DeChambeau faces penalty after being investigated for improving lie

Bryson DeChambeau is being investigated over suggestions he improved his lie in thick grass on the fifth hole.

Bryson DeChambeau is being investigated over suggestions he improved his lie in thick grass on the fifth hole. The American, who shot 66 to move one shot off the lead at the halfway mark, was in heated discussions with rules officials while returning to the hole after his round, and could face a two-shot penalty if found guilty. His expression when making his way back to the recorder’s hut did not suggest he was happy with how the exchange went.

He declined to answer questions on whether he had received a sanction and if he would play tomorrow or even withdraw. On Sky Sports, Nick Dougherty reported: “We’re hearing there’s a fairly distraught Bryson DeChambeau down there. We have also heard some have been lip-reading and that Bryson mouthed that he might not even play tomorrow.”

A pair of 62s had lit up the second day of the 154th Open Championship here. With his 66, DeChambeau did not achieve the historic feats of Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns, but he moved to within one shot of the lead and, after missed cuts in the season’s first three majors, served notice of his redemptive Claret Jug intent. DeChambeau’s birdie on the 18th – that rarest of creatures on the brutal par four – took him to seven under and into the final group alongside Herbert.

How close the Australian came to gaining immortality as the first male to shoot a 61 in the majors. But he missed a five-footer on the 18th and had to be content with the halfway lead. Within 15 minutes, the grandstands had another 62 to hail – just the sixth ever in the male majors – when Burns holed out from a greenside bunker.

Burns is in a tie for third with Jackson Suber, with yet another American in Cam Young on five under. There is plenty of British interest, with local favourite Tommy Fleetwood on four under, the same as fellow Englishmen Alex Fitzpatrick and Matt Wallace, as well as Scot Bob MacIntyre. Also on this mark are the world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm.

Scheffler’s putting was woeful and it is no exaggeration to say that his 68 could have been at least four shots better. If the defending champion can fix his form on the greens, he will be difficult to stop. If Rahm has anything to sort out, it is his temperament.

He received an official warning for throwing his club on the 15th tee and, under the new code of conduct, was perhaps fortunate not to be hit with a two-shot penalty. That was a sour point on an otherwise excellent day in which the sun-baked Lancashire links just about held its own, with the winds not rising to problem levels. Rory McIlroy shot his own 67 to go to one under and, seven shots behind, he will not discount his chances.

More to follow... 08:57pm Scrap that... some news just in...

After his 66, Bryson DeChambeau was seen being whisked off in a buggy with rules officials and the rumour is he could be assessed a two-shot penalty for improving his lie on the fifth. 08:56pm That is it for the day It is set up very nicely for the weekend, but the final word goes to Tommy Fleetwood.

“I got off to a great start and then.. the course isn’t easy is it? A couple of bogeys that, it’s going to happen. I hit a really good tee shot on 14 and then started hitting it really well towards the end.

I still didn’t feel like how you’d want it to, I definitely hit better shots early on. Funnily enough it felt like 15, 16, 17 and 18 it felt like it flowed a bit more and I was very comfortable playing the last hole.

It started to feel better. “They [the crowd] have been amazing so far, I have said it from the start of the week. I don’t want to not take in the atmosphere and enjoy it because I think they are really special moments.

Walking up 18, not everyone gets to experience that, whether I play well or not. I love that I have put myself in a good position going into the weekend. It’s been great and I love that I have another two days of this.”

08:46pm A poor couple of days from Brian Harman... The 2023 champion at Hoylake’s 75 today leaves him well outside the cut line at nine over for the tournament.

Could be worse, I suppose. Jordan Spieth shot a 77 to leave him at 10 over. 08:40pm Ryan Gerard with a very tidy round A three-under 67 today goes with the same from tomorrow...

Si Woo Kim also posts a 67 to stay at five under for the tournament. A poor front nine of two over but five birdies and four pars on the back nine is tremendous. 08:32pm Not quite for Fleetwood...

Misses by a whisker so stays at four under once he sinks the putt on the way back. He’s in the conversation at the weekend, certainly. Four shots from the lead.

Rahm misses his, too, so also stays at four. He missed on the other side of the hole. 08:29pm Fleetwood’s approach on 18 is wonderful A two or three-yard fade from all of 205yds lands on line, just skips past the pin.

He will have 14ft for birdie to move to five under. It was all a bit of a struggle until the 14th. Rahm, from 180yds, follows Fleetwood and it’s inside the Englishman’s approach.

He has five feet to move to five under... Fair to say that Fleetwood gets a warm response as he approaches the final green. 08:25pm Bryson sinks his putt on the last!

Perfectly read and perfectly weighted. A birdie on the last for a 66 (33 and 33) to follow yesterday’s 67. Seven under and into the final group, as it stands.

A man who has not had much joys in the majors this season (three missed cuts), finds his best form in the final one of the year. Scheffler’s par putt horseshoes around the hole and slips in. That 8ft 3in putt was the longest he holed all day.

Hatton holes his par putt too for a 68 to stay at three under. Nicely done. 08:22pm

A handy pitch for Hatton He has about four foot to stay at three under. Scheffler has about twice that to stay at four under after his bunker shot.

DeCheambeau lines up his birdie putt. 08:21pm A send off for Rose

The crowd on the 18th sense this may be the last time they see Justin Rose at an Open at Royal Birkdale. They have just serenaded the 45-year-old with a chant of: “There’s only one Justin Rose, There’s only one Justin Rose, Walking along, singing a song, Walking in a Rosy wonderland.” Rose has been a fan favourite here since chipping in on the 18th to claim fourth place in 1998, the best Open showing by an amateur since 1953.

08:19pm DeChambeau could finish round two in style He lands his approach just beyond the flag and has a five-footer to move to seven under and into the final group with Lucas Herbert tomorrow. 08:18pm Rahm leaves his eagle putt short Inexplicable.

Fleetwood dollied his up to the hole and has a foot and a half for birdie. Well, relatively. On the 18th, Hatton advances his ball out of the rough and ends up 15-20 yards short of the green to get up and down for a par.

Scheffler gets a bit more release but finds the bunker on the right of the green. Only his second missed green of this round for the world No 1. He has played solidly, excellently when it comes to the long game but just has not had much drop.

08:10pm Fleetwood has 261 to the pin on the 17th It’s very well struck, the ball doesn’t quite trickle over the final ridge but should be gettable two-putt from there for birdie. What does Rahm do from 40 yards further in?

It’s a wonderful high cut that does make it onto the top tier. Rose finishes his round and his tournament at three over after a two-under 68 for the day. Gave himself half a chance to make the cut but couldn’t sink the putts.

08:05pm A superb bump-and-run from DeChambeau His approach on 17 went long but he runs this one into the bank and it finishes a foot or two from the hole. A tap-in birdie to go to six under.

He is compiling an impressive round today, with few mistakes. Hatton does not have a tap-in birdie, struggled to get pin-high but just off the green for three... he sinks it, though!

Back to three under after his third birdie in four holes. Superb. 07:55pm

Min Woo Lee! The Australian missed a birdie putt on 17 but makes one on the last and that will mean he makes the weekend. Rahm makes his fifth birdie of the day to move to three under.

Somehow, Fleetwood misses the very short birdie putt on the 16th. He stays at three under. At least the 17th is coming up... 07:49pm

Oh Tommy Tommy! Momentum? His approach on the par-four 16th has left him a tiddler (2ft 4in) for his third consecutive birdie...

Hatton, meanwhile, finds a tricky spot on the 17th. His ball isn’t in the bunker, but his feet certainly will be for his approach. I think advancing it down the fairway will be the best he can hope for.

Unless he wants to play it left-handed... 07:47pm Rahm facing a penalty? The officials are surely looking at Jon Rahm’s angry reaction to his pull off the 15th tee to see if the burly Spaniard has contravened the new code of conduct.

Rahm launched his iron into the turf with such force it bounced at least 10 yards forward. He could face just a warning, or a two-shot penalty, if the referees think he has gone too far. Rahm is three under.

07:46pm Hatton sinks the putt He moves to two under now with two holes remaining. The easiest and toughest holes on the course. He’d bite your hand off for birdie-par to finish.

07:42pm Hatton with a beauty on 16 Stiffs it. What can DeChambeau do from 130yds? Tries to caress it but leaves it about 30ft short.

Decent. Can Fleetwood continue the birdie train? Yes he can!

Drains a 25ft uphiller to do so. Three under now for “Tommy lad”. A decent chance to get to four under, putting himself in contention.

Rahm, though, moves back to two under after missing an eight-footer for par on the same hole. 07:33pm Fleetwood back to two under A birdie on the 14th is his first since the fourth. His approach to the par-three 15th is decent, too.

His playing partner’s, Jon Rahm’s, is not. He tries to cut it but he just pulls the hell out of it straight left without an ounce of fade on it. He is rightly furious.

A big putt for Min Woo Lee on 17. Two over and the cut at one over... he sends a seven-footer narrowly past the hole. 07:29pm Scheffler has a difficult two-putt on the 15th

His line is an inch right but his weight is a tad heavy, sending it five feet past. DeChambeau has a half-decent chance to move to six under, though. A quietly impressive round from the big-hitting American so far.

Can he do it? No. A tad short.

Rose has made another birdie, though, on 16. You’d think an eagle would be required on the 17th for him to make the cut. He hits a decent drive into the first cut of rough.

07:16pm Hatton sinks one on 14 He edges away from the cut mark at one under now. It has been a tricky round for the Englishman.

Scheffler has a five-footer for birdie too. He makes it for his second birdie of the day. They have not been falling for him.

He’s ranked last for shots gained in putting this week. Justin Thomas misses his birdie putt to move to four undeer. DeCheambeau stays at five under with a par on the par-five 14th.

07:11pm Fleetwood stripes a drive on the 14th It’s a par five along with the 17th, so a couple of birdie chances.

He needs them after stuttering in the second round. Three under would at least put him in the conversation going into the weekend. 07:09pm

Alex Fitzpatrick after his 67 “I knew this afternoon was going to be a little tougher. Today I felt like I played really nicely and managed to take advantage of the opportunities I had. I’m super happy, obviously annoying to finish with a bogey but that hole is pretty hard.

Just keep doing my thing, that is what the situation has been this year. I feel like I work hard, I’ve got a great team around me. I think just keep doing more of the same and see where that leaves me.”

07:02pm It is indeed a tricky bunker shot for Thomas... A difficult stance, up against the face but he lands it a six feet long and spins it back to a few feet.

Nicely done. Can he sink the putt to move to three under? Yep.

Not bad considering he started with a double. In other news, Justin Rose’s chances of making the cut look slim. He dropped back to four over overall and has not made any further birdies, leaving his latest one three feet short on the 15th.

06:54pm Justin Thomas in the bunker on the 17th He nearly rolls it onto the green with his second but... doesn’t. Not much green to work with but a birdie is not out of the question.

Currently two under for the two-time US PGA champion. 06:42pm Scheffler has given himself chances... But he has not taken many of them.

Likewise on the 13th. His playing partner DeCheambeau has taken his, though, but misses his latest birdie putt. He stays at five under.

06:37pm Fleetwood drops another A slightly tugged tee shot on the par-three 12th and he fails to get up and down, so back to one under it is. Hard to see it coming good for him on home soil now.

He is now closer to missing the cut than the leader. Two under for the first four holes, two over for the next eight. Not good enough.

DeCheambeau gives himself a good chance at moving to six under with a handy eight-iron from about 220 yards. Six or seven feet left. Scheffler is about twice that distance with his decent approach.

06:22pm No break for Fleetwood He stays at two under after narrowly missing his birdie putt.

Tyrrell Hatton does the same but from much further away... well, he doesn’t narrowly miss it in the sense that it ends up four feet past the hole, but it did just sail past the edge. He then misses the putt coming back to go back to level par for the tournament.

06:18pm Fleetwood has been playing conservatively so far He sticks a 155yd approach on the 11th to 14ft to go back to three under. Francesco Molinari, the 2018 champion, misses a short-ish putt on the last to move back to four under. This is his only major of the year and the last time he finished in the top 10 was in 2019 at the Masters.

06:12pm Birdie for Bryson He is now two under for the day and five over overall. Not playing out of his skin, but well enough.

06:10pm A bad couple of days for ‘Fifa’ It has been a bad couple of days for “Fifa”. Laopakdee, that is.

The Thai amateur is currently 155th and last after a 10-over-par 80 to leave him 15 over. Born Pongsapak Laopakdee, the 21-year-old got his nickname from his football-obsessed father, who had even considered calling him Uefa. Unlike Fifa itself, Laopakdee was never going to rake it in this weekend.

Amateurs do not earn any prize money playing at The Open. 06:04pm Rahm on the move A fourth birdie of the day, this one on the 10th, takes the Spaniard to three under. Keep an eye out for him.

06:02pm Back-to-back birdies for Thomas That moves the American to two under with a long list of players tied in 22nd, including Rahm, Fleetwood and Reed. 05:54pm It’s a bogey for Brown

He read it right but just left it a couple of inches short, meaning he posts a one-over 71 to leave himself three under overall. 05:50pm Rahm and Fleetwood miss their birdie putts Both at two under.

Dan Brown has some work to do to save par on 18. He found a fairway bunker on the right and had to play out. He has 100 yards to the pin for this third... and plays a decent shot, leaving himself 15ft for his four.

Can Rose find another birdie? No. Just short, but playing a fair bit better than he did yesterday.

The leaderboard is tightly packed at the moment. Herbert on eight under, Suber and Young on six. Then there are 35 players from five under to one under.

05:37pm Fleetwood back to two under He finally misses a par putt. Justin Rose, way back in the field, holes a monster birdie putt to go to three over for the tournament and two under for the round. Needs to find another two shots to make the cut as it stands.

05:34pm A bogey at the last for Alex Fitzpatrick... Misses a six-footer just right but will be four under after two rounds.

In contention, but work to do. Hatton narrowly misses a longer putt for birdie and stays at one under. Can MacIntyre save par on the last?

Nope. He bogeys as well to move back to four under too. Better news for Britons, though: Daniel Brown makes his eagle putt on 17 to return to four under.

05:28pm More than a half-chance for birdie for Dan Brown He nails his approach on 17 to leave himself 9ft for eagle. Fleetwood had to play out conservatively from a fairway bunker and has a pitch for his third shot on the par four... which he puts to six or seven feet. A tricky par putt now.

He has saved a few of those recently after a strong start. 05:25pm A tough up-and-down for MacIntyre His approach is pulled slightly and nestles down right on the edge of the greenside bunker.

Might be a tricky stance, though it might be OK. Thin to win for Sungjae Im on the 17th. He avoids trouble and is just off the green to the right.

DeChambeaua gets his driver out on the ninth. McIlroy drove the green today so why not?

He has caught it well but I have no idea where it finished other than “right”.

It didn’t really draw. Well, maybe a yard or two. 05:18pm Dan Brown stumbling a little A bogey on the 15th puts him two over for the day and two under for the tournament.

He has 230 yards to the pin on the par-five 17th, so has half a chance to get himself back to three under for the tournament. Alex Fitzpatrick has work to do on the last, pulling his drive into the cabbage left even of the barriers for the crowd. 05:10pm

The birdies are not exactly flowing this afternoon Bogeys more plentiful. Jon Rahm dropped another shot after his poor approach. Gives himself half a chance on the seventh with a fine tee shot to around 15ft.

Spieth did not find the green. Fleetwood did but has 46ft for birdie. You might say a bogey is more likely.

Not many birdies but MacIntyre finds an eagle on 17! That puts him to five under and intp the top five. It must have been nearly 50ft and it slammed into the back of the hole.

A solid round from the Scotsman today, mostly pars. His playing partner, Alex Fitzpatrick birdies the hole and also moves to five under. 05:04pm Hatton takes the birdie chance Back under par for the Englishman.

His countryman, Fleetwood, stays at three under with a dead-weight, downhill par putt on the sixth. Plenty of support out on the links for him this week: 04:57pm Something for Hatton to smile about? Apparently not.

He puts his tee shot on the par-three seventh to around 15ft. Got to sink the putt for a smile, I guess. The other member of Europe’s “Team Angry”, Jon Rahm, on the sixth can only bunt his approach shot out of the left rough towards the right.

Not certain that it didn’t end up in the rough on the other side of the fairway, actually. Actually it is a bit better than that, it is just short of the green on the right. It was a low one, though.

04:46pm Fleetwood misses the birdie putt But taps in for par. Playing partner Rahm taps in for birdie, though, to return to two under.

Dan Brown, who had slipped back to two under, finds a birdie to go back to three under. 04:39pm Scoring today so far...

Yes, we have had two eight-under 62s. But other than that, the best score relative to par (either completed or in progress) is Eric Cole’s six-under 64. Nobody is at five under for the day and five people are four under.

So it’s not like the course is a piece of pie today. Fleetwood makes a decent approach to the fifth and leaves himself 22ft to go to four under. 04:33pm DeChambeau almost escapes with a par...

But it’s a bogey five on the fifth. He left himself a tricky, downhill put which just swung by the hole. Hatton then misses a short birdie putt to stay at level par.

Scheffler makes no mistake on the fifth, though. A birdie puts him to three under. 04:27pm DeChambeau has found his tee shot He has about 40 yards to the pin, but is is in the deep, deep rough in the “native area”.

He lands it on the green but it runs up the hill and into the deep rough on the other side of the green. Looked for a moment that it might roll down again but he’s there for two, at least, which is better than three off the tee. 04:24pm

Block alert... No, not Michael Block, but Bryson DeCheambeau’s drive on the driveable par-four fifth. It isn’t far off being green high but it is in an area more akin to swamps in Louisiana than most of Royal Birkdale.

Surely lost but even if found likely to be unplayable. Fleetwood, meanwhile, sinks his birdie putt on the fourth to move to three under overall. Rahm, his playing partner, lips out his par putt to go back to one under.

MacIntyre just leaves a birdie putt short on the 15th. 04:15pm Birdie chance for Fleetwood Spieth and Fleetwood find the green, both leave about 20ft for birdie. Rahm does not.

He is in one of the front bunkers. 04:13pm DeCheambeau holes that putt Into a tie for fifth now alongside Wallace, Cauley, Alex Fitzpatrick and a handful of others. Hatton drops a shot on the fourth, though, failing to get up and down from just off the green.

Robert MacIntyre moves to three under for the tournament with a birdie on the 14th. His first birdie of the day but he has only had one bogey and a ton of pars. 04:05pm Justin Rose is heading for elimination He has begun his second round, however, with four pars.

Currently five over with the cut projected at one over making it. Ground needs to be made... Another European, Francesco Molinaro, meanwhile, chips in on the 10th for a par. Every golfer knows that “got away with one” when a double bogey looks to be on the cards.

Rahm finds the front of the green from the rough. Scheffler and Hatton go slightly left on the par-three fourth, but the American’s shot just about clings on to the fringe. Their playing partner DeChambeau sends one straight at the flag and has a 12-15ft putt for birdie.

03:58pm McIlroy on his three-under 67 “A little better today. Obviously didn’t make as many mistakes, which is what I needed to do. I played OK.

I felt like I had a but of momentum coming off the front nine and felt like I stalled a bit on the back nine. Overall, a decent scored. I look at the leaderboard and I am a long way back but there’s still a lot of golf left.

Get off to a good start tomorrow and you never know.” 03:57pm We haven’t seen much of Dan Brown on TV That is because a lot of big names have now hit the course. The Englishman is currently over for the day courtesy of a bunch of pars, one birdie and one double bogey (the par-three seventh) after 11 holes.

Back to the big names. On the third Rahm pulls his drive and Spieth slices his, both find the rough. “Fore” from both.

None of that nonsense from playing partner Fleetwood, who hits what I believe to be a three-wood to the right-hand side of the fairway. 03:51pm Detry moves to four under A right mix on his card today: an eagle, a double bogey, two bogeys and three birdies. To be fair, the latest of the birdies came after a steadying run of five pars.

His front-nine was chaotic: bogey, par, par, bogey, eagle, double bogey, birdie, par, birdie. 03:45pm Fleetwood birdies the second hole too!

Similar putt to Rahm, and in it goes. Out comes the fist pump. Good stuff, a confident putt

and he also moves to two under. Michael Kim pitches in to go to three over. Cut still difficult to make from him.

03:43pm Fleetwood leaves himself a gettable birdie putt 14ft or so from the hole on the second. Would be a popular winner, that almost goes without saying. Could do with positioning himself well for the weekend.

Jon Rahm, Fleetwood’s playing partner, is on his way to do that with a birdie on the same second hole to move to two under. 03:37pm Scheffler with a par on two Scheffler leaves himself a holeable birdie putt... but misses it on the second. His putter is, so far, not on fire.

Was -0.03 for shots gained yesterday, which is not terrible but is not good for a player of his quality. 03:32pm Sam Burns on his 62 today Said he was disappointed to bogey the last three holes yesterday but more than made up for that today. Asked about making history he says: “I didn’t realise that was the case, I was really just trying to put a solid round together.

At the start of the day Iw as trying to get under par for the tournament.” He welcomed his second child this week, so is away from the family but doing them proud: “My wife is a super hero and so I am very fortunate that my parents are there, helping out and her dad is also there. I know she has got a lot of support at home... shout at to her.”

Here is his scorecard from the second round. 03:27pm A birdie for Fitzpatrick, A DeCheambeau pipes his drive on the second after parring the opening hole. Unfortunately he pipes it straight into the pot bunker just off the fairway.

Matt Fitzpatrick is going to miss the cut but his brother, Alex (below), is on course to make it and is now in the top 10 after his third birdie of the day puts him at four under. 03:22pm Fleetwood on the first “Tommy lad” finds the green, but has a 50ft-plus putt for birdie.

He battled his way to a one-under 69 yesterday and you wonder if he will be aggressive today given the current state of the leaderboard. 03:21pm Herbert’s wonderful round So nearly a record... 03:19pm

A birdie on the last for Schauffele A one under follows his one over from yesterday to leave himself even after two rounds. McIlroy taps in his par putt on the last for a three-under 67. 03:14pm McIlroy unlikely to birdie the last now...

Scheffler and DeChambeau find the centre of the green from the rough. Hatton’s approach is pin-high right about 25ft away. Decent, not brilliant.

McIlroy pulls his approach on the last and ends in the collection are between, but not in, the bunkers. He gives his next shot half a chance and leaves himself a couple of feet for a par and a 67. 03:09pm

Big-name group gets under way Scheffler, Hatton and DeChambeau are all away in their second rounds: the two Americans find the rough on the right. Hatton finds the fairway. Ludvig Aberg just leaves his putt a little left for a second-round 66 to leave him at three under and just outside the top 10.

McIlroy’s tee shot on the last is a high fade that finishes about five yards off the right edge of the fairway, in the light rough. 03:03pm UK-player watch... Aaron Rai posts his second one-over 71 of the week.

I am not sure that is going to be enough for the 2026 US Open champion to make it through to the weekend. It is not at the moment, anyway. McIlroy pars the par-five 17th to leave himself at one under for the tournament and three under for the day.

02:57pm I am off to the clubhouse But I’ll leave you in the more-than-capable hands of Luke Slater, who may not have shot a 62, but did last year get his first hole in one, a mean seven iron downhill to a front pin, exceptional. 02:56pm

Rory’s drive at the 17th finds the bunker He’s forced to lay up as a result and with his third, from 182 yards, he leaves himself a 14-footer for birdie. He could do with sinking that. 02:47pm Lucas Herbert speaks to Sky Sports: ‘I have never played golf that well before’ On the near-record-breaking round...

“It was a lot of fun, the first 12 holes, I’ve never played golf that well before. It was very cool to experience that, and [experience] the nerves down the stretch. At 17 I was thinking of a 59.

I’m leading the tournament, I want to push my lead as far as I can. Everyone wanted it to happen and I felt like I let them down. It was an incredible experience.

Between shots, it gave me chance to reflect on what I’d done. It’s something I will remember for the rest of my life.” On joining the 62 Club... “It’s an incredible list to join, I remember Gracey shooting his 62 here [in 2017] and was at the event when Xander shot 62.

It’s very cool to add my name to the list - just really, really special.” 02:40pm We have another 62! Won’t use that phrase about London buses...but that’s the second of the day, Herbert’s arriving barely 20 minutes ago.

The American chips in from the bunker for a birdie and the record-equalling round. He was out in 32 and back in 30 in a round that featured eight birdies and no bogeys. He was outside the cut mark at the start of the day and needed something special and that’s exactly what he managed to serve up.

He’s at five under now, four back of Herbert. 02:33pm In the same group... ...

Rory’s birdie putt just misses. He’ll stay at one under, in need of no drama on the last two holes to make sure of making it to the weekend. 02:32pm

The cut is looking more likely to be one over Which is very bad news for Matt Fitzpatrick who is four over and possibly falling to five over after a long chip at the 16th leaves him with a 10 footer for par. 02:28pm The 62 Club Branden Grace: The Open Championship 2017 Royal Birkdale Rickie Fowler: US Open, 2023, Los Angeles Country Club Xander Schauffele: US Open, 2023, Los Angeles Country Club Xander Schauffele: PGA Championship, 2024, Valhalla Golf Club Shane Lowry: PGA Championship, 2024,Valhalla Golf Club And now... Lucas Herbert: The Open Championship, 2026, Royal Birkdale 02:16pm Herbert misses the putt!

OUCH... That hurts for me to type, so God knows how he feels. It never looked in from the moment it left the flatstick.

It’s a bogey and a definitely not-to-be-sniffed at 62 - only the sixth 62 (he’s the fifth man to make that score (Xander Schauffle has done it twice - greedy)) in major championship history. He’s back to nine under for the tournament, still out in front. 02:11pm Herbert takes a putter from off the green

And it’s a good decision, as he rolls the ball up to within five feet. He’ll have that putt for the lowest round in major championship history. 02:09pm Birdie for Rory It’s come at the par-five 14th and at a welcome time.

He’s off the par train and now at one under. That was a fine 21-foot, right-left breaking putt and he’s at three under for the day. 02:07pm Herbert’s approach to the last Is from the light rough from 173 yards.

He has a seven iron in his hands and in the air it looks bang on line, it is bang on line but runs out of juice and falls just short of the green. He’ll have two shots from 17 yards for the record 61. 02:00pm

This how hard the record is 01:58pm Herbert’s drive leaks right He’s lucky in that the ball ends up under the barriers, meaning he’ll get a free drop. 01:57pm McIlroy remains on the par train That’s four in a row for the world No 2 who stays at level par.

01:55pm He misses the putt It misses on the high side. Herbert taps in for par.

Par at 18 sets the record. But after that great drive the door was ever-so-slightly ajar for a 60 or better. Still, the lowest round in major championship history is still on... 01:51pm Herbert’s third is a great escape He plays the part of Steve McQueen to perfection as he makes little fuss over the sandy, well-trodden lie to chip the ball some 30 yards with the ball coming to rest 10 feet from the hole.

Make that and he’ll be 10 under for the round (and championship) knowing he could bogey the last and still shoot 61. 01:47pm Wayward approach from Herbert at the 17th Herbert’s drive at the par-five 17th leaves him 203 yards to the pin. He has a six iron in his hands and OUT OF NOWHERE he hooks it.

He knows it’s a bad shot as soon as he hits hit. It ends up far right enough to finds the path some 15 yards from the green. But such has been the weather that it might be a sandy lie and he will have a bunker to fly over for his third shot.

That shot was a shock and can only be explained by nerves, knowing that, as a former prime minister once said, the hand of history was on him... 01:37pm A ninth birdie for Herbert! The major record IS ON (again the use of capital letters and bold font isn’t gratuitous...).

The latest birdie has come at the 16th and was courtesy of taking iron off the tee, finding the fairway before his approach from 145 yards ended seven feet from the hole. From there it was meat and drink, fish and chips, hummus and sausage rolls (whatever culinary idiom you prefer...) for the Australian whose putting has been close to perfection today.

He’s at nine under with two to play. Two pars will mean he ends on 61 which would be the lowest round in major championship history. 01:26pm

Another par for Rory Is followed by another MASSIVE (caps lock is justified) drive at the par-four 13th. It’s well over 350 yards, 354 to be precise. He’s at level par and could do with a birdie or two.

01:16pm Meanwhile, bunker woe for Fitzpatrick His tee shot at the same hole finds the left bunker and it takes him two shots to escape the sand trap. He, currently on two over, needs to find birdies with the projected cut at one over.

01:14pm Having walked off the 11th with par Rory’s tee shot at the par-three 12th looks good in the air, but finds the right (light) rough. It’s not that bad

and it’s far from the realms of possibility that he could hole it. 01:11pm Back to the action And Herbert’s tee shot at the par-three 15th misses the green left. But the Australian displays good nerves and a delicate touch to chip to within a foot or so.

That will be a par and he’ll be on (if my maths isn’t playing silly buggers...) on 49 shots with three holes to go. 01:08pm

Incriminating evidence? Herbert’s cadde, Nick Pugh, who looks like a latter-day David Letterman, with the rangefinder. 01:03pm

After a regulation par at the 10th Rory’s drive at the 11th finds the right rough. But from 175yards he muscles a mid-iron to 35 feet. 12:57pm More on the rangefinder issue According to Sky Sports commentary, if it has no batteries in it and the caddie has merely used it as a pair of binoculars then that would be OK.

So it’s case of whether it was ‘on’ or not... 12:56pm Rangefinder woe for Herbert? This is a stunning development if leader Lucas Herbert’s caddie, Nick Pugh, has used a rangefinder.

Herbert would be hit with a two-shot penalty for the first breach and would be disqualified if there is/has been a second breach. People asking how can a caddie make such an error, but Herbert plays on LIV Golf and rangefinders aren’t completely banned on that league. 12:49pm

Herbert laid up from the bunker And his third leaves his 191 yards to the pin - looooooong hole for him. In the air it would have looked very good, fired into the right of the flag. It land at the front of the green but then falls victim to the green design falling left into the bunker.

He’ll have an up and down for par. His caddie was seen with a rangefinder, which isn’t allowed...interesting. 12:41pm Rory’s drive at the ninth Was described by David Howell on Sky commentary as the “greatest” he’d ever seen.

He’d also described his drive at the eight in much the same way, which prompts the question: were the drives that amazing or is Howeller prone to hyperbole? I think the answer is a bit of both. Anyway, here’s the drive at nine.

12:38pm First of the par fives for Herbert And his drive has found the fairway bunker...will find it almost impossible to make the green in two. He can still get it on in three though...record still very much in play.

12:37pm Eagle putt just left short By Rory. Never good, but take a huge positive out of a surprising negative, it’s a tap-in birdie and he’s back to level par.

12:32pm Long putt for another Herbert birdie It’s at the 13th and is a full 33 feet.

He give it a good go, and for a bit it looks as though the ball might drop. It stays above ground, though, and he stays at eight under. 12:30pm Suber has the clubhouse lead The American fired a one-under 69.

Many may have assumed he would wither in the spotlight, but he showed some guts after three consecutive bogeys on the front nine, and heading into the weekend on six under. 12:28pm Taking about the driveable ninth McIlroy drove the green yesterday can he repeat the trick? Yes he can, and in some fashion.

He again cuts the corner and the ball rolls to within 11 feet of the pin. The drive is registered as 377 yards, but the hole measures 403 yards. Very good chance of an eagle which would take him into red figures.

12:25pm Back to Rory And it’s good news. He’s just birdied the par-four eighth.

That’s thanks to a monster (aren’t they all these days?!) drive of 367 yards that leaves him a flick with a wedge that fired the ball over the pin to within nine feet. The putt never looks like doing anything other than dropping into the cup.

He’s back to one over with the driveable (for him, at least) par-four ninth to come. 12:15pm Major history in the making? In 2017, Royal Birkdale saw Branden Grace record the first 62 in the history of the male majors (there have been four more since).

Now, nine years on, the old links could feature the first 61 in the history of the male majors. Luke Herbert is eight-under for the day with six holes to go and two par fives to come. One birdie, five pars and the Australian will set the magic number.

He could even go lower. 12:13pm Herbert’s charge means... ... McIlroy’s group needs to get a wriggle on.

Rory and Fitzpatrick are now 10 shots back, compared to the six-shot deficit at the start of the day. 12:12pm I’d say we are definitely on a 60-watch That’s because Herbert has birdied the par-three 12th to move to eight under, he’s 37 shots through 12 holes...yikes, that is hugely impressive. 12:10pm Cameron Young is a major-winner in waiting He’s come close to lift the Claret Jug, with top-10 finishes in 2022 and 2023, and the American is once again putting in a good showing playing seaside golf.

He’s birdied the eighth to move to four under. 12:04pm Sixty-watch for Herbert? He’s just fired in his tee shot at the par-three 12th to 10 feet and should he sink that then he’d be eight under for the round.

With the two par fives to come... 11:58am Herbert is making golf look easy The Australian has rolled in another birdie, his seventh (without any blemishes), to move to seven under. He now leads by two.

11:57am Fitzpatrick also gives one away At the sixth, his approach also the undoing of him. He, too, is back to where he started, two over. 11:56am Rory’s chip at the sixth Leaves him with a 10-footer for par.

AND.... He misses it, missing on the low side and he’s back to where he started, two over, which, at the moment is the wrong side of the cut mark. That was down to an unforced error with the approach.

11:52am The wind is getting up Conditions are toughening up. It seems the sweet spot where the good chance to make a score has gone.

11:48am Rory’s drive at the VERY tough sixth Finds the rough, he actually got lucky, it could have found deeper stuff. But he’s unable to make the most of his good fortune because he hooks the approach from 161 yards into the greenside spectators.

That shot was similar to his second at the 17th last night... he said ‘every time’ when he hit today’s hook and something isn’t right with his irons. However, he’s done better than Fitzpatrick whose drive found deep rough and whose second is the dictionary definition of a flyer...it soars over the green and into yet more deep rough some 10 yards behind the dancefloor.

11:41am Durnian finally has company After 43 years, the late Denis Durnian has finally been joined in the Open record books. The popular Wigan pro, who died last year aged 75, played the outward half of Royal Birkdale in 28 shots in 1983, the lowest nine-hole total ever in the British major. Lucas Herbert has just emulated Durnian, courtesy of six birdies and no bogeys in the Australian’s opening nine holes of his second round.

Durnian went on to finish eighth. 11:37am Missed chance for McIlroy He is unable to make the putt and stays at one over.

Having taken a three-wood and driven (through) the green that will feel like an opportunity missed. Playing partner Fitzpatrick drains his birdie putt to move to leval par. 11:36am

Rory’s second at the fifth Isn’t great, it wasn’t an easy shot but, from the back of the green, the ball has to get up about three feet and McIlroy just misjudges it and the ball breaks too soon away from the hole. It leaves him with a seven-footer for the birdie. 11:28am There will be last-hole nerves As difficult as the sixth is playing, the most imposing hole maybe the 18th, particularly considering its place on the scorecard.

Less than a third of the field hit the par-four green in two shots on Thursday, a remarkable stat for a professional tournament. Whoever leads after 71 holes will want at least a two-shot advantage heading to the final tee. 11:27am

Another birdie for Herbert! And he’s tied the record for the lowest opening nine at the Open: 28, that’s twenty-eight. That number is great on any course but on an Open layout is is definitely something to dine out on for the rest of your life (no matter what happens the next nine or the rest of the tournament for that matter).

The Australian is now at six under and leading the way. 11:24am Rory takes three-wood at the fifth And he just goes through the back of the green at the driveable hole. He’ll have an outside chance of eagle and a decent chance of birdie.

11:20am Matt Wallace pars the last And what a par it was. His drive was wide left, his approach found the left, greenside bunker leaving him a very awkward stance (on his knees outside the trap), his third left him a seven-footer for par and his fourth found the bottom of the cup. That’s a great way to end a fine round.

The Englishman ends on four under after a a three-under 67 and he’ll be in contention heading into the weekend. 11:15am Another good putt from Rory Again it’s not a birdie but it’s an easy two-putt par (at the par-three fourth) and he’s doing (for now) what he has to do.

He stays at one over. 11:07am The man of the moment 11:06am

It was a lucky break for Wallace At the 17th. His wild approach found the rough that had been trampled by the spectators and he was able to walk off the green with a par to stay at four under. 11:04am Two-putt par for Rory At the third - he stays at one over.

It may not have been a birdie but it was another hole full of goods signs. He bisected the fairway taking an iron off the tee, before leaving himself with a long (43 feet) putt which he lags with east. It was much the saem hole for Fitzpatrick who also stays at one over.

11:01am The hottest man on the course right now is... ... Daniel Herbert. He’s five under for the day through seven and now sole leader as a result.

At his best he’s a big hitter and birdie machine. His card today reads: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 2 and he’s on course to break 30 for the front nine.

10:55am First bogey for Shaun Norris The South African had fired in four birdies and was blemish free until the 13th.

He drops back to four under into a tie for second. He’s playing with a yellow ball which, for some, is a heinous golfing crime...I am OK with it as it’s not as bad as putting with a glove, something which should result in 20 years hard labour. 10:50am

Lucky break for Wallace It’s come at the 17th, his approach hooking into the spectators on the left and ending up on mound that has been well trodden by said fans. 10:47am Different air about McIlroy Confident putt on the second for McIlroy and although these are obviously early stages, he already has a different air about him. Watched him working with his putting coach, Brad Faxon, before his round and it was clear that as well as trying to get the Northern Irishman to loosen up and concentrate on the pace, they also focused on him closing the putter face.

On a number of occasions on Thursday, McIlroy left the face open. 10:40am Two great shots at the second for Rory Set up a seven-foot birdie putt to move to one over. Can he make it?

To paraphrase Bob the Builder: YES HE CAN! He’s back to one over and this, only two holes in, is the start he’d have wanted, not least because the putts have been solid. Meanwhile, playing partners Schauffele also have good looks at birdie.

The former misses, the latter doesn’t so the Englishman is also back to one over. 10:34am Mobile menaces 10:30am Suber back in front How best to recover from a run of three consecutive bogeys? Well, it’s hit back-to-back bogeys of course.

That’s what the American’s just done. They’ve come at the 10th and 11th and he’s back to five under. 10:28am

Nearly an albatross for Jespaer Svensson It nearly came at the driveable par-four fifth and looked for all the world as though it was going to drop and give the crowd a rare viewing (who wants to see a hole in one when you can be entertained by an even rarer albatross?!). The Swede tapped in for eagle and is back to one over. 10:24am Big (ish) putt for Rory

It was his putting that let him down yesterday and an early birdie here would settle the nerves. The pace is good but it just misses leaving him a tap-in par. He stays at two over.

Schauffele’s and Fitzpatrick’s birdie putts also flirted with the hole but, as with McIlroy’s, stayed above ground, to stay at one and tow over respectively. 10:19am McIlroy has 143 yards to the pin And he fires the approach to the first to 18 feet. Schauffle’s second is inside his playing partner’s and, making up the trio’s approaches is Fitzpatrick (M) whose second is 21 feet from the pin.

Decent. 10:16am Wallace stays at four under His approach to the par-five 14th (his second) found the deep(ish) right rough. His chip leaves a 15-footer for birdie that flirts with dropping before missing on the low side.

Steady as she goes on the back nine for the Englishman. 10:14am McIlory’s round is under way His drive finds the very short rough on the left – good start. Fitzpatrick’s tee shot ends up in the right rough, Schauffele’s finds the fairway.

All three seem happy and are laughing as they march towards the fairway. As well they might. The lead is four under and there’s no reason to panic at the moment, a score in the 60s should set them up for a challenge at the weekend.

10:11am Putt of the day! It’s come off the flatstick of Collin Morikawa at the second. A breaking 50-footer.

Pure short game. He’s at three under. 10:07am

It’s nearly time for McIlroy He goes off in four minutes. Both he and Matt Fitzpatrick, in his threeball, are two over and know what they need to do.

One of those things for Rory is: must pay the par fives better. 10:04am The ‘BIG-name’ groups are starting to get their second rounds under way Ludvig Aberg has just hit his drive at the first and it’s a horror hook, way left and possibly beyond the spectators (thank God we don’t call them patrons) into the mature foliage (aka trees).

Not the start the Swede would have wanted considering he’s one over and needing to head into red territory. 09:54am No one is really making a move No one is breaking from the pack and getting to seven/eight under.

Good news for McIroy and those over par. 09:51am More woe for Suber An hour ago I was saying the American and then-sole leader was proving he had what it takes to stay out in front and make the chasing pack come to him...well, he’s just registered his third bogey in a row, the latest has come at the eighth and courtesy of a wild drive that found the Birkdale equivalent of the Amazon rainforest. There was no come back from that and he’s now on three under and in need of a par... 09:37am

Tough at the top Both Wallace and Coody bogey to fall back to four under. So there’s now a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard. Wallace found trouble at the par-three 12th, his tee shot ending up short left

and he was unable to get up and down from there. Coody came a cropper at the third, his drive at the par four finding the rough and he was unable to find par from the cabbage.

09:33am Wallace tapping into his undoubted talent Great to see Matt Wallace at the top of the leaderboard after going through his first 11 holes in four-under to reach five-under. For the last few years the Londoner has been stuck in that golfing no man’s land between 50 and 100 in the world rankings. But Wallace, 36, had recorded two runner-up placings in his last eight events and is beginning to look like the prolific winner of yesteryear.

His best Open finish is a tie for 40th which makes no sense at all for such a talented and tenacious competitor. 09:24am Coody is ‘top class’

The American has backed up his birdie at the first with another at the second to move to five under. That gives him a share of the lead because Matt Wallace has reached that number thanks to a birdie at the 11th. What of Suber?

I hear you say... well, he’s just bogeyed the sixth and seventh to drop to four under. Movement at the top...

09:21am Big day ahead for Rory and Fitz Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick are due to tee off in roughly an hour and, on two-over, the pair will need to shoot par or better to make the weekend. For McIlroy it would be a second missed cut in the Open in three years and would be a miserable way to finish a major campaign that began in such glorious circumstances with his successful title defence at the Masters. His multitude of fans will be praying that he has fixed his putting.

09:14am Let’s play another game of Guess Who?

Yep, another little-known American is making a move up the leaderboard. Pierceson Coody is now at four under, thanks to birdie at the first. A quick type on Google tells me this is the 26-year-old’s fourth major and his Grandfather, Charles, played in the 1971 Masters (golf is clearly in the genes...).

The world No 61 was watched by the son of a friend yesterday, who is no mean golfer himself, and said Coody was “top class”. The Open does seem to make unheard-of Americans show off their A-games. Some of them – think Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton – even go on to win the thing... 08:56am

Harry Hall is struggling to make the cut But he’s having a good time while taking on the beast that is Birkdale. He fired in an eagle at the 17th last night and today he’s registered another at the second.

He’s currently at six over. 08:51am Another par save for Suber He stays at six under and is showing no signs of nerves or impostor syndrome. 08:42am

Matt Wallace shows there is a score out there The Englishman birdied the first, fifth and sixth to move to four-under and tie for second. But no sooner do I type that than he bogeys the eighth... He paid the price for an errant drive that found the ‘native area’ (aka deep, penal rough/aka cabbage) on the left.

From there he was always playing catch up (as Henry Kelly used to say on Going for Gold...) and he was unable to hole an eight-footer for the par save. Meanwhile, a friend of mine, one of the early risers at Royal Birkdale, has messaged to say: “I remember when it was one man and his dog for the 6.30am tee time, but it gets busier every year...

It’s now too commercial, too much hospitality, patron-only stands etc.” He always was a bit of Grandad, stuck in his ways, but he may well have a point. 08:29am Suber makes good par save at the third The leader holes a seven-foot putt at the par four to stay at six under.

Those knee-knockers are as key to rounds as the birdie putts. Hole them and momentum is maintained. Going on the first three holes, the American is not going to wither under the spotlight with a chasing pack yapping at his heels.

08:24am So... ...the information I had (off Sky Sports late last night) wasn’t entirely accurate and McIlroy will have the elements against him in a way that yesterday’s early starters won’t. 08:23am

More on the wind It’s windier here this morning that it was at this time yesterday. The wind is set to flip from an easterly to a north westerly at about 11am – and here at Birkdale, the easterly wind is considered preferable. McIlroy is out at 10.09am and is undoubtedly on the wrong side of the draw.

08:14am Jackson Suber You may not have heard of him until yesterday, and may have assumed, having had his 15 minutes of fame, he would fall back into pack and never be heard of again. But, for now at least, he is going the other way, as in extending his lead. The American has birdied the second, sinking a 13-footer to move to six under.

08:06am The wind It was kind to those going out early yesterday – the top of the leaderboard is dominated by those who had walked off the 18th by mid-afternoon – and it’s evened itself out as today it will be kind to those teeing it up in the morning. So, fair for all those involved.

07:54am Selected day two tee times 07:49am McIlroy in need of some magic The 17th at Royal Birkdale is one of the toughest holes at Royal Birkdale. Framed by two towering sand dunes the hard shot is off the tee, trying to thread the ball between these two imposing natural hazards while avoiding the bunkers on the right of the fairway.

In need of picking up a shot Rory McIlroy took driver and played a peach of a shot that took on and avoided nature’s traps, leaving him with 190 yards to the green. The second wasn’t an easy shot by any means, but the hard work was essentially done. What happened over the following 10 minutes summed up McIlroy’s round and poor and, at times, perplexing start to this tournament.

His second shot was a rank hook that forced the spectators by the green to run for cover. His third was a lob wedge that flew across the green, past the pin into the bunker. His fourth forced him to get on one knee outside the sand trap as he played a brilliant chip that left him with an eight-footer for par.

His par-putt never looked like dropping before a tap in for his sixth bogey and a forlorn walk to the 18th. That he then birdied the last hole – his approach from the left rough was the nearest to the pin all day – for a two-over 72 only added to the scratching of heads. The last two holes underlined that the Masters champion was only showing flashes of his brilliance and had turned up at the fabled north-west links – for the first day at least – out of touch.

It was his putting that let him down: he ranked 148th in putting in the 156-man field and is now in danger of missing the cut. His work with the flatstick is one of several facets of his game that will need to improve today, as he aims to hang around for the weekend and possibly mount a three-round challenge for the Claret Jug. He gets his second round under way at 10.09.

Leading the way after the opening 18 holes is Jackson Suber, the little-heard about American playing in only his third major. The leading score is five under so, nothing is out of sight for McIlroy and a whole host of big names – such as Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Wyndham Clark and Jordan Spieth to name only four – who need good days today. Stay here for all the action from golf’s oldest and greatest tournament as we describe every shot and plot twist until the final putt drops.