Golf correspondent of The Irish Times Philip Reid has been in the firing line today.

That's going to leave a mark!

BBC Radio 5 live

"My putting wasn't that great, but I tried to keep it together," two-time Open championErnie Els tells BBC Radio 5 live after a second-round 73 left him at one over for the tournament.

"The last two holes the wind picked up even more. It's only going to get more difficult.

"Hopefully for the guys playing this afternoon, I'll be having some tea watching them, if it rains it's going to get really difficult."

Can Bubba stop the rot? Yes, he can.

There's something intriguing about watching a player having a bit of a meltdown, as Watson did when dropping five shots in four holes.

But he's levelled out on the 11th. Relief.

Ian Poulter's grey jumper is in sync with this grey Birkdale day but on a brighter note, he's through the first in par. Bog standard stuff, poor drive, solid second, lag putt and tap in. He'd take 17 more of those.

Image source, Reuters

Carin Koch
Former European Solheim Cup captain on BBC Radio 5 live

Rory McIlroy stills looks happy to be out here, confident, and he's made those important putts.

It's tiring to be out here in the wind and we're tired just walking around. These players have to focus on every single putt, more so than normal.

The water had to run out eventually. Rory McIlroy has been firefighting since the turn, extinguishing more bogeys than the Ghostbusters crew. Not this time.

The world number four drops his first shot of the day - his first shot in 25 holes, in fact - on the 13th.

How's Matt Kuchar responding to dropping a shot at the 16th?

He's got a chance to reclaim an outright lead after an approach takes him to the fringes of the green and gives the tall American an outside birdie opportunity.

Kuchar leans over a 15 footer, sends it forward... but it's not turning enough to find its target. He'll tap in for par and stay at five under.

Only nine players are beating Birkdale today. Rory McIlroy, as you know, is one of them but he's not the chief matador.

Zach Johnson is taming the beast more than anyone out there, signing for a four-under 66 to move back to one over at the halfway stage.

Meanwhile, Johnson's playing partner Sergio Garcia also finishes in the red - despite tweaking his right shoulder by whacking a harder-than-it-looked bush with his nine iron.

Mr Poulter hooks the ball left into the rough on one while on 18, we can all perhaps do the big wave goodbye to Jason Day. He makes double bogey on the last to tip himself to five over par. The cut, at this stage, is three over.

Image source, Getty Images

The weather might not always be the warmest, but the welcomes are at Birkdale. Especially for the home players.

Ian Poulter, still two shots behind the leaders, is the next Briton to be invited onto the first tee.

The 41-year-old Englishman feared he had lost his PGA Tour card in the United States a few months ago after poor form and a long-term foot injury sent his ranking plummeting.

Now having finished tied for second at the Players Championship and shown well in the first two rounds of the Scottish Open last week, he is coming back into rich form.

Can he create something special here this weekend? We'll know more in about four hours...

Bubba Watson's last four holes: Bogey, bogey, bogey, double bogey.

He was at four under and one shot off the lead before that run. What's it they say? You can't win it in the second round of a major but you can certainly lose it...

If the American carries on like this, he could play himself out of any weekend action.

Image source, Getty Images

Texan-based Canadian Austin Connelly is fast becoming my favourite golfer...

The quick-witted 20-year-old is one under par at his first ever major after two rounds.

BBC Radio 5 live

Canada's Austin Connelly has been talking to BBC Radio 5 live on his major debut, he's one under after a two-over-par 72 today: "I played very solid today, it's very difficult out there.

"I'm very pleased with where I stand. At the start of the tournament my aim was to make the cut and rise through the weekend - I've done the first part and now to move on to the second.

"The standard is so high, it's just getting the opportunities, getting your spot.

"I'm very comfortable in the wind. It makes this golf course much more difficult, significantly longer. It easily played three or four shots harder than yesterday."

-5 M Kuchar (after 16), J Spieth (14:48 tee-off), B Koepka (15:10)

-3 K Bulle (7), I Poulter (13:04), J Thomas 14:59, R Bland (15:32)

Selected others: -2 R McIlroy (11), A Noren (13:04); -1 A Connelley (F), R Ramsay (15), M Fitzpatrick (12:42), L Canter (5), T Pieters (14:37)

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Alistair Bruce-Ball
Radio 5 live commentator at Royal Birkdale

The golf is definitely not Bubbalicious at the minute. He looks like he's on his way out.

For the other 150 odd players in the field, the conditions are exactly the same and getting worse for the players coming out behind you.

Bubba Watson has come up short of the 10th green with his fourth shot. He's going to drop at least one shot here.

Rory has more fun in the sand than a kid filling up a bucket on Formby beach. He splashes out to within a few feet for what looks set to be another save. He lines up the putt and then steps back sharply. Maybe a gust of wind put him off. No bother. Drained.

Playing partner Dustin Johnson is back to two over after sinking his first birdie of the day, while Charl Schwartzel drops another shot with a three-putt.

Matt Kuchar took the outright lead on the previous hole, now he's found himself in the sand.

It doesn't prove too much of a problem for the American, rarely did he take the straightforward route to the green on yesterday's back nine, and he deftly clips out of the bunker to watch his shot run on up towards the flag.

He'll putt for par from seven or eight feet. Can he convert? No. Kuchar drags it wide and it's back to a three-way tie at the top.

Rory McIlroy has a better shots-to-saves ratio than Pat Jennings on the back nine. And he might need to produce something else special on the par-3 12th.

His ball clings to the front right edge of the green for dear life, eventually dropping off into the sand like a movie villain being kicked off a cliff edge by a merciless baddie.

Image source, PA

Oh, Bubba. What's happened here? The American is making his way to the green via a steep bank coated in long grass and the odd Brikdale wild flower, situated some way left of the putting surface.

He's going to have to skittle this up the slope and hope it drops somewhere near the pin. Hope? Who are we kidding, Bubba plays that like his favourite crazy golf course, weaving through the weeds and coming to a halt within 10 feet or so of the flag.

He might drop a shot here, but it could've been a lot worse.

Dustin Johnson needs a spark and he needs it quick. The world number one, in danger of missing the cut, drills his second shot on the 11th low, almost clunking the flag-stick before stopping a few feet past.

McIlroy has a wander up the slope to the green, analysing the contours in front of him. The Northern Irishman makes a good fist of it, leaving him with a testy eight-foot putt back.

Another save!