4.45am - I'm up, at an alarmingly early time for the second day in a row, and I'm sat in front of the computer, checking the Sandwich weather. It looks like it will be sunny all day, with temperatures in the afternoon getting up to 22. I've decided that I will take the fleece, but not jackets or waterproofs.
6.30am - On the park and ride bus taking us to the course. So, it turns out that the organisers are not kidding when they say that mobile phones will not be allowed onto the course. I'd decided to ignore this and smuggle my phone in and keep it on silent. However, as I approach the buses, I see that there is airport style security set up which everyone is going through before getting on board. Not wanting to risk either not getting in, or being kicked out later, I send a quick text to Nicky and leave the phone in the car. Being incommunicado for a whole day seems rather odd these days! It means that I won't be able to be in touch with Darren during the day, as he is coming along to be corporately entertained by one of the major sponsors of the tournament. So, chances of a repeat of the Wimbledon moment when Jake and I had a call upgrading our attendance disappear.
6:45am - Arrived at the course. As I boarded the bus I was given a little slip of paper to confirm that I had been through security and had my bag searched already, so that I didn't have to do it again at the entrance. My bag did cause some concern to the x-ray machine operator, and I had to show them that what they could see was an i-pod and not a phone. (Mind you, I didn't have to turn it on to prove that it was just an i-pod and not an i-phone.) Walking on to the course I decide that I don't need one of their official souvenir programmes - I printed out the tee times and a course map at home before setting off.
7.45am - After a wander around some of the early holes, I've settled into the grandstand behind the first green to watch some of the early groups come through.
8.10am - i-pod on, and binoculars out, watching the second shots from down the fairway come in to the first green. Quite impressed myself with my organisation on this one. Firstly, I remembered that putting some binoculars in my bag would be a good idea, and secondly, I was able to find them. We still have the ones that were given out ages ago when I went to a racing day with work. Darren Clarke just came through, getting a big ovation on his way - definitely one of the crowd's favourites. The sun is out and the fleece is off - it's warming up nicely - not a cloud to be seen in the sky.
9.15am - Looking down the fairway, it's clear that this is a big group on its way. Here comes Westwood, and he's being followed by a cameraman on a Segway.
9.45am - Following Westwood's group around (he is playing with Charl Schwartzel and Steve Stricker) and Lee has started birdie, bogey, par. Three good tee shots into the par 3 third, but only Schwartzel makes the birdie putt.
10.20am - a quick pit stop for me on the way down the 4th, but with a fresh bottle of water in hand, I only miss the tee shots, and catch up with them on the fairway. Lee and Charl both come away with pars, and Stricker holes a good putt for bogey. Walking down the 4th I am behind a group of four guys who are wearing white T-shirts, with one big black capital letter on the back of each one. S-E-V-E.
10.35am - great atmosphere on the par 3 6th. It's something of a bowl green, and I'm looking across at a steep bank on the other side of the green, which due to the shape of the ridge, and the row of heads all along the top of it, looks like a porcupine of people. All three safely onto the green, and Lee putts first. He has about 30 feet to the hole and is putting straight towards me. There's a big break on the putt, and he judges it well, but it just shades the hole and goes 3ft past. He misses the return and three putts for bogey. Some great noises adding to the atmosphere: as they took their tee shots on this hole, I was maybe twenty yards in front of the tee, and could clearly hear the balls as they fizzed up into the air off the tee; then on the green, as Lee's putt came towards me there was the rapid click-click from a bank of cameras on a raised platform behind me.
11.00am - a messy par 5 7th from this group, with none of them troubling the fairway much, but Lee manages to come away with a birdie. As we're near the 7th green, the porcupine back at the 6th starts going crazy, and a rumour quickly works its way round the crowd that Watson has just got a hole in one - fantastic! Within our group, Charl is definitely having the best of it so far.
11.25am - definitely an up and down round so far for Lee. No sooner does he birdie on 7, he bogeys on 8. To prove the point that Charl is having the best of it, they are both just off the green, and Lee chips past the hole and misses the return, and Charl nearly chips in.
11.40am - Aaargh! Lee just three-putted the 9th and has dropped another shot. I'm a bit confused by the scoreboards, as they have Westwood as +3 for the first nine (and therefore +4 overall) whereas I thought he was +2. Time to start worrying about the cut. [Note - later investigation shows that Lee actually took a 6 on the par 4 8th whereas I had thought it was just a bogey.]
Midday - Westwood makes a good save at 10. He hits a terrible second shot, pushed short and to the right, and finds a bunker in front of the green. However the bunker is set well below the putting surface, and he is playing from the sand at least 15 feet below the hole. Despite this, he manages a great shot to about 3ft and holes the putt. Mind you, the other two both card birdies.
12.15pm - Par 3 11th. Schwartzel - birdie, Westwood - par, Stricker - bogey.
12.30pm - Time for a sit down and to munch on some of my lunch as we head down the side of the 13th. The grandstands are all looking pretty full up - I may have to wait a while once I have chosen a spot to sit.
12.55pm - just bumped into a former colleague of mine (Rob) on the 13th. On 14, Schwartzel hits a wayward drive beyond the ropes and into the crowd on the left. I form part of the crowd U around the ball, and we watch Charl come over, assess his terrible lie, and then punch out a fantastic recovery back to the middle of the fairway. This is the corner of the course nearest to the field that's full of helicopters. They've been ferrying people around all day - probably mostly for players but maybe for some VIP visitors as well.
1.20pm - Lee birdies the 15th - maybe there is still hope.
1.35pm - Hope comes, hope goes! Lee hits a decent tee shot into the 16th green, about 20ft from the pin, but three putts for bogey.
1.50pm - I've moved ahead one group and have a spot in the grandstand on the 18th, just watching Furyk and Langer finish off before Lee's group appears.
2.50pm - So, I saw Westwood finish off with a disappointing 73, looking uncertain as to whether he will make it through to the weekend. Stuck around on the 18th to watch the next couple of groups come through, so saw Phil in the next group and then we all gave Tom Watson a standing ovation. Tom Lewis, the amateur, was lucky not to go out of bounds behind the green, after bouncing back off a fence post. I've been watching some of the later groups to go out warming up on the practice green, including Fisher and Daly. John Daly looks to be half the man he once was.
4.10pm - Had a look around in the tented village. Nothing really took my fancy in the merchandise store. If I want a new polo shirt, I think I'd prefer just to go to the sports store rather than have one from here. Gary Player was in the merchandise store signing copies of his book. I grabbed a burger (expensive but quite nice) and have now settled in to the grandstand behind the 16th tee. As predicted, I did have to wait for a little while to get a seat.
4.25pm - Todd Hamilton isn't having a good 16th. He's just played out of the bunker to the right of the green straight across and into the bunker on the left. His next bunker shot is much better, finishing about 3ft from the hole, but he misses the short putt and takes a double bogey.
6.50pm - On the park and ride bus back to the car park. I stayed on the 16th until about half past six, and left once Rory's group came through (Rory got a par). I was sat on the back row of the grandstand, and so could see lots of other holes. I saw, through the binoculars, Rory play the 9th green, and then could keep an eye on his progress as he neared the 16th. By the time he came through it was getting a bit nippy with a bit of a breeze getting up.
8.20pm - back home after a long but enjoyable day.