Michael Ord: Keep making bunkers but build the faces up to stop the long "out"s. Make a wedge the only option.

5 live's Jay Townsend has questioned the point of bunkers if some players can launch a five iron from them and find the green. What do you think?

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(All US unless stated)

-7 R Fowler*

-5 B Harman*, T Fleetwood (Eng)*, B Koepka, M Leishman (Aus)

-4 P Reed*, Kevin Na*, P Casey (Eng)

-3 L Westwood (Eng)*, J Lovemark*, JB Holmes, Andrew Johnston (Eng), Si Woo Kim (Kor), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Trey Mullinax*

-2 C Hoffman*, B Snedeker, E Els (SA), Jack Maguire, Russell Henley, Scottie Scheffler (a), Adam Hadwin (Can)*, Shane Lowry (Ire)*, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng)*, Xander Schauffele*, Cameron Champ (a)*

Selected others: -1, T Aiken (SA), S Jaeger (Ger)*, W McGirt*, Richie Ramsey (Sco)*, E, Sergio Garcia (Spa), Justin Rose (Eng), RC Bello (Spa), Martin Laird (Sco), Martin Kaymer (Ger)*, +1,Jordan Spieth*, Aaron Rai (Eng), Chris Wood (Eng)*, Alex Noren (Swe), +2, L Oosthuizen (SA), +3,Dustin Johnson*, +4, Henrik Stenson (Swe)*, +9, Danny Willett (Eng)*

*Tee off from 10th hole, (a) Amateur

Full leaderboard

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Trey Mullinax is a 24-year-old from Alabama without a PGA Tour win to date yet. He's having a ball here though at four under. His latest birdie is one which owes everything to luck.

Chipping from beside the green he gives it too much but the ball hits the flag - I stress the flag, not the pin - and plops down next to the hole. A tap in left. Tweet tweet.

Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live at Erin Hills

"The tees here don't line-up in a straight line as you go up, they are kind of all over the place right and left. It's a golf course, to be able to play from different tees and different wind directions, would probably take about 30 days to really get out there and feel comfortable with it"

Dustin Johson +3, Rory McIlroy +1, Jason Day +7, Hideki Matsuyama +2, Jordan Spieth +1, Henrik Stenson +4.

Erin Hills cares little for reputation.

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The 12th hole, Rory McIlroy has a putt of around 15-20ft for par and to stay at one over. The galleries like the look of this touch... rightly so.

Justin Rose. Now here is a man who has eaten at the in-laws, not liked the food and now deserves some dessert. He's battled all day, now for some fudge cake. In she goes from 10ft, birdie and under par.

Marc Leishman is in the thick stuff on 17, this could spell trouble for a man going along well. he takes the punishment and chips into the fairway. Some work to do for the world number 35.

Rory McIlroy is chipping out of the rough sideways here on 12. Big trouble.

Justin Rose has around 130 yards from the fairway. Good contact, stunner. Some eight feet left. He looks thrilled and to be fair to him, he has dug in all day to stay level. Maybe now some reward.

McIlroy swings, his third, huge divot, 12ft left for par.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

At just 11 years old, Erin Hills is hosting its first major.

The striking aspect of this venue is the distance - nearly 8,000 yards, while the par-five 18th can stretch to 675 yards.

In fact, it's said the walk between the tee boxes adds almost a mile to players' rounds.

We've mentioned the fescue that makes up the rough, but the fairways at Erin Hills are wide and, as Rory McIlroy pointed out, if you hit those you've not got to contend with that problem.

A big if, of course...

Many holes feature blind or semi-blind tee-shots, while the course's mid-section runs on an outward-inward path that will ensure players face variable winds.

Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live at Erin Hills

Stop raking bunkers. Why should you be able to walk in there with a five iron and hit it out over water. I've been saying it since 1993 when I was playing. Bunkers are hazards, stop raking them.

Should you rake a bunker after you've played out of one? Tweet us #bbcgolf

Now, Jay Townsend has been having a rant at Erin Hills...

We want your take. Get ready...

Rory McIlroy looked well place to save par after that horrendous drive but he can't get up and down from just off the green. His putt misses and with it he looks a bit fed up. Jason Day dropped another. He will have to go some to make the cut tomorrow.

Can Justin Rose be the only man to save par on 11 after all three found the ugly grass off the tee? Yes he can. That was some approach shot from the fairway and a solid save.

Image source, Reuters

Do not be fooled by the heavenly sky, some of these holes are hellish for these players.

William McGirt, seen here is under par after 15, while Si Woo Kim - who won the Players' Championship of course - puts away a monster putt on 15. Down the hill, packed with break, little worry. It's there.

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Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra at Erin Hills

It's a been a tough day for some of the big hitters at Erin Hills...

"There was a graphic on TV this morning with the leading world players and how they played in their last event leading into this week's US Open."

"Jordan Spieth was the top player coming in and I think he was placed 15th, most of the other guys were down 35 and over, and a bunch of them like Dustin Johnson had missed the cut."

"The top players in the world are not coming in, in good form."

As Sergio Garcia gives a stroke away with a loose putt on 15, we go back to the 11th fairway - or should I say rough - where Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Jason Day have all settled into the knee-length grass.

Rose hacks out sideways. Takes his next shot high and it's classy, 10ft left for par. Grinding.

Day's white pants will get scuffed in this thick stuff. His club face comes out of the swing covered in grass. Into the bunker he goes.

McIlroy with a swipe, good shot between the bunkers to leave a short pitch left.

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The world number three ladies and gents...

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Jason Day makes a triple bogey on 10, that's his second of the day. Rory McIlroy takes two putts from range to make par while Justin Rose is going along under the radar at level.

On the 11th tee they each sign up to the 'let's all find trouble' pact. Rough, rough and rough for each of them. Deep stuff too.

Rory McIlroy finds the dancefloor on 10 but his putt is about the length of the Amazon River. Jason Day's afternoon continues to go from bad to bad to bad. As he's taken four to reach the green on this par four. He really is under it here.

Sergio Garcia sets up a birdie, as does Paul Casey as both men send their approaches to within a bin lid of the pin on 12 and 11 respectively. Garcia is in the cup, Casey to come, he should reach four under.

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Kevin Na is enjoying the second best round of those currently out on the course at four under... despite his fescue concerns prior to today's play.

Henrik Stenson raised his right finger and pointed downwards as if to gesture... 'is it in?'.

It was indeed. What a shot. And boy did he need it after a dire start.

Image source, Reuters