Branden Grace gives himself a birdie chance at one but wobbles it left from 12 feet.

Brooks Koepka overcooks his approach, leaves his third on the green but a way short of the pin and also has a 12-footer, but his is to save par. Straight down the middle, there it goes, never missing.

What a couple of holes for Ian Poulter. The Englishman looked to be going along nicely but then drops a double bogey in on the sixth after finding the rough and a waste bunker.

And he goes and follows up with a bogey on the seventh. Three shots gone in no time at all.

Here we go...

Phil Mickelson on the first tee with a share of the lead at a major - it's the fourth successive decade he's achieved such a feat. The opening drive is a little wayward and finds the longer cut.

Louis Oosthuizen also hooks his, finding the sand on the left but avoiding a lurking palm tree.

No player has carded a bogey-free round at Kiawah Island this week.

Louis Oosthuizen looked set to be the first to do so during the second round on the longest course in major championship history as he approached the 18th in the lead at six under par.

But the 2010 Open champion hit his second through the back of the green and that resulted in his first bogey of the day as he signed for a 68.

"I played nicely," said Oosthuizen. "My whole game is really felling good. It has been a long time working on my putting and short game and I am where I want to be."

Rory McIlroy signs for a two-over 74 but it keeps him pegged back at five over par for the tournament, a long way out of contention. The Northern Irishman arrived at Kiawah Island on the back of his first win in 19 months and having won the last time the event was staged here, but it wasn't to be... he can go out and enjoy a stress-free Sunday swing.

That's a great recovery from Hideki Matsuyama, who knocks a nine iron to 20 feet. Two putts and he's up and running with a par.

The same can't be said for Christiaan Bezuidenhout. The South African plays a pretty careless wedge on and he can't get down in two from 40 feet.

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Phil Mickelson claimed the Wanamaker Trophy at this event in 2005 but the last of his five major titles came at The Open in 2013 and his most recent victories have come on the PGA's Champions Tour.

The world number 115, who could take the record of oldest major winner from Julius Boros, who won this title in 1968 at the age of 48, says he has being trying to improve his concentration and stay more "present" by practising meditation and other drills to increase his focus.

"You are going to make a lot of bogeys out here but if you are able to prevent the doubles it is an important thing," said Mickelson, who is the first player aged 50 or over to hold at least a share of the 36-hole lead since Sam Snead in 1966.

"Physically I've been able to hit the shots I want to hit as well as I ever have, but I haven't been as sharp mentally and been able to visualise as well. It's (meditation) been a big part of me being able to pull off some of these shots.

"It's got more difficult as I've got older to focus for longer periods of time, so I've been trying to elongate my amounts of focus - I might go out and play 36 or 45 holes to try and focus longer than just 18.

"I've been trying to elongate how long I can meditate, especially on my off days, and I'm seeing progress and being able to focus longer throughout the round and as I've done that my scores have been getting better."

Just like Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen is also a big-time performer in the majors, and can seemingly raise his game for these big events up and above a regular PGA Tour event.

Brooks Koepka won't be fazed heading into the weekend of a major in contention - if that knee holds up, no doubt he will too.

The two-time US PGA champ knocks his opening drive down the middle of the fairway and South Africa's Branden Grace follows him down there. First-tee nerves, you what?

"Oh I'm hitting the ball all over the place today," mutters Bryson DeChambeau to anyone who is listening after hitting his tee shot on the par-three fifth.

I wish I could hit my ball "all over the place" and find it nestling on the front right of the green.

Two putts for a third par of the day, to add to one birdie and one bogey.

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Brooks Koepka gave himself a C+ for his second round but he's playing while still recovering from knee surgery and he's just one shot off the lead. Heaven help the rest if he finds his B game let alone his A game!

"I would have been pretty disappointed with even par. I would have felt like I could have played a lot better. But 1-under in these conditions, it's okay," he said.

The wind seems to have a big say on putting on these greens, but Koepka fully accepts it'll be difficult in a major championship.

"It's a major, man. It's going to be tough, especially with the wind blowing. It doesn't matter, just go out and go play."

Not sure Hideki Matsuyama liked that...

Looks like he's pushed his tee shot into the thicker cut grass down the left of the first fairway. Christiaan Bezuidenhout is in prime position.

It's been some round so far for Justin Rose. The 2013 US Open champion got under way with a bogey, double and another bogey.

But he's hit back in fine style, he knocked in four straight birdies before the turn to recover those shots and has followed up with birdies on the 11th and 12th, to move to one over for the Championship.

Things have not been quite as crazy, or gone exactly to plan for several other British players on the Ocean Course.

Matt Fitzpatrick has dropped a shot through the first four holes to leave himself at one over par.

Sam Horsfield went round in a one-over 73 to slip to six over for the championship and it's a similar tale for Danny Willett, who ended with a bogey, birdie, double bogey and bogey to tumble to six over.

Scotland's Martin Laird dropped a shot on the first and playing partners Lee Westwood and Tom Lewis are both on two over with Tyrell Hatton is a shot further back.

But Paul Casey and Ian Poulter have picked up birdies early doors to put themselves in contention.

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Hideki Matsuyama is attempting back-to-back major wins after his historic Masters victory in April, the first major won by a Japanese man.

Should he win here he will become the first player to win the opening two majors of a season since Jordan Spieth won the 2015 Masters and US Open.

The 29-year-old shot a a four-under 68 on Friday and looking at the way he went about his work you wouldn't have thought he hadn't competed for over a month because he'd been quarantining.

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Jordan Spieth has shown a low number is possible today. The American, who needs this title to become just the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam of winning all four majors, has kept himself in the hunt with a four-under-par 68.

And he's done that by only hitting nine of the 18 greens in regulation.

He started at four over and got himself back to level par by the 11th. A further birdie on the 16th put him within four of the lead but he gave that shot back at the formidable 17th after pulling his tee shot way left.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout's lofty position on the leaderboard is all done to some last-minute putting tips. His words. Not mine.

The 27 year-old was under par on both of his first two rounds and he has thrown a huge chunk of credit in the direction of his coach Grant Veenstra, who he says has always been decent at putting in the wind.

Apparently after seeing the forecast for the Ocean Course, he was straight on to his coach who told him to grip his putter a touch shorter and take up a slightly wider stance.

Will try to make a note of that for my next round on one of the courses around the north west of England.

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Phil Mickelson has, amazingly, been the best player in the field off the tee so far after 36 holes - you'd have got some odds on that happening let alone him leading!

Tee to green they've both been pretty good, with Louis Oosthuizen having the edge with the putter so far.

Should be a great pairing this one...

Mickelson

• Off the tee: 1st
• Tee to green: 5th
• Approach: 9th
• Around the green: 35th
• Putting: 21st

Oosthuizen

• Off the tee: 19th
• Tee to green: 8th
• Approach: 13th
• Around the green: 25th
• Putting: 7th