Irishman Shane Lowry holds a two-shot lead at The Open after day two in Scotland.
It was a windy day at Royal Troon and testing conditions separated the men from boys, including Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut.
Lowry shot two-under 69 to add to his day one 66, putting him on -7 for the tournament.
He is two shots ahead of original leader Dan Brown and Justin Rose, who are both on -5.
Lowry was delighted with his round considering the conditions in the north.
Speaking to BBC NI after his round, he said: “To shoot in the 60s is very good any day on this course, even when the conditions aren’t this bad. I’m very happy.
Shane leads at halfway.
The 152nd Open continues tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/cijAfIJZa2
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2024
“I faced a little bit of adversity in the middle of the round and I’m happy with how I dealt with it.
“I moved on and hit some great shots coming in.
“I’ve got 24 hours until my tee time [on Saturday]. I’m going to go home, chill out and soak it all in and then give it my best.”
Lowry birdied the first, fourth and eighth holes before having a bit of a wobble in the second half of the course.
A double bogey on the 11th seemed like it might derail his day, but he held his nerve to birdie the 16th and 18th.
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Brits close behind
Former US Open winner Rose holed a sensational 40-foot birdie on the 18th to share a top-two spot.
He faced the worst of the conditions but proved he still has what it takes to challenge for a major.
The Brit added: “That was a hard round of golf, a great round of golf.
“It was the type of day where the course was relentless. There was no let-up and it was nice to finish with a smile on my face.”
For the first time since 1951, the top three at the halfway stage of The Open are all from Ireland or the United Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/o1jH6dhaP3
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2024
Many thought Brown would drop off after stunning spectators with his first round on Thursday.
But the 29-year-old continued to thrive on the biggest stage, birdieing the 10th and 16th holes.
He did record three bogeys after going without one during his first round and a particularly nasty putt on the 17th means he is two shots off the lead rather than one.
Trouble for the big guns
Scottie Scheffler is back at -2, although the world No.1 is certainly still within a shout of winning The Open.
The same cannot be said for some of the other big tour names, including McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods, who all missed the cut.
Naturally, a large crowd was drawn to Woods when he teed off early in the morning, but he finished his round at +14.
The golf icon remained upbeat however, and said to the media that he wants to up the amount of courses he is playing so he is better prepared for major tournaments going forwards.
He said: “I just wanted to make sure that I was able to play the major championships this year.
“I’ve got better, even though my results really haven’t shown it, but physically I’ve got better.
“I just need to keep progressing and getting into the competitive flow again.”
His wait for a fifth major will stretch into an 11th year ⌛#BBCGolf #TheOpenChampionship pic.twitter.com/jqtRwnV8iH
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 19, 2024
McIlroy’s luck has not improved since the agonising collapse at the US Open a few months ago.
The Northern Irishman posted a 75 for the day and finished 11 over par, two back from DeChambeau.
Play will continue tomorrow and more tricky conditions are expected in Scotland ahead of what should be a thrilling weekend of action.
