Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Beef Johnston has a rough hand there. A fine tee shot on the ninth - his last hole of the day - but after landing, the ball begins to roll painfully away and off the surface. Deserved more.

Justin Thomas is a cracking player and has won a few times on Tour. He's plugging away but the sixth hole is the hardest out there. The par three is evil. But he sends a cracker down the flag stick, birdie chance.

Paul Casey is alongside him, similar shot but not as close. Good line in there by both men.

Image source, Getty Images

Onside View: Dream caddie: Bill Murray, Caddyshack mode. Nightmare: Paul Pogba, he would spend his time doing his hair in the clubs reflection.

You guys, we want you to tell us your dream and nightmare caddie, with reasons. We ask as Davis Love is on the bag for his son this week and Steve Stricker has his wife carrying.

Tweet #bbcgolf.

Two men staying in touch are Marc Leishman and Adam Hadwin. They take advantage of different par fives to convert birdies and get back to level par for the day - both are four under overall.

What's that distant scent? That's the US Open title you can sniff gents. Just go get it.

Image source, Getty Images

Si Woo Kim clips an iron in low on a par five, this his 16th hole of the day. He leave six foot to tie the lead. It's tame though and the break is too much, a waste.

Paul Casey for birdie and the outright lead on his 14th hole of the day. A long way to the cup but he goes close.

"Hi there, can I order an open top bus please?"

Image source, EPA

Rickie Fowler has arrived at Erin Hills ahead of his 19:36 BST tee time. He's holding hands with his partner as he strolls in.

Fowler has not finished in the top 10 of a major since 2014. That year he placed in the top five in all four of them.

What sort of form can we look at to convince he will get over the line? He has a fine win at the Honda Classic already under his belt this year. He took that by four strokes so there's evidence he can dominate a field. He has also won the Players' Championship in 2015 of course, that's pretty much as big as it gets outside the majors.

It's hard to find a reason why he can't do it. This field need to keep the pressure up because he doesn't look like he will just give it away.

(All US unless stated)

-7 P Casey (Eng)*, R Fowler

-6 S W Kim (Kor)*, X Schauffele

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

-4 B Haas, B Wiesberger (Aut), P Reed

-3 W McGirt, A Johnston (Eng)*, M Leishman (Aus)*, R Henley*, A Hadwin (Can), J Lovemark, JB Holmes*, L Westwood (Eng)

-2 S Kodairia (Jpn), B Steele, H English*, Sergio Garcia (Spa)*, Justin Thomas*, C Hoffman, C Champ (a), B Snedeker*, E Els (SA)*

Selected others: -1 J Maguire*, E Pepperell (Eng)*, M Fitzpatrick (Eng) E, L Oosthuizen (SA)*, J Rose (Eng)*, M Laird (Sco)* +1, C Wood (Eng), A Rai (Eng)*, A Noren (Swe)*, R Knox (Sco)*, J Spieth, +3, D Johnson, +4, B Watson*, Henrik Stenson (Swe)*, +9, D Willett, R McIlroy, NI)*

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

Full leaderboard

Rory McIlroy looks like he'll have a free weekend, he's just carded three bogeys on the trot to move to nine over par for the tournament.

McIlroy came into the US Open with very little golf under his belt following injury, and the Northern Irishman just hasn't been on it at Erin Hills.

Image source, getty

Ahhh, the Paul Casey cart has plateaued at the summit - he can't quite make the magical sixth birdie on the trot.

It's par for Casey at the 456-yard fourth, and that keeps him as the joint leader with Rickie Fowler, who is yet to get under way on Friday.

Image source, Reuters

Who's that sneaking up the leaderboard? It's Bill Haas!

The American is four under today after birdies at the first, second, seventh and 12th.

He's just three shots off the lead.

Image source, .

Right then, your time to shine.

As Steve Stricker's wife is his caddie and elsewhere in the field Davis Love IV has his dad Davis Love III on the bag. We were thinking, is this good or bad? Family disagreements can get pretty fierce after all.

So... who is your dream caddie and who would be your nightmare? Give us reasons.

I (Luke) will go for Luis Suarez as my nightmare caddie. I think our collective ability to boil over would lead to a DQ by the third hole. Dream caddie would be Carol Vorderman. She seems pretty sound and would be good on the yardage book.

Tweet #bbcgolf.

So Casey needs a birdie at the par-four 13th to equal Adam Hadwin's run of six yesterday, which in turn equalled a record set by a number of sharp shooters.

Hadwin's run started on the 10th, Casey's began at the 17th before carrying into the turn.

Chug, chug, chug. Paul Casey's carriage has reached the top. That's a fifth birdie on the bounce and he's in with a share of the lead!

One more to equal the US Open record...

Image source, Reuters

How rude of me. I should've welcomed Luke Reddy to the live - he's here, coffee in hand, and ready to inject some Welsh wit to proceedings.

Any dodgy puns I'll blame on him from here on in.

Image source, Reuters

Sorry, Xander.

Of course, as soon as I mention the fact the world number 352 hasn't carded a single bogey in his first US Open, he cards a bogey.

Schauffele can only get down in four on the par-three ninth after his tee shot catches the very edge of the green, opposite the pin, and the 23-year-old takes three putts to put it away.

Xander Schauffele is still ticking along nicely at the top - he's yet to drop a shot in his debut US Open.

The 23-year-old, who only turned pro two years ago, birdied the fifth and that was enough to give him a share of the lead with Rickie Fowler.

He's seven under through eight.

Image source, EPA

Here's a recap of the pin positions. Word is they are tougher than Thursday, although the course is playing a whole six yards shorter. Not like the USGA to be nice, ey?

(All US unless stated)

-7 R Fowler*, X Schauffele*

-6 S W Kim (Kor)*,

-5 B Harman, T Fleetwood (Eng)*, B Koepka*, P Casey (Eng)*

-4 M Leishman (Aus)*, B Wiesberger (Aut), P Reed

-3 W McGirt, B Steele, A Johnston (Eng)*, R Henley*, H English*, B Haas, A Hadwin (Can), J Lovemark, JB Holmes*, L Westwood (Eng)*, S Garcia (Spa)*, M Fitzpatrick (Eng)

-2 S Kodairia (Jpn), C Hoffman, B Snedeker*, E Els (SA)*, S Scheffler (a)*, H English, C Champ (a), J Maguire*

Selected others: E, C Wood (Eng), L Oosthuizen (SA)*, J Rose (Eng)*, M Laird (Sco)* +1, H Stenson (Swe)*, S Lowry (Ire), A Rai (Eng)*, A Noren (Swe)*, R Knox (Sco)*, J Spieth, +3, D Johnson, +4, B Watson*, +6, R McIlroy, NI)*, +9, D Willett

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

Full leaderboard

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Casey has had a rollercoaster round, but right now the Englishman is climbing the big dipper with his eyes on the summit again.

A birdie at the second to take a share of the lead was followed by a bogey, a snowman triple-bogey and another bogey at the 15th as Casey dropped down the leaderboard.

But that's FOUR successive birdies for the 39-year-old, who moves back to six under par.

Keep yourself strapped in for the back nine...

If the length of time it's taking players to get round Erin Hills seems excessive, how about this for an antidote - speedgolf, where you run between shots.

To win the 2016 British Championship at Dale Hill in East Sussex, Ireland's world no.1 Rob Hogan shot 82 in a scarcely believable 36 minutes and 59 seconds.

For a flavour of it, check out the short vid below and find out more, here., external

There he is, the home favourite with a birdie at the 18th.

(Steve Stricker, not Golf Digest's Joel Beall...)