Wayne Rooney and his new Everton team-mates watch on from the 18th grandstand. Wonder how multi-millionaire footballers managed to get some prime positions? Hmmm.

Matt Kuchar has the strimmer out on the rough to the left of the fairway. Kooch is hacking away at the thick grass with a few practice swings, walking away from his ball momentarily before readdressing it.

This is just a hack it and hope effort. Strong wrists help him to safety, his ball skimming the left edge of the fairway.

Spieth, about 20 yards to his right, has an easier task. He firmly knocks up the fairway, ahead of Kuchar and just short of the bunkers guarding the green like a couple of nightclub bouncers.

David Leadbetter
Leading golf coach on BBC Radio 5 live

It's not over yet. Not over by a long shot.

We are very much in a match play situation. It puts pressure on the player playing second.

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Two holes stand between Jordan Spieth and the Claret Jug.

The Texan tees off first on the eagle-able 17th, again pushing it right, again seemingly coming away pretty much unscathed.

Now Kooch needs something that he hasn't managed here all week - an eagle. And, by knocking his drive into the longer grass on the left, that hope seems to have disappeared.

Image source, EPA

Branden Grace, yesterday's hero with golf's first ever 62 in a major, is bunkered on 18 and flops out close. Not been his day at all has it? Some early birdie looks prompted weak putts and the round just served up very little. Hideki Matsuyama was not going to make as suffer and wonder for long today. He flew from the traps with a triple bogey and spent the next three hours trying to repair the damage. He ends two over for the day, two under all told.

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Birkdale

The scenes, the enthusiasm of the crowd. They're breaking through the ropes to sprint across and see the 17th.

Now a sense of order has restored.

Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live golf expert

Well, that's unbelievable.

He's obviously a special player. That's the type of stuff Jack Nicklaus did, the type of stuff for a good 10 years we saw Tiger Woods do.

He's clearly the frontrunner to win here.

Matt Kuchar grabs the short stick from his bag... interesting. The majorless 39-year-old gives it a good push up and over the fringe, ball resting juts to the right of the hole.

Here's Jordan... Line? Excellent. Length? Perfect! Ooops he's done it again. Perhaps he should just be called Justin Spears.

Birdie, eagle, birdie. Spieth is on the verge of his first Open Championship.

"Go. Go! Stay up," pleads Matt Kuchar as he flights a mid-iron from the fairway towards the 16th green. Ball hits bank and dribbles back.

Jordan Spieth has a good lie in the rough, and he has an even better angle. Don't get greedy Jord. He doesn't. With Kooch short, Spieth crisply finds the middle of the green.

Another shot-nabbing putt awaits. This time it is *only* about 30 feet away...

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 live after completing his weekend at five under par.

"It was tough conditions," said the Northern Irishman. "Tougher than yesterday and I thought 67 was a good score.

"That lost ball on 15 was disappointing, but I thought if I could get to seven under I'd have a good chance.

"It's tough coming in and the leaders have their work cut out. I'm getting there, I got off to a terrible start and then got it together in the middle and should have been a bit better yesterday.

"It was definitely a week of what might have been, but it's a step in the right direction."

Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at Royal Birkdale

Usually on this sort of cold, wet so-called summer evening anyone sensible would be heading indoors and leaving an exposed seaside strip of dunes and grass to the birds. But this showdown is gathering up more punters with every shot, the whole course turning its toes towards the last few holes and another epic Open finale.

So far this week, Jordan Spieth is one under for these final three holes, Matt Kuchar is one over.

Spieth has the honour on the par-four 16th. What's he got in his locker? A slight tug left.

Let's see what response Kuchar has. A decent one. His ball meets metal with a tinny clink, flying off towards the middle of the fairway.

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Birkdale

The little momentum has now switched to the young American.

John Inverdale
BBC Sport commentator

Mr Li has left the driving range on a golf buggy, he thinks the game is up and will take his cheque.

Image source, .

Just to mark your card, a play-off would see us go down holes 14, 16, 17 and 18, with the best score after those four drags declared the winner. Three of those holes are testing and currently average over par, only the 17th is typically giving up shots.

In six play-offs on the PGA Tour, Jordan Spieth has four wins. Kuchar has two successes from three but has not felt the heat of a play-off since 2014.

Spieth? Kuchar? A tie? Your guess is as good as mine.

In case it is the latter....