Open Last-Chance Qualifier Leaderboard And Live Updates: Tight Finish In Store For Final Spot

FIRST MISTAKE

And the drama continues! Joe Dean has made his first bogey of the day at the 13th. He becomes the sixth player out of the 12 to bogey the par-4 and slips back into a share with the resurgent Wilson.

PRESSURE BACK ON

Well now. Joe Dean isn't quite cut and dried just yet. Andrew Wilson quickly puts that bogey on the 13th behind him thanks to a gain at the par-5 14th.

He's back up to one-under and just a single stroke behind the leader...

NIGHTMARE FOR ARNAUS

In the first group out, Adri Arnaus is surely already thinking of the clubhouse and which event he has next on the schedule. The Spaniard makes a bogey at the par-5 14th and is now on four over. He is firmly in 12th place.

MOST BOGEYED HOLE

Continuing the theme from earlier, the par-4 eighth hole has proved to be a real toughy for this 12-man field. SEVEN of the players made bogey today.

It's going to play around 460 yards during The Open Championship and could prove to be decisive if we see as high a percentage of the field make bogey. Par on the eighth may well prove to be a gain on the field.

DEAN ESCAPES

Given the carnage going on at this stage, a par for the leader will feel like gold dust. Dean makes his three at the 12th and remains mistake-free for the day.

FOUR MAKE MISTAKES

Unfortunately for Wesley Bryan, the American is heading in the wrong direction and might well be out of the running. He bogeys the par-3 12th, but he's not the only one.

After bogeying the same hole just now, Gough makes a double at the par-4 13th and is now at three-over.

Huntzinger and Arnaus also slip up at the 13th, which is proving to be a very unlucky hole for some.

MOST BIRDIED HOLE

The most-birdied hole so far today at Royal Birkdale has been the par-4 fifth. Four players made gains there: Andrew Wilson, Charles Huntzinger, Sam Easterbrook (A) and Angel Hidalgo. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, that's been his only birdie so far today.

The fifth hole is only going to play 321 yards at The Open, so we may well see a few more red numbers there this week.

LATE INCLUSION ON THE CHARGE

Speaking of amateurs, England's Frazer Jones - who was a late inclusion in the field after the withdrawal of Marcus Helligkilde on Saturday - has just made a positive move.

Jones birdies the par-3 12th to join that group on one-over. What a story it'd be if Jones snatched the final Open exemption. He's got work to do still, mind.

MOLONEY LOOKING TO MOVE UP

American amateur Matt Moloney has responded really well to a double-bogey six at the eighth earlier on. Since then, he's gone one-under through the subsequent five holes and sits patiently in T4th, three strokes back of Dean. He will have to start taking some more chances soon, though, with only one place at The Open on the line...

TWO-SHOT LEAD

It's a big moment for Dean, potentially, as Andrew Wilson bogeys the par-4 13th to slip back to even par. Joe Dean remains at two-under, so he finally has some breathing room in the final third of this inaugural Last Chance Qualifier.

JOE DEAN TO THE SUMMIT

And there's one of those birdies I was talking about! Joe Dean makes a move to the summit with a birdie at the par-4 11th. That takes him to two-under for the day.

Around the same time, John Gough stumbles at the par-3 12th to fall back down to one-over. That's his first non-par of the day!

TIGHT AT THE TOP

Seven players are within two strokes at the top currently, and there are still more than six holes to play for the full 12-man field. Plenty can still change here, and we've already seen that with the number of birdies and bogeys across the board so far.

GREAT RESPONSE

Just as I was writing off his chances, the South African responds with a birdie to rejoin those in third. A birdie three at the par-4 10th leaves him at even par once again, so one stroke behind a potential playoff...

POTGIETER ON THE SLIDE

Aldrich Potgieter was right in contention not too long ago at Royal Birkdale. However, consecutive bogeys have dropped him down to T4th on one-over.

On the flip side, English amateur Sam Easterbrook has made two birdies in a row before a par at the par-4 11th, so he's right back in the mix and riding a wave of momentum.

ENGLISH PROS LEAD THE WAY

Joe Dean continues his bogey-free round so far with another par at the 10th. His only birdie so far arrived at the par-3 seventh. Dean remains tied at the top on one-under.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wilson is through 12 holes on one-under following two pars in a row.

Third place belongs to John Gough, the recent HotelPlanner Tour winner who apparently once lost to our own Matt Cradock in junior county golf. Happens to the best of us, John...

Gough, who is on the 11th at the moment, has made par at every single hole so far.

HALFWAY THROUGH

Hello and welcome to live updates from the Last-Chance Qualifier, where the 12 players are all around the halfway stage.

It's a tight battle at the top as things stand, with Englishmen Andrew Wilson and Joe Dean tied at the top. All 12 players are separated by just four strokes, however, so there's set to be plenty of twists and turns ahead.