Cries of frustration ring out on the 13th as Shane Lowry's birdie effort stays just right of the hole.

Lowry has now gone three holes without a birdie now, his longest stretch of the day.

Alex Noren, who I think has a vague look of Brooks Koepka about him, hits an eagle putt uphill on the 12th but it stops short.

It's still a birdie and he's five off.

An 18-foot birdie putt at four slides by.

Rory will with miles to make up to make the cut, currently projected at one over.

Defending champion Francesco Molinari goes for a 50ft birdie putt. It's not miles off, but curves round to the right too early.

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Royal Portrush

The early players certainly got the best of the conditions - this morning it was all blue sky and gentle waves looking out from the fifth. Now you can barely see the cliffs through the mist and clouds.

The crowd absolutely loves Shane Lowry. His tee shot on the par-three 13th gets a huge cheer.

But South African Branden Grace steals the show as his effort lands next to the flag.

Image source, Getty

This is the scene around the 14th tee.

About 40% of the spectators in this photo would be in grave danger if I was teeing it up.

Beeeeeeeeeeeef.

Johnston moves a step closer to making the cut as he holes a lengthy birdie putt on the ninth.

Lowry flicks his putter head in the air in frustration as he misses out on a seventh birdie by a couple of centimetres.

He maintains his two-shot lead, though.

Shane Lowry pitches out of the long stuff to the left of the 12th green.

It threatens to keep rolling, but stops. Phew.

Image source, Getty Images

This image has not been put through that FaceApp ageing thing.

But its subject has been through the wringer of two rounds at Royal Portrush.

Andrew Murray
BBC Radio 5 live reporter at Royal Portrush

I would put my house on Rory scoring in the sixties today. He seems in good shape out there.

Rory McIlroy dinks in his birdie putt on two. That nibbles a stroke off his huge score.

He looks a happy man out there with expectation off his shoulders.

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Portrush

Tiger Woods' body is frail and fragile and will work some weeks, as it did so well at the Masters, but it will let him down especially in conditions like this here.

Actually the fact he is being as candid as he is is a shift because during the previous problems before he had his back fusion operation there was an element of denial and we could see he was really struggling and was telling us the aura was still there and he could still win titles.

He's stating the obvious - what we can all see - but I wonder watching him the way he moved around the course here he is not fit and can't handle tournament golf. It's very sad to see.

Woods turned this into a sport for athletes and athletes are done by their late 30s in other sports. The model Woods brought to the game of being in the gym and training as an athlete has changed the game of golf. It's a power game and takes a toll on the body. It's power rather than guile and that's why at 43 you are more or less done.

It's going to take a lot to get among the big dogs at the top of the table but America's Andrew Putnam is doing his best.

An eagle on the 12th puts him five shots off the lead.

Not this time, Shane.

There's a level of expectation every time Lowry hits a birdie putt, but he's not put enough on it and settles for par.

May have jinxed Francesco Molinari. Apologies.

His tee shot on the fourth has gone astray.

Defending champion Francesco Molinari's birdie attempt just pulls up short on the third, but he gets the par.

The projected cut is at +1. Still plenty of time for the Italian to make his move.

Fans, fans everywhere.

All eyes on Shane Lowry as his second shot bounces on the 11th green and into the rough off the back. But wait, it rolls back in a bit.

Not too bad. Probs a birdie knowing this man.

Rory McIlroy with a fine salvage job on two. After dumping his tee shot into sand, he clips a cunny greenside iron up to with a couple of feet.

That should be a gimme of a par.