Can anyone catch this man?

The gap is two shots but my word he looks solid on a course where many others are scrambling. Of 156 players, nine are under par, only around 78 of them are coming back for the weekend. The rest have been mercilessly cut!

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There's a target on Jordan Spieth's back though which brings with it a focused pressure. Sit back, click 'BBC Coverage' in this page and watch the highlights - they're also on BBC Two now. Then and only then should you decide on a winner.

Then, come back to us here tomorrow, live texting from around 13:00 BST, to tell us who you pick.

For now, the report from today is here and in an hour or so, the tee times for tomorrow will be published on the golf page of the BBC Sport website, which you can access here. To watch the best of Rory McIlroy, click here.

So farewell for now, we'll see you tomorrow. Thanks once again for your company.

FORE LEFT!

-6: Spieth

-4: Kuchar

-3: Koepka, Poulter

-2: Ramsay

-1: McIlroy, Woodland, Connelly, Bland

Selected others:

Level: Hoffman, Matsuyama; +1: Els; +2: Garcia, Fowler, Stenson, Fitzpatrick; +3: Rahm, D Johnson, C Wood

Rory Mcllroy, 28, told Radio 5 live after his second round. "I couldn't ask to be in a better position after yesterday, having been five over through six yesterday and now be in the clubhouse after two rounds under par.

"I can't wait to rest up this afternoon and see how the guys handle it out there.

"It was tough today, I had to make some big up and downs on 10, 11 and 12. Every hole seemed to be a cross wind that did not offer much help.

"The hardest thing was cross winds as heavy as that."

He added: "I wanted to be there or there abouts going into the weekend. I would have given anything after six holes yesterday just to be here. I am pleased with the way I have turned it around and I am looking forwad to being in the mix for Saturday and Sunday."

Richard Bland has a tricky putt to make par on the 18th. He decides to ditch the baseball cap and coaxes it hole-wards - that drops!

A cheer goes out from those in the grandstand who've braved the weather to stick around and see him.

The world number 145 should be very pleased with his opening two rounds at The Open.

He's heading into the weekend at one under par and tied for sixth place.

Ged Scott
BBC Sport at Royal Birkdale

One man who had a day to forget is Canadian Adam Hadwin, playing alongside Beef, in the first group out this morning.

Playing in his first Open Championship, after a first-day one-over 71, Hadwin again looked respectable enough when he reached the 12th tee on one over for the day, comfortably in range to make the cut.

But the short hole proved the undoing for the man from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - the first of two successive triple bogeys in a run of 10 lost shots in five holes.

In the end, he signed for an 82, the joint worst round of the tournament so far.

"I guess I need to head home to Canada and press the reset button," he said. "I just didn't have the game to cope with the cross winds."

Currently, at 13 over for the Championship, only 2004 Open winner Todd Hamilton, on 18 over after matching 79s, stands below him.

The leaderboard is confusing. One huge name at the top, only a handful of others under par. Then come a host of massive names around three or four over. Logic says their race is run but surely it can't be that simple. Will the leaders drop back? It seems delicately poised in a strange sort of way.

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Most of the crowd have dispersed at Royal Birkdale, but one chap no doubt still taking an interest in Richard Bland's round is former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier.

Bland had a trial as a goalkeeper with the Saints as a teenager, and Le Tissier has caddied for the 44-year-old in charity tournaments.

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Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Todd Hamilton, John Daly, Mark O'Meara, David Duval, Stewart Cink, Paul Lawrie, Tom Lehman, Sandy Lyle. Those are the major winners who are going home for the weekend.

Some good names in there claimed by this stretch of Merseyside coastline.

Incidentally, this is the first time Richard Bland has made The Open in 19 years.

That was his major debut and was, of course, also at Royal Birkdale back in 1998.

He'd only been a pro for two years then, and missed the cut by three shots.

So at the halfway stage, who do you fancy? We're on #bbcgolf.

Richard Bland makes his way to the 18th tee box knowing he could be one of only 10 players to head into the weekend under par.

The Englishman is two over through 17 today, despite a scattering of birdies in his round, but it was a three-under-par opening round that put him in a strong position.

He's hung in there through wet and windy conditions.

To the 18th, the trio of Koepka, Fleetwood and Matsuyama trying to tidy up for pars. All three of them do. Matsuyama was in the sand, both Fleetwood and Koepka were in the rough. That's a good end to a tough day.

Fleetwood makes the cut with that par, Koepka stays in touch, perhaps Matsuyama will be left scratching the head as to how he threw a few shots away.

Sung-hoon Kang stands over his putter, fires one in towards the cup and watches it drop to notch his second birdie of the day. That moves him within four shots of leader Jordan Spieth.

The Korean has three holes to make up some more ground... he's level for the day.

A reminder you can watch highlights from day two on BBC Two now or just click 'BBC Coverage' in this page. Go on, kick back on a Friday night.

Louis Oosthuizen finishes his Open campaign for 2017 at 12 over par.

But he did have a better day than Thursday...

A frustrated Justin Rose drops a shot on the 18th, that's two bogeys in his final two holes. But he's narrowly inside the cut line.

Justin Thomas completes that trio. He's going home to restock his tie collection after a bogey at the 18th sees the American sign off on a round of 80.

Robert Streb was ticking along nicely at one under and then came the 14th - where he converts an eight on a par four.

He's not walking in the air. He's stomping on the ground.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

I did tell you Hideki Matsuyama had morphed into a club hacker on the 17th - a par five where birdies are sought. He has a chip from below the putting surface for his fifth shot... thins it. A putt for bogey... close. Double. Brooks Koepka is in for par and still without a birdie all day.

Justin Rose has his woolly hat on.

Hands in his hefty jacket pockets, he now resembles a soaking wet spectator more than a former major winner.

His approach on the 18th finds a greenside bunker.