It was a tough day on course at The Open for the Australasian contingent but fans will have six players to cheer on at Royal Birkdale over the weekend.

Adam Scott is the leading Aussie with rounds of 69 and 74 to be T35 on 3-over and a long way back of Jordan Spieth who leads at 6-under the card.

“It was just difficult. I mean, I don’t know how else to assess it. Tough wind for this golf course, too, I think,” said Scott.

“I know it’s allowed to blow a lot out of here, but just south of the southeast it made angles pretty tough, fairways tough to hit. It’s pretty challenging out there now.

“It’s hard to be critical of the swing and everything because everyone lost a shot on the wind out there today. But it wasn’t feeling great.

“I didn’t warm up well, the rhythm wasn’t there. So I was fighting it a bit today. And kind of did well to only lose a few shots out there rather than completely capitulate.

Showing his fighting spirit, Scott is ready for the third round, saying a low round can put him back in the mix.

“Get a little lucky and tomorrow morning is nice conditions, I can try to put 18 good holes together and I’ll be right back in it, for sure.”

Qualifying for The Open just last week, Andrew Dodt is next best of the Aussies with rounds of 69 and 75 to be a shot behind Scott on 4-over the card. It was a grinding day for the Queenslander who failed to make a birdie in the second round.

Earning his place at The Open via the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Aaron Baddeley has a two round score of 5-over the card after rounds of 69 and 76.

Joining him on the leaderboard after also shooting 76 in the third round are Jason Day and Marc Leishman.

It was a tough run into the clubhouse for Day who dropped five shots in his last three holes. Leishman, like Dodt, was birdie free in the third round.

Scott Hend fired 74 on Friday, giving him the equal best second round score of the Aussie contingent alongside Adam Scott.

He joins Baddeley, Day and Leishman on the leaderboard at T61, making the cut on the number.

The Australasian contingent was 13 players strong at the start of the 146^th Open but just six remain after Ryan Fox (+6), Adam Bland (+7), Matthew Griffin (+7), Ryan McCarthy (+8), Cameron Smith (+9), Ashley Hall (+9) and Michael Hendry (+10) all ending their campaigns after two rounds.