It just won't drop for Rory McIlroy at the minute, he's finding greens and giving himself opportunities to pull some shots back but is having to reach for his putter more often than he would like.

At the Postage Stamp eighth he curls one from around 20 feet and it stops, teetering on the edge of the cup. The Northern Irishman has to reluctantly stroll over and help that one in from an inch or so.

Ben Dirs
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

'Rory's on fire' sings the gallery as McIlroy makes his way to the eighth green. It raises a wee smile and a sheepish wave, perhaps because he knows he isn't.

His 20-foot birdie effort comes up a revolution short and a smile is suddenly very far from Rory's face...

The skies are getting darker and the rain is getting heavier, just as the contenders are getting going.

Cold, windy, raining.

It could make for lots of movement up and down the leaderboard. Don't go anywhere.

Well Patrick Reed went out in 31 on Thursday and he's promising to post a fruitful front nine again on Saturday.

He won't get near that 31 having bogeyed the second, but three successive birdies put the American back up to four under.

JB Holmes is also flying at the minute, he's up to tied fifth after a third birdie today.

Des Smyth
Former Ryder Cup vice captain on BBC Radio 5 live

Rory McIlroy is certainly making the effort, but he is not getting the putts. He has dropped three shots in seven holes.

The penultimate pairing is America's Keegan Bradley with 41-year-old Dane Soren Kjeldsen. Both are seven under, three shots behind leader Phil Mickelson.

Image source, Getty Images

Zach Johnson finds sand with shot one and produces a "beautiful shot" to escape the first bunker. Well, that's what his caddy calls it.

In reality, he still has an awful lot of work to do to avoid dropping a stroke on the first as he is the opposite end of the green, facing his third shot.

Rory McIlroy drives almost to the edge of the green but finds a tricky lie and has to flick it up over the bunker.

It's handy from the world number four and gives him another chance for birdie from 10 feet.

McIlroy takes his putter, guides it towards the pin, and then places his hands straight on his hips. That tells its own story. He'll need a second putt to put that one away.

Tony Finau, wearing a bright yellow cap, and holding a bright blue driver, sends his opening tee shot long, but straight into the rough after drifting left.

Last year's winner Zach Johnson does not do much better as his first shot of the day runs on, straight into a bunker.

Last shot for Jason Day on the 18th, he bogeys and then sends his putter flailing through the air. Not a happy world number one.

That was his fourth bogey on the back nine today and his seventh following the turn for the week.

He makes level par for the day having posted four birdies on the way out, but is one over for the championship.

Ben Dirs
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

Rain thickening now but the temperature rising slightly. Almost feels like summer. Just shows there's two ways to skin a cat - Rory murdering everything off the tee, Kim going with irons, the scoring the same.

The Rickie-Hatton pairing always looked like it might have a bit of punch about it. And, after Fowler's two early birdies followed by bogeys at six and seven, Tyrrell Hatton joins in the fun, boxing clever with a seven-foot birdie putt on Postage Stamp to move one ahead at two under.

-10 Mickelson 

-9 Stenson 

-7 Kjeldsen, Bradley

-5 Z Johnson

-4 Holmes (4), Na (2), Garcia (1), Johnston (1) Finau, Haas, Schwartzel

Selected others: -2 Hatton (8), D  Johnson (3), -1 McIlroy (6)

Full leaderboard here., external

Up next is defending champion Zach Johnson and American compatriot Tony Finau.

Image source, Getty Images

Things have turned for Rickie Fowler a little, two under through the first four holes today he then goes and posts back-to-back bogeys at the sixth and seventh.

The American is still one under for the championship after tackling the Postage Stamp in par. He's just outside the top 20.

Image source, AP

Jordan Spieth had an incredible 2015, winning the Masters and US Open.

But the 22-year-old has not broken par in his last 10 rounds at a major and is not happy with the questions being asked about his form.

He said: "Had last year not happened, I would be getting positive questions, but most are comparing last year and this year and therefore it's negative. It's not up to the same standard and it is tough to convince myself I'm having a good year.

"It's unfair and I would appreciate if people look at the positives. What happened last year will maybe only happen a few times, it has happened less than a dozen times to anybody in golf. It seems unfair that at 22, I am expected to produce that all the time."

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy nails that one down the sixth fairway. He makes the green in two and is that an outside shot at an eagle? From 35 feet or so most of us wouldn't even dream of it, but for Rory...

Not this time, McIlroy pushes it up towards the hole and it lands just to the right, where he knocks in for birdie on the par five.

Mickey Wallis: I'm really looking forward to watching the matador and the beefy bull battling it out in the Troon ring this afternoon. 

Johnston with an eight-foot attempt for a birdie at the first. It is a gentle right-left swing, but the chance goes begging.

Garcia is also left ruing a good opportunity after a misjudged chip shot, his second stroke of the day, sees the birdie chance vanish. Both are still on four under.