on the par-five fourth into a sandy, gorsey mess. It looks like several spectators have kept an eye on it though so no provisional needed.

No such bother for Henrik Stenson.

A consistent start from Dustin Johnson leaves him with another birdie chance at the ninth, and the American can just tap that one in from close range.

Meanwhile, up ahead, it's a long, uphill putt for birdie from Rory McIlroy and he will be happy enough to put that within touching distance of the flag. Another par for the man from Northern Ireland.  

Ben Dirs
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

The wind appears to have abated, just as the leaders are heading out. Gun shot in the distance as Rory is about to play his second, and a puff of smoke yonder suggests it's someone doing a spot of hunting. 

'You can do it, Rory,' is the forlorn cry as McIlroy pushes his second short and right. Increasingly, it's looking like he can't.

A bunker in the way? What bunker? Phil Mickelson floats a wedge up and over and on to the green. Another birdie look coming up.

Henrik Stenson meanwhile is out with the bucket and spade. It would appear his drive went into the greenside bunker, not one a few yards further up the fairway.

The Swede flicks out to a foot and nudges in for a second birdie of the day to lead on -11.

Can Phil match him? From half a dozen feet...yes he can.

Soren Kjeldsen was the man closest to Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson but he's dropped a shot at the third, only his third bogey of the week.

Americans Bill Haas and JB Holmes have now joined him on six under, with birdies on the fourth and ninth respectively.

Gerald Scott
BBC Sport Online

Rickie Fowler's day looks to be done. He appears to have put two out of bounds on the railway hole at 11. Thankful just after the mid afternoon Glasgow-Stranraer flier had gone by! 

It's cost him a quadruple bogey eight, dropping him back 28 places in the field to three over.

Rickie Fowler has quadrupled bogeyed his way out of the top 20. 

The American shot an eight on the dreaded Railway 11th, putting two tee shots on the tracks, that has taken him to three over par. We saw similar from Steve Stricker on the back nine yesterday.

Henrik Stenson out with the big dog for the first time today and he's given that a clatter down the right and the ball is rolling towards a bunker. Will it pull up in time? Nope. It dribbles in.

Phil Mickelson follows suit but his goes miles further, hugging the right edge of the fairway. He's left himself the sort of shot the high-handicappers among us hate, up and over a bunker.