FRIDAY - ROUND TWO

7.30am: The weather forecasters were right. It's raining! It's what you might call steady rain rather than cats or dogs and judging by the skies it looks set for some time. But it's wind rather than rain that concerns golfers most and it's not too bad on that front. The flags are rippling rather than flapping wildly so there's no reason to think that scores will balloon just yet.

7.45am: Is the weather magnifying the difficulty of the first hole? The first six players through combine for two pars, three bogeys and one double bogey.

8am: Davis Love at 9.01am will be the first of our tips to get his round off and running. Tiger is away just before 2pm. Just to remind you of our selections here they are with their revised prices and tee-times:
0901: Davis Love (Level) - was 33/1 now 25/1
1313: Ernie Els (-1) – was 18/1 now 14/1
1357: Tiger Woods (-1) – was 2/1 now 2/1
1408: Justin Leonard (Level) – was 50/1 now 40/1
1446: Sergio Garcia (Level) – was 20/1 now 25/1
We’ve also backed this bunch, aside from Tiger, on the spreads. But we’re also looking out for two other players. Estes we want to do well while we want Rose to wilt.
1357: Justin Rose (-3) Bought finishing position
1023: Bob Estes (Level) Sold finishing position
It’s pretty much a case of as you were with our fixed odds tips. Their prices are all virtually the same as when they started. But on the spreads, we need Rose to start falling away. This bet doesn’t look promising given the way he played yesterday.

8.15am: No-one hates the Open more than US player Scott Hoch. It’s amazing he’s actually turned up to play this week. With that in mind I’m going out on the course to see how he’s coping with the adverse weather conditions. He started the day three over so his mood probably isn't great.

10.15am: Those who bet on Scott Hoch missing the cut – a legitimate tactic given his dislike for this tournament - will have been rubbing their hands with glee this morning. With the conditions rainy and miserable, surely Hoch would get a bad case of the grumps and let his overnight score of +3 drift even further. But bad news. I've just followed the American for seven holes and he's hit every fairway and every green. If he'd only holed a few very makeable putts he'd be hovering around par. The dye was cast when I saw him smiling on the second tee and since then he's strolled round, hands in pockets, as if he doesn't have a care in the world. Playing partner Jose Coceres of Argentina looked far more miserable while former US Open champ Steve Jones was his usual happy-go-lucky self despite throwing in a double bogey at the sixth. Despite the steady trickle of rain, conditions under foot were fine and the bottom of my trousers are virtually wet-free. The main thing though is how little wind there is still. Perhaps that's why we're starting to see birdies and even eagles from the morning starters. Passing the giant scoreboard area just right of the eighth tee I noticed that Davis Love has made a steady start. And on the practice tee another of our tips, Bob Estes, seemed to be swinging easily. Back in the press tent the big hole-by-hole scoreboard in front of me (I'm sat on the front row) shows that Darren Clarke has made a big move while Nick Price, who many of the journalists here were saying good things about, is now leading at five-under.

11.15am It was Nick Faldo’s birthday yesterday and the double Muirfield champion is enjoying some happy returns this morning with an eagle at the fifth and a birdie at six to put himself into red figures on –1. And sponsors, The Famous Grouse, have given lucky Nick, 45, a bottle of their Vintage Malt to celebrate. Their press release also tells us that if Faldo wins, the first three hundred spectators to the bar at The Famous Grouse 19th hole will receive a free dram of “Scotland’s favourite whisky”. Despite Faldo’s good start, I won’t be forming a queue just yet.

11.20am I feel that Davis Love needs my help so I’m going to pick up the Love-Monty-Choi group at the 10th hole. The crowds should be pretty thick with Monty in full flight and with the rain now virtually ceased my view shouldn't be hindered by umbrellas.

2pm: The plan was to watch the Monty group until the 14th hole and then take the short walk back to the press tent. But after he reached the turn in 31 it was clear there was something special happening so I stayed with him. And it proved worthwhile as Monty turned in a sparkling 64 – just one shot more than the lowest rounds ever shot in major championship history. The support was fantastic and made me think that we should revise the opinion that Monty’s best chance of a first major title will come at a US Open. It was hard to argue otherwise through the 90s but the years of barracking and personal abuse from US Open galleries has perhaps taken too much of a toll. Lytham last year showed that the Brits love to cheer on Monty and that feeling was even more prevalent here in his Scottish homeland. Of course, Monty has to stop shooting himself in the foot and eliminate the frustrated four-letter outbursts that followed his opening round 74 yesterday. Goodwill can dry up. But today, as you would expect, he was more than happy to talk to the press. The BBC’s Dougie Donnelly nabbed him first. “Whose a clever boy?” said Dougie, slapping him on the thigh before the cameras rolled. A sheepish Monty didn’t quite know what to say but once on air he was happy to wallow in his superb performance. As Monty talked to ABC, Radio Scotland and any other microphone thrust his way, Tiger Woods was preparing to tee off on the first. Monty currently has a three-shot advantage over him. It will be interesting to see what the gap is at the end of the day. With the wind still failing to materialise, you wouldn’t put it past Tiger to produce a similar score. As for Davis Love, my 33/1 shot scored worse than he played. Apart from a poor swing and a resulting bogey on the last he gave himself plenty of birdie putts but couldn’t convert. At +1 he’ll get into the weekend and let’s not forget David Duval was six back at halfway last year.

2.15pm: Despite taking a radio out with me, not every player’s score is mentioned so there’s a real sense of excitement as you dash back into the press tent to find out the latest scores. And the news is good! Cult spread betting sell Bob Estes is two-under while Ernie Els has started like a train. Four consecutive 3s have taken the South African to –4, just a couple of shots off the lead.

3pm: Whilst tucking into a late lunch, the TV in the corner of the dining area is beaming out messages too good to be true. Our big tip Ernie Els has roared into the lead after five birdies while Justin Rose is sliding away. The claim by Ernie’s dad that his son was “going to have a good one” looks spot on. However, it’s far, far too early to get excited about anything although the nightmare scenario of all the tips missing the cut seems to have been averted at least. Talking of which, the projected cut is currently at +2. Just as I’m about to send this, Els birdies again to go to seven-under! What was that about not getting excited.

3.15pm: The announcer in the press tent asks for a show of hands as to whether he should call Stephen Ames into the interview room. As far as my eye can see, not a single one goes up. I would have done but I feel a bit self-conscious. As an offshoot of following Bob Estes late last night, I got the chance to witness playing partner Ames in action. The man from Trinidad and Tobago played beautifully over the final holes, suggesting he would go well again today. And so it's proved. He briefly held the lead for a while before finishing on -4. Whilst he was knocking in birdies on Thursday, Mrs Ames was following him round reading a book. Had he been called in for interview he could have told me what it was although perhaps my curiosity wasn't enough to base a whole press conference around.

3.30pm: Now I'm in a superstitious dilemma. The marvellous Ernie Els has just finished his front nine in a remarkable 29 to take a three-shot lead. Do I go out and witness this phenomenal round continue or will I put the mockers on him if I start watching? Sports fans will be familiar with this sort of stupid logic which can extend to wearing lucky shirts or, at its worst, deliberately driving the wrong way to a football ground.

3.40pm: Els has a three-shot lead over the field and is five clear of Tiger Woods but Hills still make Tiger the favourite at 13/8. Els is just behind on 7/4 with Colin Montgomerie, four off the pace, 12/1 third favourite.

4pm: No-one in history has shot a 62 in a major championship. After his outward 29, Ernie Els now needs to play his second nine in 33 or better to write himself into the history books. A bogey at 11 has reduced the odds of that but sensing that this is an “I was there” moment, I will ignore my irrational fear and try to pick up Els at the 14th and watch his final few holes.

6pm: It's been a slightly anti-climatic couple of hours as instead of coming home in two under to set a new majors scoring record, Els plays his second nine in two over. But a superb up-and-down at the last ends his round on a positive note and, as you might expect, he tells greenside reporters that he would have settled for a 66 at the start of the day. The par keeps his lead intact although a number of players still out on the course are capable of catching him. But bad news on my return to the press tent as I click on the Unisys scores and see that Justin Leonard has slipped to +3 and looks like missing the cut.

6.30pm: The official Ernie Els press conference is packed out as you might expect for the new tournament leader. The South African is genial as ever but still comes across as lacking self-belief. After being asked about the work he's been putting in with his Belgian psychologist, PA press reporter Mark Garrod asks him if he needs to be convinced that he can win. “You always need convincing,” says Els immediately. You can't help thinking Tiger's answer might have been different. Ernie reckons the outward 30 he shot in the third round of his US Open win at Oakmont in 1994 eclipses his front nine 29 today in terms of quality although he still describes the first half of his round as "pretty amazing". “If I'd kept that going I could have shot 54,” he adds, possibly getting his sums a bit mixed up. But the award for dodgy mathematics today goes to Jonathan Kaye. The US Tour player signs a wrong score not once but twice and is subsequently disqualified. Kaye's catalogue of errors is academic anyway as back to back 74s leaves him six over and well outside the cut mark.

7pm: Shigeki Maruyama has joined Els at the top of the leaderboard on six-under after a second successive 68 and he’s brought into the official interview room. And his press conference turns out to be one of the highlights of the day. It’s a laugh a minute with smiling Shigeki coming out with some beauties. Because he answers in native tongue, the Japanese contingent in the room are the first to collapse laughing but we follow soon after his interpreter repeats the gag in English. As he never stops smiling, he’s asked what he does if he gets angry. “I go into the woods and kick trees,” he says through his interpreter. And asked where he gets his happy-go-lucky nature from, he answers, in English, “Nice family”, sticks his thumbs up Fonz-style and bursts out laughing. Beneath the charm and humour though, there are hints as to why a Japanese golfer hasn’t yet won a major. Despite outscoring playing partner Tiger Woods, Shigeki says golf is a four-day sport and he’s sure Tiger will be on top of him at the end. He also reveals that he doesn’t have the confidence to say he has a chance of winning. He could be playing things down but somehow you get the impression he means it.

7.15pm: Just a quick note on Scott Hoch who I followed earlier in the day. Despite his disliking for the adverse British weather he looked at ease from the moment I first saw him on the second hole. And it's no surprise to see that he carded a 69 to finish one over and put himself into the weekend. It proves again how important the mental aspect is in golf. If Hoch had looked miffed in the early holes, I would bet my bottom dollar that he would have gone on to miss the cut.

7.45pm: So as play draws to a close it's been a much more exciting day today and all our tips have made it through to the weekend. Els is the star man of course after his 66 gives him a tie for the lead. Tiger is lurking dangerously on -4 while Sergio Garcia, who has gone almost unnoticed today, is still very much in the hunt on two-under. Davis Love slightly disappointed by finishing on +1 but I was glad to see Justin Leonard record that same score as he looked dead and buried before birdies at two of the last three holes got him into the weekend. Spreads tip Bob Estes has also safely made the cut on -1 and my claim that Justin Rose would miss the cut, which looked ludicrous yesterday, ended up being not so daft after his 75 today left him one over.