Jay Townsend
BBC Radio 5 live golf expert

Clearly Matt Kuchar is not going away.

That was a really bad three putt from Jordan Spieth.

Birdie putt for Spieth on nine... he freezes his stare as he watches the ball race past the left side of the cup.

Matt Kuchar has another chance to reduce the gap, he needs one... he's got it!

Bit of pressure on Spieth's shoulders. The American seems to be feeling it as he and his caddie analyse a tiddler of a par putt. Is there some movement? They have differing opinions and the end result is Spieth misses it! Right edge and it lips out.

A two-shot swing and Matt Kuchar is back level at the top.

Sergio Garcia rolls home a bogey on the last, that's two rounds under par and two over par. Ultimately it leaves him a long way adrift on two over with the likes of Steve Stricker, Martin Kaymer and Soren Kjeldsen. Rory McIlroy makes his par on 13 and he must feel that bit better inside now with this solid, solid offering.

I wonder if Rory is going to Garcia's wedding next week? I bet they hit up a budget villa in Magaluf for the stag.

Beaut of a tee shot from Rafa Cabrera-Bellow at the par-three 12th almost drops for an ace.

The Spaniard strides on to the green with some serious purpose and tucks it away for birdie, barely breaking his walk to the 13th tee on the way...

He cancels out that bogey at the 11th immediately. Rafa wants to get on with this.

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Casey has played Birdkdale like a yo-yo this week.

Four under after day one and in touching distance of the lead, a seven-over 77 on day two and a round of three under yesterday.

How's the Englishman looking on Sunday? He's got a chance for eagle on the 17th... it doesn't have the angle, but Casey will tap in for a third successive birdie.

That takes him to three under for the tournament - back up to 11th!

No troubles from the rough for Spieth who lands his second shot about 12ft from the cup.

Matt Kuchar's second is even better, gripping the front of the green, giving him a 10ft putt for birdie.

-9 Spieth (8)

-7 Kuchar (8)

-6 Li (18)

-4 Southgate (18), Leishman (18), Noren (13), McIlroy (12), Grace (10), Koepka (9)

Selected: -3 Casey (17), Cabrera-Bello (9); -2 Z Johnson (18); -1 Poulter (13)

Full leaderboard available here.

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Birkdale

I think it could be a three horse race. The clouds are getting darker, the breeze is still there. Jordan Spieth found the rough on the left side of the ninth fairway and it is familiar territory, he has not liked the ninth this week and has one or two issues. The pin is cut on the front edge of the green and it difficult to control the ball and get close to the hole.

Li Haotong closed with four birdies in a row to finish seven under with a round of 63. Watch how he closed out his final three here.

Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

Tension settling like a blanket over Birkdale, quietening the crowd, stifling the players. The chasing pack may be dropping away, but the two out top are dropping back to meet them too.

Image source, Getty Images

Sergio Garcia walks the final fairway to a warm applause. He of course is a major winner now and even though this tournament takes place thousands of miles away from his Masters win, you get the sense the supporters want to tell him they too are relieved his wait is over.

Not the week he wanted ahead of his wedding next week. Off the tee he's been all over the place, finding just 27% of fairways. As things stand, only three players are worse off the peg.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello sends a wild tee shot flailing off course and it finds the rough. The ankle-high grass stops the Spaniard's ball trickling down into a stream lurking below. That could've been nasty

The 33-year-old has had a solid round so far. We could be about to see the first blemish.

Cabrera-Bello chips on to the green and watches his ball run past the cup, knowing it needed to drop to make par.

Now he faces a tricky bogey putt. No problem. Cool, calm and collected. It's a welcome bogey after that horror start.

David Leadbetter
Leading golf coach on BBC Radio 5 live

The wind is pretty brisk, it will make it testy on that back nine.

After that slight detour, Jordan Spieth is back on the road to Par Land. A testing long putt is measured out with a clickwheel, leaving him with what should be a simple task to hold on eight.

Kuchar has a chance of clawing a shot back, but pushes his birdie putt past the left edge. He knocks in for the par, then steps back as Spieth gives more thought to this tiddler than a planning committee does to a proposed housing estate on green-belt land.

The 23-year-old can't afford to leave a stone unturned, he doesn't.

We are enjoying your golfing lookalikes. One of our own here - if you stuck a cap on Taaj from 'Come Fly with Me' would you get Beef? Keep them coming to #bbcgolf.

Image source, .

Ged Scott
BBC Sport at Royal Birkdale

Whether or not the 25-year-old Londoner Alfie Plant ever emulates previous amateur Silver Medal winners such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy by going on to win a major himself, he will never forget the reception he got at the 18th..

"It sent shivers down my spine walking up the last," he said after a three-over 73 left him six over for the tournament. "Every golfer says that's one of the best walks in golf. And it certainly is.

"I've been on such a high all week. I've absolutely loved every minute of it here. We had four of us in our house in Formby when we started the week. It was 16 last night. We had people on sofas and blow-up beds. It's been an amazing experience."

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy is currently tied for fourth, his lag on 12 is one of nice touch to allow a blow in for par. This has been very solid from him today, green after green after green found. If he'd stuck together four rounds like this he'd not have needed fireworks, he'd be in the mix.

Brooks Koepka's approach finds a bank just below the green and decides to stay put. He'll putt from the fringes for an outside shot at making birdie.

Nope. He'll have to wander over and poke that in for par. The American hits the turn at four under.

You've got to hand it to Jordan Spieth, he's trying his best to create more excitement for us all. Just as we thought this battle was losing a bit of fizz, Matt Kuchar knocks close to the pin with his second shot, Spieth responding by whacking his effort halfway to Liverpool.