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by James McMahon
2220 Play is finally over for the day at St Andrews and Louis Ossthuizen has a bit of breathing space at the top of the leaderboard. Shocking day for Rory McIlroy, while Graeme McDowell is best of the Irish on -5. Darren Clarke is a shot further back after 15, while Shane Lowry -3, and Colm Moriarty +1 will all see action over the weekend. Padraig Harrington had a bad day and his 77 left him on +6, and along with Gareth Maybin, will not be around for the weekend. Tiger Woods picked up a birdie on the last to lie on -4.
2141 Consecutive birdies for Darren Clarke on 13 & 14 after a bogey on 12. He now stands at -4. Tiger Woods is -3 playing the last.
2111 Darren Clarke is -3 through 13. Padraig Harrington is making no progress and is odds on to miss the cut as he stands at +6 through 15.
2107 Jin Jeong, an amateur from Korea has birdied the 14th to move to six under. Tiger has dropped another shot on 15 and is now back at -3.
2044 From a 63 to an 80 - that's the scoring swing in the negative for Rory McIlroy after the opening two rounds at St Andrews. Six bogeys and a double bogey are down on the card after a day when the young pretender battled in vain to tame the monster that was St Andrews when the wind got up.
2031 Tiger had a bogey on 13 and drops to -4 with four to play.. Darren Clarke is still going steady at -3 with 11 played. Rory McIlroy is on the final hole and is currently -1. Projected cut is +1.
2015 It's getting worse for Rory McIlroy with another bogey on 15 and through 16 he stands at -1. Bad day at the office.
2000 Another two hours of play is due this evening. We'll keep you updated with any changes to the leaderboard,.
1955 Tiger makes par on 12. Nine groups will not get to finish their rounds this evening. They will resume at 6.00am in the morning. Once they finish their second round, play will begin in round three.
1947 Tiger's second on 12 dances around the green. Bit of work to do with a slight uphill putt. Villegas' effort always suffers from a bad kick. Padraig Harrington is +5 after 11. Steven Tiley moves back to -6 with five played.
1941 It's getting a bit chilly now in St Andrews as Tiger drive on 12 is a bit wayward. A lot of bunkers at this hole. I'm sure a lot of the players are physically and mentally tired at this stage. It's been a long day and The Old Course has certainly fought back.
1939 Darren Clarke remains at -3 after nine. The cut mark is now +2. Any more changes on that score and I'll keep you posted. Lucas Glover is back at -3 with 14 played.
1933 It's steady as you go now for Tiger anf he remains at -5. McIlroy gets his par at 14. No more dropped shots between now and the 18th would be a very good outcome.
1927 Tiger hits a perfect drive on the par 3 11th. Excellent chance for a two as the wind eases down at St Andrews. The World No 1 is at -5.
1923 Ernie Els is +2 after 12. will need to pick up couple more to make sure he's around for the weekend.
1920 The cut will probably be +1. McIlroy sees another one get away at 13. Ian Poulter birdie chance on 12 just shaves the hole and he remains at level par.
1913 Andrew Coltart finishes with a birdie and a round of 77 to lie on -1. John Daly records a 76 for a -2 finish.
1905 Alejandro Canizares has just joined Mark Calcavecchia in second place on seven-under after five.
1858 Clarke has just hit an excellent 20 odd foot birdie at the seventh to go three-under.
1855 McIlroy has just dropped another couple of shots at the 11th as the wind continues to cause havok. He hit a 40-foot putt effort which travelled most of the way before stopping and retreating all the way back again - literally all the way back. He then three-putted from there for double bogey. It doesn't seem fair but the conditions did go his way yesterday. He's back to three-under now.
1847 Woods has just holed at the ninth for a birdie to go five-under - he's looking a lot stronger now.
1837 South Korean amateur Jin Jeong has just picked up another birdie to climb the leaderboard and go two-under for the day and is now six-under overall after seven holes.
1827 Villegas makes birdie on eight and moves back to -2. He's 10 behind, but certainly not out of it.
1825 Tiger, against the elements, saves par on eight. He played it aggressively and it paid off. Marcel Siem finishes with a 75 and lies at -2.
1823 Tiger on eight and his second shot is 15 feet short of the hole. John Daly birdies 14 and he's back to -3.
1820 Darren Clarke's birdie effort on five is a way short. Chance missed for the Dungannon man to go to +4. Well in contention, though.
1818 Villegas hits a cracker off the tee on eight and a decent chance for a two awaits.
1816 Tiger's drive on eight starts off left, but then veers dramatically right. The trials and tribulations of the world's best on display for all to see!
1814 Lucas Glover drops one at 10 and is now -4. At the same hole, McIlroy saves par.
1810 Paul Lawrie, the 1999 champion fires a second round 82 to finish at +7. Tiger Woods, after a poor birdie putt holes a tricky one to save par and remains at -4.
1805 Projected cut is now +1. Harrington has work to do if he wants to be around for the weekend.
1802 The wind shows no sign of abating. Possibilty of another four hours of play. Oosthuizen at worst should have a five shot lead going into round three.
1758 Good save by Marcel Siem at 16 and he stays at -5. Defending champion Stewart Cink is -2 thru six.
1754. Tiger saves par on six and stays at -4. Villegas drops a shot on six and he's now -1. Padraig Harrington can't move off +4 and he's played five, while Darren Clarke is still well placed at -3, with three holes played. The cut mark is projected at +2.
1751 JB Holmes makes birdie on four to move to one under. Lucas Glover gets his birdie on nine and is back to -5. Justin Rose drops one at six and now lies at -1.
1749 Tiger out wuth the putter on six for a birdie. Falls just short. Should make par. McIlroy's birdie putt trickles by the hole.
1746 McIlroy is 55 yards from the pin on nine. Ends up about 15 feet from the hole.
1743 Tiger's second shot on six bounds along and heads towards the seventh tee. He could be in trouble here. Wind speed at St Andrews is around 35 mph.
1740 Just went for a little break and I hear the term 'carnage' to describe the afternoon play. McIlroy plays a good opening shot on nine and puts himself in a good position to get one back.
1730 John Daly is back at -3 after 12, while Steven Tiley (-6) has finally teed off.
1724 McIlroy misses for par on eight. He's back to -5, while Paddy Harrington is still +4 thru four.
1723 Back with Tiger, sorry Viillegas and his birdie effort falls a few feet short after he gave it much borrow on five. Tiger makes birdie on five and he's back to -4. Villegas misses the parr putt
1722 Rory in bother again on the eight with another wayward drive.
1715 Tiger removes a pole that's near the buggy and marks his ball. Fredrik Andersson Hed makes a move with a birdie on three and is now -5. Darren Clarke -3 after three. Tiger is clear of the buggy and his next shot just skirts by the flag pole.
1714 The driver may need to move the buggy if he's around. If not, Tiger will be heading to nearest point of relief.
1713 Tiger is cross after his second on five finds some tricky rough. A lot of frayed nerves on the Old Course at the moment. In fact, Tiger's ends up beside a golf buggy.
1712 Glover's much care and attention with his parr putt is justified and he tapps it in. Remains at -4.
1710 Lucas Glover's (-4) birdie effort on seven gets held up in the wind. McIlroy's parr putt on slips out the side door and he's now back to -6.
1707 Players are taking a lot of time over their shots and there's a lot of backing off as the wind continues to play puck.
1702 McIlroy's second on seven may have found a bunker. Sorry, it did a find a bunker. His third goes way past the hole. The struggle continues.
1700 Leaderboard - Louis Oosthuizen -12; Calcavecchia, McIlroy -7; Casey, Westwood, Siem (12) -6; Lehman, Barnes, Hanson -5
1655 A testing day of temprement and skill. Rory drives off on seven and finds a bit of rough. Padraig Harrington remains +4 over after three, while Darren Clarke is -2 with two holes played. Nick Watney makes birdie on seven to move to -5. Birdies, a rare commodity now, at the home of golf on this very day.
1650 Tim Clark holes a monster putt (gave it a good whack) on six against the wind to move to level par. Andrew Coltart does something similar on 10 and is now -4. Meanwhile, Rory's parr effort narrowly misses and he now is seven under (alongside Calcavecchia) after six. Louis Oosthuizen is now five clear.
1648 McIlroy will struggle to get down in two. Third shot landed limply and he's about 15-18 feet short. He'll struggle to make par.
1645 Rory McIlroy is in the rough on six. He hits a bit of a thrasher with the wedge. Can't see where his ball has landed. Master McIlroy would gladly take a 71 or 72 at the end of the day.
1641 Marcel Siem's birdie effort on 12 needed a little bit more inspiration, but he takes parr and remains at -6. Blue sky - blue sea - but all the tranquilty can't inspire Tiger Woods as he can only par four to stay at -3. Villegas' birdie effort has the right line, but needed a bit more. He holed athe tricky parr putt, however.
1640 Winds is definitely getting up now. Don't be surprised that some players might want to call a halt for now.
1636 Tiger's second shot on four finds the front portion of the green. Villegas, at the same hole, is a good bit further back with his ball after his scond shot.
1632 After the suspension, there is a doubt that all of today's action will be completed on time. Putts five or six feet from the hole are now being missed with regularity. Our Japenese friend Ishikawa drops one on two and now stands at -4.
1629 Padraig Harrington is going backwards and is now four over after two. An ugly six on the second for Paddy Power. Darren Clarke remains two under after one.
1627 McIlroy's birdie effort falls short, but taps in for par. Remains four behind the leader after five.
1623 Germany's Marcel Seim makes birdie at 11 to move to six under. Rory McIlroy found some rough on the fifth, but played out of it well. Long birdie putt awaits. Balls are starting to move on the greens again. We could do without another disruption.
1621 E-mail from Geraoid Maher: 'Windy conditions make putting even harder, more relevant especially on links. Any good player will tell you this. Tiger Woods is not always solid in the wind. He was in contention at Muirfield in 2002 after two rounds. Then he shot 81 in the third round when a storm blew up.'
1619 Villegas's birdie effort slips out the back door and he stays three under after three. Players seem to be tentative with putts you might think they should hole skirting by. The wind remains a big factor.
1616 Well done Ian Poulter - cracking birdie on four to move to two under, while Tiger's birdie effort on three is a few inches askew, but he taps in for par to stay three under.
1614 Daly tries to make amends but his birdie effort on eight tails off badly. Rams home his par put.
1607 McIlroy drives off on five and finds a perfect landing spot. John Daly drops one at seven and goes back to four under. Daly's trousers are quite colourful and you could image the colpur scheme adorning the cover of The Beatles' Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club.'
1603 Villegas taps in for par on two, while Tiger misses his par putt to drop to three under. Bad start for the 2000 & 2005 champion.
1600 Ian Poulter, was on twitter earlier in the day and told everybody he was having a cup of tea. That was nice of him! He has made par on three to stay at one under. Meanwhile, Tiger is left with testing putt to save par on two.
1557 Japenese player Ishikawa birdies the first to move to six under. Tim Clark makes bogey on four and he's back to level parr. On the first, Paddy Harrington makes bogey and is now two over.
1554 Harrington is underway and McIlroy misses his par putt and drops back to eight under. Louis Oosthuizen is now four clear of the field.
1551 McIlroy gives it too much zeal and it goes a few feet past the hole.
1549 Hi folks and I hope all is well with you on this third Friday in July. The weather remains blustery at St Andrews and Rory McIlroy is now on the fourth. His playing partner Tim Clark plays a majestic shot out of the bunker, while Rory weighs up his birdie putt.
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by Brendan Cole
15.47 Play has started again at St Andrews but my stint at the tracker controls is over (roll on the weekend) and I will now leave you in the capable hands of my colleague James McMahon.
15.11 Ralph Marsh (via e-mail) is wondering whether the suspension of play will halt McIlroy's momentum.
15.01 The wind has dropped a touch we're told - down 5mph.
14.59 Donna Walsh (via e-mail): 'In response to Paddy Carroll......windy conditions over the weekend will only benefit Woods.
'The easier the course plays the harder it is for good players to come to the top. Tiger is one of few players on tour who can play a low stinger under the wind. He’s been doing it for years.
'Wind also makes putting less relevant – something he’s been struggling with lately. AND … Woods is the best player on tour in terms of mental toughness and perseverance.
'We know he’s been struggling lately and could come unstuck but if he’s on form the harder the better! Majors shouldn’t be easy. Scoring yesterday was a farce.'
Hmmmm. You might be right Donna, but remember Turnberry......and Carnoustie. And Birkdale - Tiger struggled in the wind at all those courses.
It can be a bit of a leveller.......
14.54 Greg Allen (via twitter): 'Any sort of delay at all of maybe an hour or more will mean they will not finish the second round today.'
14.51 Moriarty is in tied-67th and he'll be hoping the wind keeps piling on.
Players are lying on the ground all over the course, and the wind is still relentless.
14.47 Good news for Kaymer; he has birdied the last and finished on four under.
He could yet be a factor this weekend.
14.44 Greg Allen (via twitter): 'McDowell back in business mode speaking after his 68. Says he feels no pressure and likes the position he's in - inside the top 10'
14.38 Woods took his putt and it ends up on the high side and well to the right of the hole.
He, Rose and Villegas begin walking back up the first.
The wind could cost all three a shot, as they have tough putts to come.
There is still some play happening - Zach Johnson finishing out on the 18th.
The good news is that the scores are rising and Colm Moriarty could yet find himself in the field this weekend.
He is one over par.
PLAY SUSPENDED DUE TO UNPLAYABLE CONDITIONS
14.36 Villegas' birdie effort pulls up short; tricky par putt now for the Colombian.
Rose's birdie putt is running up to the hole but it takes a little break away to the left and then gets grabbed by the wind and runs way down the green.
Looks like play will be stopped due to the high winds.
Will Tiger putt?
Paddy Carroll (via e-mail): 'Don't really think Tiger will amount to much over the weekend, too windy for him.'
I know what you mean Paddy.
14.34 McIlroy tees off on four; it looks good.
Coltart and Daly both just miss their par efforts. Daly is back to -5; Coltart is -4.
14.32 Woods tries to fade one in to the back pin at the first but it finishes alongside Rose's ball. Woods gives out the ball, or the weather, or himself.
Not happy that.
Villegas hits it well right of the pin and short and is rewarded with the easiest long putt from the middle of the green.
On 11, a conference is taking place.
14.28 Glover does make his putt, rolling in from 15 feet or so he goes to six under.
Andrew Coltart on six has the same putt as Daly and he leaves it well short, just getting up the slope.
This group had a great time yesterday but it is proving trying for them today.
On the first, Rose flies his shot to the back of the green and pin high but he overdrew it a bit.
The wind is moving balls on some greens - on 11 in particular - and play could be delayed or stopped.
14.27 McIlroy found the centre of the green on three and he rolls up another lovely putt from 20 feet - it finishes two inches from the cup this time. Another par, he remains nine under.
14.26 Daly, who made birdie on five, chops in a low fade on six and it is almost a perfect links shot but it just fails to clear the little hill at the front.
From there, his putt races well past the hole and he will have 20 feet for par: links-tastic
It was a fascinating shot to watch from Daly, he can play it low when he needs to.
14.24 Willie, who has backed Martin Kaymer, wants to know how the young German is going.
Not great is the answer; he is three under for the Championship after just carding bogeys on 15 and 16 in the last 20 minutes.
He's still there though and if memory serves he almost won the European Tour event here, losing to Robert Karlsson in a playoff.
On one, Woods smacks a routine driving iron down the middle and turns away before it lands.
14.20 And here comes Tiger.
The wind is really up now - gusting at around 35mph. The world number one has not always been the best wind player, so this will be very interesting.
14.18 Another perfect tee shot by McIlroy on the third. The wind is really up now, whipping through the grass. Clark's tee shot is a touch right and scatters some marshals but it is fine.
On 18, Goosen leaves his birdie putt short. He is five under after a 70 - one dropped shot on 11 and three birdies.
Mickelson holes his birdie effort and gets to level par. That might just get him in for the weekend.
14.13 Glover holes out to stay at five under.
On the 18th, Goosen has a chip from way over to the left. He hits a pretty good one to have 10 feet left for birdie.
Mickelson also leaves his putt short. He is currently one over after a bogey on 17 and will need this to get to level and have a chance at making the weekend.
Montgomerie just misses with a birdie effort that would have gotten him to level. He will probably miss the cut now after 71 - that tee shot into the hotel on day one proving very costly.
14.12 Wind trouble on the second green; Clark's ball is 'oscillating' - not moving. He takes the shot on the third go at lining it up and pushes it just left and wide.
Bogey for the South African.
14.10 McIlroy's coach Michael Bannon is in St Andrews this week and worked with him on the putting green before play (via www.twitter.com/gregallenrte).
His putt on two is perfect, a foot left for par. That five iron was perfect but took a bad bounce. Par-par start for him.
14.08 Clark's effort on two with the putter - he is a notably poor chipper - runs quite a bit past the hole. He will do well to par this.
Tiger Woods is on the practice putting green - the TV camera catches him missing from eight feet or so.
14.05 Ian Poulter has a birdie putt on one and he rolls up just short. Right line, wrong speed.
14.02 McIlroy takes a full swing at this one and lands it just right of the flag. He gets a big slice of bad luck though as it runs a good 25 feet away from the hole and down into a hollow.
Perfect shot though, and a good sign.
Glover's approach burrows through the wind and goes a good 25 yards past the hole. On the green and safe.
On 18, Garcia has a 100 foot birdie putt to go three under but he runs it four feet past. He gets the par putt though.
He is two under after a 71 on day two.
13.59 Steve Stricker is +1 with a long eagle putt on 18 but he leaves it really short. He's still about 25 feet from the hole. Not likely to be here this weekend after that.
Daly pures one with a fairway wood on the fifth, landing it in the heart of the green. He will have an eagle chance.
13.55 Montgomerie has made the fairway on 17 this time - but, like Garcia, his shot in races over to the far left of the green.
On two, Clark's drive goes to the right - good position. Glover is much longer and he whips his ball into the centre of the fairway.
McIlroy's tee shot is perfect - though surprisingly slightly shorter than Glover though the American has a perfect ball flight for hitting into the wind - low and penetrating.
13.48 McIlroy holes out for par on the first, as does Glover while Clark makes birdie to go to one under.
Westwood says he played 'a lot better than 71' but has not been able to capitalise.
13.47 Sergio three putts on 17, he left his first effort well short.
On 18, McDowell holes his birdie putt and is now five under. Superb recovery he had a run of birdies on 7,8 and 9 and two more coming in.
13.45 McDowell and McIlroy meet as the former goes up the 18th and the latter approaches the first - and they share a handshake.
McDowell is four under for the Championship and should have a birdie chance on 18.
McIlroy's putt trickles just past the hole - a lovely putt. He has three feet for par though.
13.44 On the first, Clark plays his approach wonderfully - five feet or so from the hole into this stiff breeze.
McIlroy is next; his shot is a punched seven iron from about 140 yards, and like the tee shot, it goes left.
25 foot putt for him, and the greens seem to be running a little quicker today which might not be ideal.
Glover's shot ends up a little short of the pin but is safely on and he'll have an easy putt.
13.40 Paul Casey is interviewed.
The rough he found on 17 is too thick, he says. Though he is not really making excuses to be fair.
13.35 McIlroy is announced to a huge cheer. Chewing a bit of gum, he smacks a three wood a little left but on this generous fairway, it's no problem.
Not his best swing.
Tim Clark looks after his shot in disgust - his driver goes well right. But the fairway is massive so he is perfectly safe.
Lucas Glover is third member of the trio. He didn't really react to his shot......which was fine.
On 17, Garcia punches a low cut to the very far left of the green. Someone would pay good money for that shot if the pin ends up over there tomorrow as it well might. It's pretty useless today though; 50 feet away from the hole.
13.34 Westwood misses his short putt though; 71 and six under. He looks peeved and a little bemused.
Jimenez misses his short putt too, seeing it circle the rim but stay out. 67 for the round and five under for the Championship.
13.30 On 18, Westwood should make birdie after a decent putt from the Valley. He has been becalmed in scoring terms, but ought to go to seven under.
Jimenez will also have an 'odds on' putt for birdie. Scott, who needs it most of all and is putting from closer, plays it worst of the trio. Six feet for birdie.
He holes it; two under and he should almost certainly make the weekend. That eagle on five was his highlight.
McIlroy will tee off in sunshine and wind in a moment, but there is some nasty weather coming.
13.27 What is going on? Sergio Garcia holes a 20-footer for par on 16. He looks as shocked as I am!
McIlroy is about to tee off.
13.25 Back on the tee, Miguel Angel Jimenez takes a real cut at it with his driver and his ball trickles up to the front of the green before reversing into the Valley of Sin.
Westwood's ball ends up to the left and also falls into the famed hollow.
Adam Scott, needing birdie to be sure of making the cut, is the closest to the pin.
They are all playing away from the pin a touch, ít's over on the right hand side of the green today.
13.21 Mr Twitter (www.twitter.com/stewartcink - he has 1.2 million followers) Stewart Cink will tee off soon.
Cink used the Claret Jug as a prop in a coffee commercial; I checked with him if it was the real thing (such is the magic of twitter!) and he confirmed that it was.
Meanwhile, Casey has made that birdie on 18. Six under par with that disaster triple-bogey on the 17th the only dropped shots. He started with three birdies.
13.19 Westwood pars the 17th from that most unlikely position.
13.17 Rory McIlroy is on the putting green and the camera picks him taking a full practice swing with his flat stick.
No doubting which side of the game he favours.......
Adam Scott misses a putt on 17 and is back to one under. From way over the far side of 18, Casey's long putt is up to within about 8 feet. Birdie putt.
Jimenez' par putt is good. Key shot for him there to keep the gains made over the last few holes. Still five under with 18 to come.
13.15 Westwood will putt from this tricky position - so disaster is not on the agenda at least.
It almost skips into the bunker but instead, runs up to the hole - two feet for par.
On three, Daly again goes close with a putt but it finishes just behind the hole - a bogey and he is back to five under.
Goosen also finds a superb shot and will putt from just outside Montgomerie. He is five under.
Jimenez try at a third birdie ina row pulls up well short - from about 20 feet he still has five to go. Tricky par putt for him.
13.12 Casey is five under now and his drive on 18 goes well to the left of the green. Very long putt or chip coming up - he is about 80 yards away from the flag.
Coltart plays a superb shot on three - birdie chance for him coming up.
On 15, Montgomerie - who is +2 - plays an excellent shot up to the pin and will have a chance at birdie.
13.08 Westwood's second on 17 is about 170 yards from the front of the green. He and Billy Foster have a chat and change clubs; five iron is the selection. Foster - formerly Darren Clarke's caddy - has had a terrific influence on Westwood's game.
It comes up short and settles, quite unbelievably, on the rim of the road hole bunker. Impossible shot coming up.
13.02 Westwood, possibly the best driver in the field, smashes a long straight shot to the left edge of the fairway on 17. Great shot.
Up ahead, Casey's long bogey putt comes up well short - he will have 10 feet for double.
12.59 Jimenez is now five under, one behind Westwood.
Generally, though, the cut line may be creeping upwards with birdies hard to come by.
On the second, Coltart has a long putt over humps and hollows and he plays it brilliantly, getting with two feet. He raises his arms and looks to the heavens. On the same hole, Daly just misses with a long one from the back of the green.
12.57 Casey's fourth shot is about 200 yards from the pin, he hits it short and a little left and will have a medium difficulty chip or putt - it is tricky from there.
The saving grace is that The Road Hole bunker is not in play with the flag well over to the right.
Jimenez has made another birdie, holing that putt on 16.
12.55 Big trouble for Casey on 17; he is in deep rough trying to chop a ball out. The first swipe doesn't move the ball, the second gets it out into the fairway.
He has taken three and he still has to hit a good shot to have a chance at bogey here.
12.50 On 16, Westwood's second shot is a terrific strike but he has hung it out to the right. He is pin high from well back, but he will need to chip and hole a putt for par.
Jimenez second on 16 is delayed by people walking behind the green - he's a little ticked off but settles down to play the shot - a fter a change of club - and does it very well.
Pin high to the right of the flag.
Karlsson - who looked like a contender earlier - has finished with a 71, and a birdie on 18. Bogeys on 13 and 17 put a halt to his gallop. He is four under.
Nordic types in trouble is a theme just now; Peter Hanson has bogeyed 17 and is back to five under.
12.47 Coltart has bogeyed the first though; pulling his putt left from six feet. Back to five under. Daly holes out - a little tentatively it must be said - and stays at six under.
12.46 On 16, Westwood's tee shot is perfect; centre fairway. Daly has a long birdie putt on the first, he was quite near the burn there with his second.
He's in good touch though and has a couple of feet for par.
12.42 Jimenez gets a birdie on 15 - back to four under. Nice iron shot and he converted a 20-footer.
On two, John Senden birdies to go to five under. The Australian is considered a terrific ball striker and could be a threat.
Barnes says he hit a poor tee shot and 14 and made a poor decision on second shot.
12.40 Greg Allen (via twitter): 'Morning starters haven't had it bad as the wind switched at around 10.30 so that the early starters had wind behind most of the way.'
Paul Casey has another long putt after laying back too far on the 16th - a hole the players are teeing off well to the left on - he makes a better go of it this time and should par the hole with about two feet to go.
12.36 Daly on the tee; he looked to be in fantastic touch yesterday. Wearing a rather outrageous pair of pink trousers, he tees off perfectly; down the middle with a fairway wood.
The rhythm looks great again.
Andrew Coltart - also six under - tees off with driver and is also down the middle.
12.33 Ricky Barnes is finishing up; he misses another tiddler and ends up with a par on the hole; five under.
Luke Donald is finishing up alongside and he is two over for the Championship and almost certainly out of it.
The third member of that group is PGA Champion YE Yang and he is three under for the Championship after just missing with his birdie effort on the last hole.
12.28 Casey had another birdie chance there be overborrowed from 10 feet and is eight under through 15 with tough holes to come in the shape of 16 and 17.
On 18, Vijay Singh has had a putt roll back to his feet putting out of the Valley of Sin. The response? He holed the next one for birdie.
He finishes with a 73 that includes a terrible stretch of holes on the back nine; bogeys at 12, 13, 17 and 17.
He is three under having looked a real contender earlier today.
12.26 Westwood actually had a par putt there, but he ended up getting it from 10 feet. Still six under after 14.
12.24 Excellent bunker shot from Westwood on 14; he flew it a good 25 yards from the back of the green and got it stop about where it landed, and he'll have a birdie chance.
12.21 Nick Watney is also due out soon; young, Butch Harmon coached American of whom big things are expected; he could be a man to watch.
12.19 Angel Cabrera won't be here for the weekend by the looks things; he is three over today and four over for the Championship after 14 holes today.
12.18 John Daly is due out in the next 20 minutes or so, along with Andrew Coltart. They are both on six under.
12.14 Tipp Man has the final word in this good-natured tracker-spat: 'Tell Luimneach man I know where he lives, and only go up to Jackman Park when it's not raining and when the free beer promotion is advertised :)
'If Rory has another day like yesterday not even The Golden Bear (who's that says you) would catch him.'
The Golden Bear? That'd be Jack Nicklaus of course.
12.10 Casey's long putting has been a weakness and he has another one finish well beyond the hole on the par five 15th, albeit from off the green.
He misses the birdie effort from 15 feet and remains eight under.
On 12, Garcia holes slides an eight foot birdie putt past the hole.....which is strangely re-assuring.
12.05 Dredge finishes with a par on 18 and a 76. He is two under, and that is where some people reckon the cut will fall.
On the first, Marcel Siem holes a huge putt to go to -6! Yesterday's early leader off to the perfect start.
11.59 Jimenez par effort misses but it's a tap in: bogey for the Spaniard he is back to -3.
11.57 Jimenez is in heavy rough on 13 and has to carry a lot of gorse and nasty rough to make the putting surface.
He plays a brilliant shot to get within 25 feet and he'll have that for par.
11.55 Hanson is seven under on the par-five 14th but his short pitch takes a vicious sideways bounce near the flag and he'll have a job making par with a long putt across the green to come.
Dredge will finish with a seven on the 17th and he goes back to two under.
Garcia holes another putt......a par putt on 11 to stay -3.
11.50 McIlroy is on the way to the physio - he's out after 2pm.
Dredge has ditched the wedges and putts up the bank at the back of the 17th, through the thick rough. It races up the bank and clips the hole on the way past.
He's on the dancefloor now, wondering why he didn't take the putter the first time.......
Jimenez has also gotten into trouble, attempting to flight a high shot from the left side rough on 13 he finds deep rough.
The weather is really getting bad - wind whipping trousers, and rain spitting in sideways.
11.48 Bradley Dredge has played a horrific chip shot on the 17th - from less than 20 yards, he sent it right and wide and onto the road.
The Welshman tries to recover with a flop shot but that doesn't quite make it on the putting surface and settles on the shale path behind the hole.
He does throw in the odd horrible shot.
The weather has taken a turn for the worse as Rory McIlroy appears on the range.
11.44 Shane Lowry has also finished for the day; he had a 73 to be three under.
Many thought he would thrive in the poor conditions - as he did for his remarkable Irish Open win at Baltray last year but a double bogey on the second put the Offaly man on the back foot early on; a birdie on nine was followed by a bogey on 10 and he birdied 18 - as he did yesterday - to make absolutely certain of making the cut.
On 15, Barnes putt was actually only about 10 feet but he missed it - back to six under.
11.42 Barnes has had to flip up a high chip with an open clubface to try to get close to the 15th pin and he plays it well; he'll have almost 20 feet for par though.
11.40 Colm Moriarty finished with a par to be one over - that back nine looks like it will cost him a place in the field for the weekend.
The short 12th is proving troublesome for the Westwood/Scott/Jimenez three-ball - the pin is just not easy to get to when chipping.
Looks like fours all round as they all take three from inside 50 yards.
11.37 Mickelson holes that putt to get to two under. Should be safe, and can never be counted out.
Barnes' second on the 15th is almost ideal but it takes a bad bounce and settles just to the right of the flag and in a bit of scraggy rough.
It's not far from the hole, but the third will be tricky.
11.35 Great pitch* by Goosen on nine - flighting it high before letting it run out and seeing it run just past the hole.
Mickelson's eagle putt from just off the green on the same hole ends up well short. He needs to birdie one or two to be sure of being here for Saturday and Sunday. He is one under as it stands.
The projected cut at the moment is one under, but it depends on the scoring later today.
* Being defined by me as a shot that goes over waist high and flies through the air for a greater distance than it travels on the ground. Just so you know.
11.30 Another stunning drive from Westwood; he is just in front of the par-four 12th green in one.
11.28 Barnes holes that double bogey putt. Rueful smile from him; he missed two short ones earlier and could conceivably be 11 under but he is back to -7.
On 11, McDowell hits a cracking iron shot and will have a 12 footer for his sixth birdie of the day.
11.25 Garcia has holed another medium-short putt - Que Pasa! - on the ninth and is four under.
On 11, Westwood has had another birdie putt go close, rolling it up to within inches from around 40 feet. Another par and he remains six under for the Championship.
11.24 Casey had a short pitch for his approach on the 12th after another big drive but he couldn't get it close, seeing it roll back down a slope and into a hollow in the green.
Barnes is in trouble on the par-five 13th - he has a putt for six from off the green and sees it trundle past the hole.
He should hole out but it is almost certainly a double bogey for the American - back to seven under.
11.20 McDowell has a monster putt for eagle on the ninth and he gives it every chance from all of 40 yards; it settles inches from the cup.
Another birdie for the US Open champ.
11.18 Oosthuizen has 15-feet for birdie on 18 and he makes it. Superb finish - he is putting brilliantly.
Twelve under leads the Championship.
11.13 McDowell has moved to four under for the tournament at the end of his back nine today.
Shane Lowry is two under through 16 with the 17th and 18th to come - he should be OK, but a birdie would make certain he survives the cut.
It's bad news for Colm Moriarty, who has leaked three birdies on the back nine - on 13, 16 and 17 - to be one over par. He's now unlikely to be here for the weekend.
11.12 Westwood's birdie putt on 10 stops short and he stays at 10 under.
He chews the shaft of his putter for a bit before tapping in.
Golf does funny things to a chap.
11.09 Oosthuizen's drive on 18 looked ideal as it ran up through the Valley of Sin but the ball did an about turn on the slope and has settled at the bottom of it; tricky shot to set up birdie coming up.
11.06 Luimneach man has some uncomplimentary things to say about Ricky Barnes....and John Barnes: 'Tipp man that supports Limerick FC, Barnes has no chance and his swing is equal to John Barnes management skills he will fade away. Rory is going to continue his good form all weekend and win another Major for Irish golf!'
Oosthuizen has holed that par putt to remain on eleven under but he has not been in attack mode on the back nine. One to play, and he'll be glad to get off the course with this score in his pocket.
11.01 Oosthuizen's second ended up on the front right of the 17th; the pin is at the back of the green and a little further over to right as the players look at it from the fairway.
The Road Hole bunker in front is not really in play.
Oosthuizen's birdie putt runs past the hole and he will have five feet for par.
11.00 Graeme McDowell is two under for the day and three under for the Championship after eight holes.
Peter Hanson has missed a par putt on the 11th and is back to six under.
10.57 And Westwood's putt for birdie has circled the rim of the cup and stayed out. Just a par for him.
Jimenez has gotten his birdie and is out in 31 - five under and putting very nicely after missing some short ones at Loch Lomond last week.
10.55 Jimenez' drive was just short of the green on the driveable par-four ninth but his putt is perfect and he should have another birdie. On the same hole, Westwood's eagle effort is poor enough, he runs it past the hole from the light rough with the putter. Eight feet for birdie.
Adam Scott has putted best of that trio, and has his birdie to be three under.
On the seventh, Sergio Garcia holes a 10-footer (!) to go to three under.
Can't wait to see McIlroy play the ninth later - he eagled it on day one, sparking his run of remarkable scoring.
10.50 Westwood smashes his driver at the ninth and, like Casey, he has also gotten to the back of the green - just off it in fact. Chip and a putt for birdie.
Retief Goosen has had a second birdie in a row to be five under through six.
Mickelson has missed another tiddler for par. Big smile and a shake of the head from Phil but that has killed his momentum.
Oosthuizen has four feet for par on 16 and he pops it in. Will be very interesting to see who he copes with the 17th - he has hit a perfect drive to start with.
On 13, Barnes will have another birdie chance after another perfect iron shot - 10 feet or so.
10.46 Ricky Barnes supporter Tipp man (via e-mail): 'As regards Poulter he will never win a Major (has the talent to do it mind you) if he is still twittering on course. I could be open to correction if he still does twitter but he has to have the mind on the job to win a big one in my amateur opinion.
'C'mon the Rickster I've given up on Stricker, if Barnes can get to -12/-13 today I will be happy and so will he, I presume.'
All opinions are welcome here Tipp man!
10.43 Casey has three-putted - and it is a par on the ninth for him.
10.40 Goosen, who holed a monster putt on the second yesterday, is four under after another birdie on five.
Oosthuizen's second on 16 is pushed high and right and he will need to be precise with his long chip or putt to make sure of par.
Barnes has missed that birdie chance at 12 - another short one gone by the wayside.
It's a bit like John Daly - who had four putts that looked perfect two feet from the hole end up lipping out yesterday. Daly is due out at
On the par-three eighth, Westwood goes close with a long putt after mediocre tee shot.
Casey has a long eagle putt on the ninth after a huge drive that ran to the back of the putting surface but he races it past the hole and will have six feet for birdie.
On 16, Oosthuizen's long putt is good and he has four feet for par.
10.35 Ricky Barnes has played a lovely long running chip into the 12th and he'll have another birdie chance from six feet in a minute.
Miguel Angel Jimenez had a tough day yesterday and finished level par, but he is four under now after seven holes - five birdies today.
He'll have a chance for another on the 8th after a nice seven iron to the back pin position.
On 16, Oosthuizen takes an iron off the tee and lands another one in the fairway.
10.32 Casey has had five birdies in his first eight holes - great scoring in tough conditions.
10.30 Mark Calcavecchia slides in a biride putt on the 18th for a 67 - five birdies no bogies.
Tempted to try the claw grip again.
10.27 Westwood has looked great, but Paul Casey is doing best of the Englishmen at the moment; he has gotten himself to eight under after eight holes today.
On 15, Oosthuizen has another birdie putt and he gives it a great go but it just slides by the hole. Still eleven under and leader by two.
10.26 Seamus Geoghegan (via e-mail): 'Where is mouth almighty Ian Poulter he who declared that he was going to show the Yanks how to play links golf before the tournament?'
He must be showing them in clubhouse afterwards Seamus. He is one under and due out just before 2pm.
Meanwhile, Barnes has missed a short putt for birdie on the 11th.
And the sun has come out.
10.25 So where has Louis Oosthuizen come from and can he win this tournament?
Alan Kelly, Manager of the GUI National Golf Academy (www.learntogolf.ie - "Open To All") has gotten on to give us some info.
'Oosthuizen won the Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Dublin in 2002, beating a field which included Colm Moriarty (also at the Open) and Charl Schwartzel (also at the Open).
'He shot rounds of 73 71 71 68 to win by one shot on the famous North Dublin links.
'Another previous winner of the Irish Amateur Open was Pádraig Harrington (1995) at Fota Island, while Rory McIlory was runner up in 2006 at Portmarnock.'
Seems Oosthuizen's record at Royal Dublin is slightly better than my own.........
10.20 That was a birdie effort from Westwood, and he has holed out for another par: he remains six under through six, and one under for the day.
Robert Karlsson has joined him on six under with a birdie on the ninth - at his best, he is another man who definitely has the quality to win the Championship.
10.16 Westwood skims the hole with a great effort from off the green at the hole on the sixth - he looks like he will be a real danger this weekend.
10.13 Mark Donovan - who likes the RTÉ tracker, thanks Mark, we appreciate it - reckons Rory McIlroy will be able to hold off Tiger.
'I'm a big supporter of McIlroy and believe he will have the skills to keep Tiger in his cage for the next three days.
'C'MON RORY!!'
It would be great to see.........
10.11 Barnes' putt trickles in, looks like he had underhit it but it popped in the front door.
He is now nine under after ten holes.
10.09 Super approach shot from Mickelson on four, seems he has found his game.
10.08 Peter Hanson - the subject of an inquiry via e-mail yesterday - has holed a monster putt on the seventh and is up to tied-fourth.
The rain is easing at St Andrews now and the players are taking off the raingear.
10.06 Barnes has played another lovely iron shot and has another birdie chance coming up.
The question is this: can his unorthodox swing hold up under pressure for another two and a half days?
10.01 Padraig Harrington is due out at 14.31.
Mickelson is going for a big one on four and he launches a big hit to the left side of the fairway; perfect.
Colin Montgomerie, who in a rather poignant moment failed to clear the hotel from the new back tee on the 17th yesterday, is about 40 yards behind Mickelson but he has made the fairway.
Sandy Lyle was the only other player to land one on the guests.
9.59 A birdie for Phil - he is back to level par after three holes today. And an eagle for Adam Scott on the fifth - he's two under.
Oosthuizen has given that par putt a good chance but left it five inches short. Back to -10 through 13.
Will be interesting to see how he scores on the rest of the back nine.
9.54 Oosthuizen has a very long par putt coming up; tried to putt his way out of trouble from off the green on the 13th but saw it run on a good 20 feet past the hole.
Meanwhile, Barnes has a birdie chance coming up on the ninth.
9.50 Westwood played one of the shots of the day yesterday on the 17th, a low skimming iron that landed and followed the contours of the green complex beautifully.
He has had all pars on his four holes so far today and is five under at the moment - he will have a long birdie chance at the fifth.
9.47 Phil Mickelson's round is being rather slavishly followed by the TV cameras despite being entirely becalmed; he has tonked a drive into the rough on the fourth.
Tiger Woods - the other side of the big TV draws today - is due out at 2.20pm.
9.42 Colm Moriarty is going well today, he is two under for his round and two under for the tournament. Unfortunately, Shane Lowry is going the other - two over for the day and two under for the tournament. Moriarty is on the 12th and Lowry is a hole behind on the 11th.
Aside from McIlroy, they are the leading Irishmen in t-48th.
Darren Clarke is due out just after 3pm.
At the top of the leaderboard, Oosthuizen has also knocked in another birdie; he is eleven under after 12. Barnes has parred the 8th.
What type of winning score might we end up with at St Andrews? Could be in the 20s......
9.33am Another birdie for Barnes, he is a man on a mission this morning: four under for the day and eight under for the tournament; that's one behind McIlroy and two behind Oosthuizen.
9.30am RTÉ Sport's Greg Allen has been twittering away:
And today: 'Wind at the players backs on the front nine so that could explain Oosthuizen's fine scoring.'
Last night: 'As dusk settles over St Andrews, Harrington was on the practice green with a a curious looking training device. Typical dedication.'
www.twitter.com/gregallenrte for more.
9.25am Good morning and welcome to the Open tracker.....
It looks utterly miserable at St Andrews; wet and windy with casual water lying on the golf course in places - notably in front of the first green.
What's been happening? Quite a lot to be honest; the biggest mover is Ricky Barnes - a reliable Major performer who is often near the top of the leaderboard in big events. And he wears a funny cap.
He is three under for the day and seven under for the tournament.
Early starter Louis Oosthuizen has grabbed the lead, he is three under for the day on the 11th hole and ten under for the tournament.
And Phil Mickelson has just missed an easy birdie putt on the first and he is still one over.
Graeme McDowell managed to birdie the first but he has missed a five footer on the the third - one under for the day.
Rory McIlroy is not due out on the course until just before 2pm.
