Here's legendary coach David Leadbetter's assessment of Rory McIlroy's one-under-par 69 that left him two under for the tournament and eight off the lead...

Austin Connelly has defied his youthful 20 years today by tearing into Royal Birkdale. The young man plays fast and seems fearless in this field. He's ranked outside the world's top 500 but a birdie and wonderfully judged break on 18 moves him fourth. That would pocket $532,000, which is around £400,000.

CBS Sports have his career earnings to date at around a tenth of that., external He's smiling...

Image source, Getty Images

Spieth to putt first with a birdie chance, but it rolls to the left of the cup. He then holes out for par.

Now can Kuchar get that shot back on his playing partner?

Yes he can, easy as you like from close range and he moves to eight under. two shots off Spieth.

Kuchar steps down into the bunker, he has the easier lie of the two. The American splashes his chip shot out and gives himself a birdie chance from just over a foot and a half.

Spieth's ball is close to the side of the bunker. He also gets the ball out but it is short on speed and it rolls short.

Image source, Reuters

Rory McIlroy speaks to Sky Sports: "I had a chance to get to four under on five. I was hitting it well, I couldn't have asked to get off to a better start. I was really rolling. I had a putt for birdie on six and left it short and then two bogeys stopped me in my tracks a bit. The double at 10 was a kick in the teeth. I hit the wrong club on the tee, three iron was a huge mental error.

"I need help from the leaders and bad weather. Kuchar and Jordan are playing well. I'd need to post a really good score in bad conditions."

On the par five 17th for our front two.

Both find the fairway, but Kuchar is a bit further back so takes his second shot first and it rolls into a bunker to the front right of the green.

Spieth takes his turn and follows Kuchar into the same bunker.

Sociable golf lads.

In driving rain and with his lips clenched, Rory McIlroy grimaces after two-putting to make par on 18. It's a good up and down but I get the feeling not even a night with Peter Kay and Jack Dee would make him smile tonight. That round got going, ground to a halt and staggered home. He will surely stay on four major wins. Jordan Spieth is nearing number three...

Many of you out there will have had sleepless nights worrying about paying for your wedding, not Rory McIlroy.

The world number four signed a $10m deal (£7.7m) with Taylor Made in the week following his big day. Add that to his Nike apparel deal and Rors is guaranteed to earn $300m (£225m) over the next 10 years., external

Yes, you read that correctly. All that dosh before a ball is struck. He's on the green for two on 18, a long way to go for birdie.

Image source, Getty Images

There is plenty of grass between Matt Kuchar's ball and the hole, and now there is plenty of space between Jordan Spieth and the rest of the field.

The leader misses his birdie putt on the 16th, knocking in for par, then watches Kuchar three putt to fall three shots back.

A little smile breaks out across Spieth's face as he walks up to the 17th tee.

Diane Knox
BBC Radio 5 live reporter

As the rain starts to fall, it's time to return to the shelter of the Media Centre to watch the last few scores come in.

Image source, BBC Sport

Richard Bland removes his cap on 18 after stroking home a short putt for par. It's another solid day's work for the world number 145. He's currently tied for 14th and by my abacus, that would be worth around $151,000 or £116,000 in old money.

Jamie Lovemark alongside him makes bogey and that's level par for the week.

Matt Kuchar has the face of a man who is stood in the rain without a hood. Probably because he is. And because he's only on the green for three.

This is a big moment in this tournament...

Rory McIlroy is on the tee at 18 and about to end a day which promised so much given the momentum he was carrying. He's dropped four shots today though and even after a hot start, that's too much. The tee shot starts right and stays there, leaving a poor angle into the green.

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

If you look closely you might just see the pot of gold. It's certainly easier to spot than the rainbow.

Image source, BBC Sport

Unfortunately, Matt Kuchar's ball took a diversion to the beach on its way to Liverpool. Bring a bucket and spade, he's in the sand. The world number three has to play safe knocking out diagonally onto the fairway.

Jordan Spieth's ball is sat up nicely on the left of the fairway, a mid-iron into the green putting him on the next train to Birdie Town.

Image source, Getty Images

Brooks Koepka and Ian Poulter must be thinking they've been forgotten about as Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar play their own game at Royal Birkdale. The rain begins to nail down on these players as Koepka and Poulter set up long birdie looks on 16. Neither can make them though.

It's all admirable, solid stuff but some players are going to need a deluge of birdies tomorrow if they are to make this competitive...

...heavy. But the sun is still out as Jordan Spieth's caddie fumbles around for the brolly.

Matt Kuchar still has the honour on the 16th tee, lashing his drive halfway to Liverpool. Next up is Spieth, ducking out of the provided shelter like a VIP running into a waiting cab.

"FORRRRE LEFT!" he shouts. Ooooh, is this the moment? Erm, no. There's no-one up there. And they're not up there because it is not that far left. Maybe some water impaired Spieth's vision. He's safe in the first cut of wispy rough.

Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live golf expert

That further separates these two from everyone else. These two guys have the chance to run away with this.

Mark down the date, time and place: Jordan Spieth's putter has let him down. The Texan looks as puzzled as a kid watching a magic show when his eagle putt on the par-five 15th races past the can.

Matt Kuchar turns up the heat on his playing partner by sticking his eagle putt close, knocking in his second birdie on the bounce.

Spieth comes back off the fringe... no danger. This boy thrives on that sort of pressure.

I like the look of Austin Connelly's game. No frills, no fuss, just gets on with it. His putting style illustrates this perfectly, an awkward-looking, upright stance, a quick swing of the pendulum after a brief glance up hole-wards.

The young Canadian's birdie chance on 17 drifts past, leaving him primed for an eighth par out of eight since the turn.

Playing partner Richie Ramsay has dropped back well among the chasing pack with a couple of bogeys on the back nine.