Almost, almost for Jordan Spieth. His birdie putt rolls up to the side of the cup but doesn't drop. He drops his putter to the ground and covers his face with his hands in disbelief. I think Jordan is a little frustrated but a lot of the issues have been his own making today.

Rory McIlroy has missed that difficult par putt and drops back to +6.

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No, no, no.

Rory McIlroy is groaning and looking skywards.

He actually found the bunker with that hack out of the rough and now gets too ambitious and hits an iron shot into the lip of the bunker. The ball jumps high in the air and lands just a few yards ahead of him on the fairway.

He finds the green with the fourth shot but this could be another dropped shot for Rory on the 16th, his seventh hole of the day.

Rory McIlroy is also in the rough after the first shot on the par-five 16th but not in as bad a position as Jordan Spieth.

Both hack their way out of the long stuff.

I was actually doing some gardening yesterday. This has reminded me of it a lot so far.

"FORE!!!".

More rubbish from Jordan Spieth. He's actually hit it over the crowd on the 16th and is up against a fence. It looks like he'll get a relief and be able to drop from there.

He's going to need a compass to find his way back to the fairway afterwards, mind.

I've just seen a clip of the birdie from Ian Poulter earlier which took him to one under. It was an absolute monster of a putt from around 45 feet right across the bumps of the third green. There was a sign of the Poulter swagger in the Englishman's walk as he went to collect the ball from the cup.

Now Poulter has a chance for a second birdie of the day...

Holed it! Poulter moves to -2 and into a share of the lead.

Scot Russell Knox is there too, along with Americans Matt Kuchar and Charley Hoffman. The Brits are fighting.

Image source, EPA

Iain Carter
BBC Sport commentator at Shinnecock Hills

Wonder how the afternoon starters are feeling? Watching the struggles of the early guys in the knowledge that the wind is forecast to strengthen and the the course will become faster and firmer.

Relief! Rory McIlroy has a birdie to his name!

It comes after some tidy play on the 15th, his sixth hole of the day. That's the first birdie to come from this McIlroy-Spieth-Mickelson group. I didn't expect to be saying that six holes in.

Spieth and Mickelson make par. Maybe the first sign of the tide turning for these three.

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-2 Hoffman (4*)

-1 Poulter (4), Pavon (11), Kuchar (4), Knox (4*)

Evens Fowler (4*), Reed (5*), A. Johnston (4)

+1 Grace (5*), Fitzpatrick (4), E Rose (6)

+2 Z. Johnson (5*), Casey (5)

+3 Watson (5), Mickelson (4*), Willet (4), Schwartzel (5*)

+5 McIlroy (5*), Spieth (5*)

Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson are not the only ones struggling on the course by any means.

American Scott Stallings hit a nine on the four 14th a little earlier. 23-year-old Englishman Scott Gregory is +13 after 10 holes. He's about to start the stretch which is causing Jordan, Rory and Phil so much pain.

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It is 14 years since Shinnecock Hills last hosted the US Open, and organisers will be hoping for a more successful weekend this time around.

The trouble stemmed from the seventh green, which was reportedly accidentally rolled, while the sun, windy conditions and hole placement all added up to Ernie Els calling it "unplayable" and "ridiculous".

Twenty-eight of 66 players failed to break 80 on the final day, and play was suspended to water the seventh green.

England's Paul Casey says he was happy to have missed the cut: "I remember watching a lot of it on TV in 2004. I was so happy I missed the cut!

"But it's one of my favourite courses and I've played it since.

"It's in a beautiful part of the world and National Links next door might be an even better course, but it's one of the finest we play on."

Andrew Neill: I swear Rory used to be unerringly straight off the tee. What happened?

The TV pictures are making this look worse for the players. There is not a single cloud in the sky and the course looks quite appealing with relatively soft greens following a lot of rain yesterday. The wind however is causing havoc.

I'm not sure those damp greens are too easy to read either. A few putts are missing by a fair distance.

I haven't even mentioned that controversial seventh green from 14 years ago yet...

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Eeeeek. Bogey for Spieth, double bogey for McIlroy.

The six footers and starting to look like 10 feet and the 10 feet putts like 25 feet.

That's back-to-back double bogeys for McIlroy and he's +6.

We were expecting big things from this McIlroy, Spieth, Mickelson group. So far they've produced no birdies, seven bogeys, two double bogeys and one triple bogey. Ouch.

We have a new leader. American Charley Hoffman has a spring in his step. He moves to two under on his own.

Justin Rose meanwhile has dropped back to level par while Scot Russell Knox is -1 after three.

This was the scene a moment ago as the search was on to find Rory McIlroy's ball.

The US Open is gobbling Rory up at the moment. He's got close to 40 feet for bogey coming up.

There's a hunt on for Rory McIlroy's golf ball. He's missed the target again and ended up somewhere in the long, thick stuff to the right of the fairway.

A group of seven or eight officials are searching for the ball with the spectators frantically waving. 'Left a bit, no right, back to the left...'

They've found it now but Rory will wish they didn't. He scuffs his shot and is no better off, still in the thick jungle.

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Casey hopes to join an elite club of English players to win the US Open at Shinnecock Hills this weekend.

Only Tony Jacklin and Justin Rose have won the competition since 1924, and world number 12 Casey says that adds to its special feel.

"Set up dictates everything with a US Open and I think they'll get it right this time," he said. "It's going to be spectacular.

"There's something cool about the US Open, only two Englishmen have won it recently and it would be very, very special to join that elite group on such a great course."

It looks a picture perfect scene out there with the flags fluttering around the 13th green but it is by no means calm between the ears of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.

These three are struggling, both with their irons and the putter.

After finding the centre of the fairway just 127 yards from the hole with his first shot, McIlroy hits a six to make double bogey and drop to +4.

That's the same score as his playing partner Jordan Spieth but the young American will be disappointed with his par. He missed a make-able birdie putt.

Mickelson is a shot better off but has hit two bogey fives in a row...

There it is! Justin Rose nails his putt on the fifth green for his first birdie of the day.

He leaps up into a tie for the lead as almost simultaneously our leader Aaron Baddeley drops a shot.

There are now 10 players sharing the lead on -1.