That shaggy-haired kid sure plays a mean golfball.

Tommy Fleetwood waves his mid-iron wand and thumps his approach up the par-four last up to within 15 feet.

A long-shot birdie chance coming up to tie the lead...

JB Holmes had a decent birdie chance on the 11th, but his putt stays left and he takes a par.

He’s still got the lead, though.

Can Tyrrell Hatton finish his round with a flourish? He gives his 40-foot birdie putt every chance but the ball refuses to go in the hole, coming to a rest almost round the back, six inches long.

A nudge in, a nod for the applause and the Englishman ambles off the green. I wonder how lunch will taste today. From a share of the lead during his round to four back after three dropped shots late on in his round.

Image source, Getty Images

Tommy Fleetwood, looking like a negative of a man in army fatigues, is heading down the 18th fairway after finding the main carriageway.

Gutsy, gutsy Jordan.

Tee - thick grass - bunker - green - holed.

Par four.

That is how you get yourself in and out of trouble. His putt of 12ft or more rolled in in deadly fashion. An escape.

Darren Clarke gets into the red numbers as he birdies the par-three third.

Playing partner James Sugrue follows suit to also move to one under.

Everyone loves to watch an eagle holed from the fairway. Here's Canadian Adam Hadwin's second to the par-four eighth...

Brooks Koepka absolutely mashes a drive off the 17th tee. That soars like an eagle, burning towards the horizon.

He has an easy-looking approach to the green on this par four. Is that a birdie in the post?

It’s been a bit shaky for leader JB Holmes since his bogey on the ninth, but his second shot lands nicely on the 11th green.

Could be a chance to make amends with a birdie.

Key moments, key moments. Jordan Spieth fires into sand on 15. He will have a torrid escape ahead of him with the pin so close to the edge of the green. Tyrrell Hatton is all go, up on the 18th green for two.

It's a fickle crowd in Portrush...

Tiger Woods probably needs to trim about five shots off his score to make it to the weekend.

But he’s in trouble on the par-four eighth as his second shot lands on the far left of the green and trickles down the slope into the rough.

Image source, Getty Images

-7: J.B Holmes

-6: T Fleetwood, C Smith

-5: B Koepka, J Spieth, J Harding

-4: E Van Rooyen, T Finau, L Bjerregaard, S Lowry, P Reed

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Royal Portrush

Walking down the 16th you get a real sense of how intimidating this hole must be to play - the drop to the right is sheer, lose your ball down there and you risk breaking a limb trying to retrieve it.

Such was Tommy Fleetwood’s position out to the right beyond the lip of the green, the crowd couldn’t even see him when he played his second shot.

Jordan Spieth has had a lovely round and last time we mentioned him he had found thick rough on the 14th. He pays for it, missing a par putt from 15ft or so. Tyrrell Hatton makes his par putt after having fun in the thick rough on 17.

Brooks Koepka is steady as she goes.

The American was a runner-up at the Masters in April, won the PGA in May, and was runner-up at the US Open in June.

He is not going to be far away at all come Sunday, especially with Portrush native Ricky Elliott on his bag and whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

Image source, Reuters

Cameron Smith is on a big charge. Five birdies in his last seven holes has catapulted the Australian up the leaderboard - his latest on the 13th.

He is now just one off the lead.

Patrick Reed, who is playing alongside Tiger Woods, has been quietly getting himself in the mix.

His chip on nestles itself next to the seventh hole and he knocks in his fourth birdie of the day. Four off the lead.

Meanwhile, Woods’ par putt sails left of the hole. That’s the birdie he made on the last hole gone. He even stumbles as he tries to pick his ball up. Not his day at all…

The projected cut is at +1 so the Masters champion has a lot of work to do.

Jordan Spieth takes what looks like a baseball swing. I mean, this is so bad it's not true. He hasn't even made contact on the 14th tee and the club is in one hand. He points right, takes his cap off and generally looks like he may swing for someone.

Over to Calamity Corner - the 16th - where Tommy Fleetwood is in thick grass but gets good loft, good contact and is up on to the green. A very nice bit of play.

To thick grass again on 17, Tyrrell Hatton looking to stop the rot and he'll take that, on the green with two putts to save par.

To Fleetwood... shot gone. Couldn't make the 15ft par save.

A few cracks may be showing for co-leader JB Holmes after his first bogey of the day.

He drops (or throws?) his club backwards after his second shot on the par-four 10th.

It's not even that bad, landing just left of the green. A quick two-putt and he's down for par.