Rory's rabble on the march as McIlroy and Poulter stakes their Open claims

It's 56 years since Arnie's Army marched around Royal Birkdale, lifting their man on their shoulders and carrying him to his first Open title.

Arnold Palmer's passing last year is never far from thoughts this week, his signature has pride of place on the giant grandstands around the 18th green, while a plaque still marks the spot of a improbable recovery shot on the 16th that proved decisive all those years ago.

Rory McIlroy also has that rare gift for energising a crowd – though the cheeky chappie we saw winning just a few miles away at Royal Liverpool three years ago has recently been replaced by player running low on confidence and seemingly in a perpetual grump.

But this was more like it, and Rory's Rabble gleefully scampered after their man as he got himself back in contention for a fifth major title.

At five over following the first six holes of the first round, he looked likely to earn himself nothing more than a weekend off.

But his back-nine rally on Thursday was followed by an impressive 68 in testing conditions, a performance he labelled as one of the best of his career. Dignity preserved, now the real business can start.

It didn't just rain here yesterday. It was biblical. The leaden skies unleashed a torrent of such fury many were washed up in the wake.

McIlroy arguably had the better of the conditions but that shouldn't detract from performance, which laid the foundations for a fascinating weekend.

"That's right up there with one of my best Open rounds ever," said McIlroy, as 30mph gusts and squally showers produced fascinating golf but the worst advert for this stretch of coast's appeal as a summer holiday destination.

"I thought if I could keep it under par for the championship I'm right there for the weekend. I saw a lot of quality out there which was good.

"I just wanted to continue with that good feeling from the last few holes in the first round. I went out with positivity and trust in myself. I just need to keep that for the next two days and I can't wait."

Meanwhile, Ian Poulter's renaissance continued with a solid level-par round that kept him right in contention. He's arguably played in the worst of the conditions on both days and, with a different draw, he could be much closer to Jordan Spieth at the top of the leaderboard.

A pumped-up Poulter is the stuff of Ryder Cup legend and with a big American target ahead of him, surely it's time to channel the emotions of the classic moments that have so far defined his career.

"This isn't the Ryder Cup, it's The Open," he said. "It's not about an Englishman against a couple of Americans, there are a lot of people still in this tournament.

"On the scorecard it was a very boring round of golf but it certainly wasn't in terms of how I had to piece my way around the course.

"It was a solid day at the office and I'm delighted to be in contention again. The walks from greens to tees were fantastic today, the support was brilliant.

"It's difficult to talk about winning right now. I don't want to use up mental energy thinking about holding the Claret Jug, but there's a lot of golf to be played. You can guess how good it would feel after the year I've had. That large confidence tank that was empty a few months ago is starting to fill up."

Poulter insists the lack of a major title from his resume will not haunt him, though he's not quite ready to pass the mantle to 13-year-old son Luke - who will leave Birkdale as a winner with money in his pocket, whatever Dad achieves this weekend.

"He went out to play golf with John Daly's lad," added Poulter. "He played eight holes and managed to win his little match, so he came home pumped. It's been amazing having him here for three weeks; he's excitable and it makes it even more special.

"One was very upset when he came back in the house, and that was little John. He also lost 20 quid - one down after eight. Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, on both sides.

"I'm loving it. I feel like my game's back to form and I can go toe-to-toe with anyone, so let's see where it takes me."

Sportsbeat 2017