Summary

  • Leaders: -8 Fox (62), Herbert (15:50 BST)

  • DeChambeau -5 tees off after two-shot penalty on Friday

  • Playing with Burns who also shot 62 in second round

  • New Zealand's Ryan Fox misses lengthy birdie putt on 18 in round of 62 that equals major record

  • Fleetwood, Scheffler, MacIntyre, A Fitzpatrick & Wallace all on course

  • Full tee-times for round three

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  1. Birdies for Fleetwood and Rahmpublished at 15:37 BST

    Fleetwood -5, Rahm -4 (5)

    Jon Rahm gives his eagle putt a decent run and almost holes it for a two on the par four.

    A birdie will do nicely and he's already clawed back all the damage done by that wayward tee shot on the first.

    Now it's Tommy Fleetwood's turn - no mistake from six feet! A first birdie of the day for the hometown hero.

  2. Fleetwood fans racingpublished at 15:36 BST

    Fleetwood -4 (4)

    Sarah Mulkerrins
    BBC reporter at Royal Birkdale

    Punters at Royal Birkdale

    A little light sprinting in the sunshine for the Tommy Fleetwood fans. It’s quite fun to watch the crowds dart from green to tee to try to find a couple of inches of space to catch a glimpse.

    Lots of shouts of "Tommy Lad" mid sprint to cheer on their home hope.

    It's getting hotter so they may need to curtail the hill sprints!

  3. Bryson tees off - keep an eye on Burnspublished at 15:35 BST

    DeChambeau -5, Burns -5

    Bryson DeChambeau tees off - tugged to the left but should be OK.

    Sam Burns hits a high cut and finds the right edge of the fairway - and if you think DeChambeau has been riding his emotions what about the Sam Burns story?

    As the American suffered US Open heartbreak just a month ago, then his second child arrived 11 days early so instead of missing The Open he then made a late dash to Royal Birkdale to compete.

    And just to top it all off he tied the men's major record with a 62 yesterday - thanks to a hole-out from a bunker on the 18th. I'm exhausted just writing about that let alone living it.

  4. Postpublished at 15:35 BST

    Fleetwood -4, Rahm -3 (4)

    Jon Rahm threads his way through the bunkers that guard the fifth green and gives himself an eagle putt of about 50 feet.

    Tommy Fleetwood goes the safer route and his second shot is bang over the top of the flag. Six feet left for birdie and the crowd erupts. A beauty.

  5. Postpublished at 15:35 BST

    McIlroy -1 (14)

    Still no joy for Rory McIlroy.

    In trouble off the tee at the par-five 14th, he walks off with a par.

    After that chip-in eagle on nine, he's played the next five holes one over.

  6. Postpublished at 15:33 BST

    DeChambeau -5, Burns -5 (15:30 BST)

    Oliver Wilson
    Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

    I think Bryson DeChambeau will want to prove a point today.

  7. Like London buses...published at 15:31 BST

    Burns -5 (15:30 BST)

    No sooner had a sixth round of 62 been registered at a men's major, Sam Burns carded a seventh.

    The American, who narrowly missed out on winning his first major title at the US Open last month, made six birdies on the back nine.

    In a spectacular finish, Burns holed his bunker shot for birdie at the last to complete a bogey-free eight-under second round.

    Burns is playing with Bryson DeChambeau - in case you forget today...

  8. Postpublished at 15:31 BST

    DeChambeau -5, Burns -5 (15:30 BST)

    Iain Carter
    BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live at Royal Birkdale

    Bryson DeChambeau looks impatient, standing there between the two tee markers in this amphitheatre.

    Every seat is taken.

    Every pair of eyes gazing down on the man who has been centre of attention.

    Very warm reception indeed.

  9. Huge roar for Brysonpublished at 15:30 BST

    DeChambeau -5, Burns -5 (15:30 BST)

    That two-shot penalty may fire up Bryson DeChambeau today, and if that doesn't then the reception he's just received on the first tee surely will.

    As the Royal Birkdale crowd gave him a huge ovation as he lifted his cap and waved to the fans, with even a "you show them Bryson" shouted out.

    Knowing DeChambeau, he'll have no doubt been worried about how that penalty would have tainted his image somewhat - but judging by that reaction the crowd are firmly on his side.

  10. Bogey for Bobpublished at 15:28 BST

    MacIntyre -3, A Fitzpatrick -4 (2)

    Bob MacIntyre birdied the second on Thursday, parred it yesterday and now has made bogey. It'll sting though, particularly as he found the fairway off the tee.

    It knocks him back to -3, but he's kept his cool as he walks away.

    Partner Alex Fitzpatrick safely in for four.

  11. Postpublished at 15:27 BST

    Fleetwood -4 (4)

    Camilo VillegasImage source, Getty Images

    Tommy Fleetwood hasn't had a really good chance for birdie yet today, despite a very solid start.

    He was a couple of short missed putts away from finishing Friday with five straight birdies, which would have matched Camilo Villegas' five-birdie burst in the second round of the 2008 Open at Birkdale.

    The Colombian was always a fun watch. And when it came to reading putts, nobody did it as spectacularly as him!

  12. Neergaard-Petersen into top 10published at 15:26 BST

    Neergaard-Petersen -5 (11)

    As the leaders prepare to go out, more players are clustering underneath.

    Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen is three under for his round through the 10th hole and makes it to -5.

    Three shots back.

  13. Fleetwood starts with four straight parspublished at 15:24 BST

    Fleetwood -4, Rahm -3 (4)

    Tommy Fleetwood finds the sand off the fourth tee but gets up and down in two to save par at the first of Birkdale's four short holes.

    Ken Brown tells us in the video below about the challenge posed by Birkdale's bunkers.

    Media caption,

    The bunker fortresses guarding Birkdale's greens

  14. All parspublished at 15:17 BST

    Scheffler -4, Molinari -4 (2)

    Scottie SchefflerImage source, Getty Images

    Scottie Scheffler has had his putting problems, but almost cut out the middle man by chipping in on the second from off the green. Just a few inches short so two pars to start.

    Francesco Molinari has been steady as you like, with two fairways and two greens = two pars.

  15. Postpublished at 15:14 BST

    Fleetwood -4, Rahm -3 (3)

    Tommy FleetwoodImage source, Getty Images

    A steady start for Tommy Fleetwood, who recovers well from the wispy rough to give himself another look at a birdie at the third - albeit from a long way away.

    He and Jon Rahm make comfortable pars.

  16. Fitz spurns birdie chancepublished at 15:13 BST

    MacIntyre -4, A Fitzpatrick -4 (1)

    I said before that Alex Fitzpatrick needed to improve his putting to really get in the mix.

    He's got himself a tremendous opportunity on the first hole here having controlled his approach superbly out of the rough. No, it's drifted by. He makes four.

    Par for Bob MacIntyre too after two-putting neatly from 42 feet.

  17. Water featurepublished at 15:10 BST

    Ben Croucher
    BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

    A water fountain by the fifth tee at Royal BirkdaleImage source, BBC Sport

    Remember those water fountains you used to drink out of at school?

    Dotted around Royal Birkdale are these lovely fountains, often with tributes to members no longer with us.

    These days, players are able to grab sports drinks and healthy snacks at the tee boxes to stay fuelled and hydrated but keep an eye out for any pros taking in some refreshing local H2O.

  18. 'A lot of grey areas'published at 15:05 BST

    DeChambeau -5 (15:30 BST)

    Oliver Wilson
    Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live

    We were on the opposite side of the hole when he was playing the shot.

    It's not as clear cut as Mark [Darbon] made it sound, in my opinion. In the video angles I've seen, he 100% stamps on the fescue, he's a little heavy footed going in there.

    There's another video angle as he walks in and finds the ball and he stamps the grass, I don't think that's anything to argue about.

    But it's whether that actually affected his intended path of swing.

    And because you can't actually see the ball on any of the angles, there's no down-the-line angle to show where he's actually looking. So I feel it's very harsh to say that was going to be affecting his swing.

    There's a lot of grey areas there.

    Bryson DeChambeau waves to spectatorsImage source, Getty Images
  19. 'We have a responsibility to our championship'published at 15:03 BST

    BBC Radio 5 Live

    Mark Darbon speaks at a media conferenceImage source, Getty Images

    More from R&A chief executive Mark Darbon, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about whether penalising Bryson DeChambeau was more difficult because of him being such a big name in the sport:

    "I actually don't think it does make it a more difficult decision. We have a responsibility to our championship and to the rest of the field. And so irrespective of which player this affected, it's the same decision.

    "From a rules perspective, it was clear cut. As I say, it's unfortunate after a brilliant day's golf, but the ruling was clear. It was applied consistently and appropriately."

  20. Together againpublished at 15:02 BST

    MacIntyre -4, A Fitzpatrick -4 (15:00 BST)

    MacIntyre & Fitzpatrick tournament ranks: tee to green 21 v 4, off the tee 33 v 5, approach 44 v 40, around greens 17 v 3, putting 11 v 70

    Bob MacIntyre and Alex Fitzpatrick played together on Thursday and Friday and they have teamed up again today.

    Both have played well to be in the mix with MacIntyre consistently strong throughout his bag. If he can improve a tad on approach and off the tee, he'll be right up there for Sunday.

    As for Fitzpatrick, from tee to green and scrambling, he has been one of the very best. He's just had a cold putter.

    Can either of these two really get it going today?