BBC Radio 5 Live

Clubhouse leader Dustin Johnson has been talking to BBC Radio Five Live after taking the lead with a superb round of 67:

"I've played really solid on the first two days. Hit a lot of really good shots and just played nicely.

"Pin positions were tough - hard to get if you wanted to get close to it. Playing out of the rough was challenging and I think I did a really good job."

What does he think the lead would be overnight?

"I would imagine probably 12 under would be the lead after day. I'm in a good spot heading into the weekend."

Woods is having a time of it on 14, pulling his tee shot left, then lobbing up a fairway wood out of the rough into the bunker, before producing a fine escape to end up with a birdie putt.

The old Tiger would make that and walk off with a four despite never being in the hole...

One of the big talking points yesterday was the slow pace of play on the Old Course.

"It's a joke," was Matt Fitzpatrick's succinct assessment.

Things have been quicker so far today, with the earlier starters clocking up 18 holes in about five hours.

BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter said earlier that is largely down to marshals, who have been assigned to each group, hurrying things along.

More favourable scoring conditions have probably helped too, but long rounds are always inevitable with double greens and more crossing points than the East Coast Mainline.

Cameron Young's chip from the front of the second green dies off to the right and his par putt never threatens the hole.

Dropped shot. His first of the week, in fact. Two back.

Jordan Spieth has found one of the perilous pots down the 13th and can only advance the ball about 50 yards or so up the fairway.

Jon Rahm's in much better shape on the fairway and he loves the look of his approach...and so he should - he nearly holes it! Will have around 12 feet for birdie.

Spieth muscles a wedge into the stratosphere and leaves himself around 20 feet to save par. Must make I dare say, even at this early stage of his championship. Important for momentum.

Birdie, birdie, birdie start for Cameron Smith as the Aussie goes flying up to eight under after an incredible start.

It's just pure golfing poetry with his iron approach shots being backed up by some deadeye putting.

He drained the first from 47 feet, then backed that up with a birdie putt from 17 feet on the second and rolled in what for him was an easy 12-footer on the third.

Cameron Young's one of the best drivers on tour, but he's found the rough off the right of the second fairway and misjudges his approach, coming up well short.

The overnight leader will be scrambling for par.

Woods and Fitzpatrick both have lengthy birdie tries on 13 but both come up short and both have to settle for par.

Fitzpatrick's five birdies have fired him right into the mix here and another couple coming home would make it very, very interesting.

BBC Radio 5 Live

England's Tyrrell Hatton is currently one behind the leader and has been speaking to BBC Radio Five Live:

"Everything worked nicely from the sixth onwards and it was nice to get a bit of momentum. Really happy how it all played out."

Felt pretty autumnal and should be used to that after winning the Dunhill Links Championships twice at St Andrews?

"It was not playing particularly easy those first few holes. The pins are pretty tucked away and I didn't adjust to the speed of the greens particularly well either. Nice to keep the momentum going."

Does he see more good scores coming in today?

"It depends on how much the wind picks up. You will have to hit some really good golf shots to get close. The rain softened it up a little bit from yesterday."

Will he watching the leader board?

"I am staying on the Old Course so I will probably put it on the TV and have a little snooze. That alarm this morning was brutal."

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at St Andrews

Image source, BBC Sport

Every golfer to have played the Old Course has tales that will stay with them for a lifetime, and Gary Player is no different. I spoke to him before the tournament and he recalled his first Open at St Andrews in 1957, when he spent the first night sleeping on the beach.

"I arrived there and didn't have the money to stay in those hotels, they were probably £80 a night, I cant remember exactly, and I tried all the hotels and it was too expensive," says Player.

"I went to those dunes where they did Chariots of Fire, and I spent the first night on the beach - we have just done a documentary and I took them and showed them the exact spot I slept in.

"I got a room the next day - they said it was facing the sea, it was facing the WC!

"I teed off on the first hole very nervously and I hit a lousy shot. The starter said to me ‘what’s your name’ and I said ‘Gary Player, sir’ and he said ‘where are you from, laddy’? I said ‘South Africa’ and he said ‘what would your handicap be?’.

"I said ‘no, I am a pro…’ he says ‘you’re a pro, you must be a hell of a chipper and putter, you cannae hit the ball very well!’."

Steady par start for Cameron Young. He needs a 70 to usurp DJ up there, and that's very achievable in these conditions, especially with how Young's been playing.

Ooooh, that's a big chance missed for Jon Rahm. Having had a crack at the 12th green, the Spaniard raced his chip by and fails with his birdie bid.

Can Jordan Spieth pick one up here? No, he misses it on the low (left) side and must also settle for par.

But no trouble for Harold Varner III - it's another birdie for the likeable American and he's five-under for the day and full of smiles.

Zane Scotland
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 Live

Matt Fitzpatrick has been very business like, tricky iron shots with nothing coming up the short. He's waiting for the good spurt of two or three birdies and he will be ready to motor.

Talor Gooch went viral when he said the LIV Golf event in Portland recently could rival the Ryder Cup for atmosphere - even though he's never played in a Ryder Cup.

Fair to say he's regretting those off-the-cuff comments now...

When you're dreaming about the following day's round at the Open, it would probably start something like this: birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie.

No need to wake up Garrick Higgo. He's living the dream.

A cracking performance so far from Garrick, who has a full house of threes on the opening four holes.

Cameron Young lost the lead before even hitting a ball today, but with the course as receptive as it is, he'll fancy his chances of displacing fellow American Dustin Johnson at the summit.

He's safely down the first fairway so a decent wedge shot from there and he'll have an early look at birdie.

Hmmm, it's a bit right but at least he's putting and not fishing his ball out of the burn.

Patrick Cantlay is not scared of winning the big tournaments, albeit a major has so far eluded him.

It was a birdie for him in the end on nine and he's followed up with a par on 10 to start his back nine just a couple of shots off the pace.

Lovely start from Cam Smith with a birdie three on the first thanks to a long range putt from 47 feet.

He's know for his putting excellence and he's started brightly again.

Not often we see the level-headed Dustin Johnson getting overly excited and - surprise, surprise - he isn't too giddy at leading after a splendid second round.

Well, we say splendid - he says solid.

"Really solid," actually.