Brilliant Lowry surges clear as McIlroy struggles

ByMatt Gault

BBC Sport NI senior journalist

Irish Open, second-round leaderboard

-11 S Lowry (Ire); -8 H Li (Chn), N Norgaard (Den), J Skov Olesen (Den); -5 E Ferguson (Sco), J Niemann (Chi), K Kobori (NZ), N Hojgaard (Den), T McKibbin (NI); -4 A Sullivan (Eng), P Reed (USA), R Neergaard-Petersen (Den), J Dantrop (Swe)

Selected others: -3 J Rahm (Spa), R MacIntyre (Sco); -2 R McIlroy (NI); -1 A Fitzpatrick (Eng); E L Donald (Eng), S Garcia (Spa); +1 B Koepka (USA), S Straka (Aut)

Full leaderboard

Shane Lowry carded a course-record 62 to take control of the Irish Open as putting woes prevented defending champion Rory McIlroy from making a second-round charge at Doonbeg.

Irishman Lowry, who won his national title as an amateur in 2009, made six birdies in the space of seven holes on his front nine to surge clear in more favourable conditions after Thursday's heavy wind and rain.

Three more birdies - and a bogey on 13 - followed as the 39-year-old established a three-shot lead over China's Li Haotong and the Danish pair of Jacob Skov Olesen and Niklas Norgaard Moller at Trump International Golf Links in County Clare on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland.

"It was real fun out there. I got off to a nice start and then I just kept going," said Lowry, who is playing his first tournament since failing to make the final two PGA Tour play-off events.

"I felt great out there. Just kept my foot on the gas and tried to keep hitting good shots and keep holing putts and it was a nice day."

With all parts of his game operating efficiently, Lowry started with two pars before reeling off a hat-trick of birdies from the third.

After a par on the sixth, the 2019 Open champion drained a 24-foot putt for a birdie two on the next and closed out his front nine with two more birdies to turn in six-under 30.

Lowry, who has not won an individual title in four years, scrambled for a par five at 10 when he hacked out of long rough before holing a 10-footer.

Birdies at 11 and 12 ignited hopes of a 59 at the par-70 venue before a sloppy bogey on 13 when he three-putted from 18 feet.

But the world number 53, who attracted large galleries around the spectacular links course, rolled in a 19-footer for birdie at 15 to return to -11 before finishing with three pars.

"I thought about it," Lowry, who has not returned a top-20 finish since February, said when asked if a sub-60 round entered his mind.

"Yeah, I did think about it until I three-putted 13. No, I did have a little laugh. Out in 30 and the back nine is only 34, so, yeah, you do kind of think about it a little bit."

He added: "I know I made a little mistake on 13, but I think I did a good job after that of playing the rest of the round really well and giving myself a couple of chances on the way in."

While Lowry prospered in more benign conditions, his good friend and Ryder Cup team-mate McIlroy failed to climb the leaderboard as he finished the day nine shots back and in a tie for 21st place.

Six-time major winner McIlroy, who is chasing a third Irish Open triumph, was even par for his round before a stunning fairway metal from 267 yards to two feet set up an eagle three at the eighth.

That moment of brilliance failed to ignite McIlroy's challenge, however, as he bogeyed the 11th and missed a series of birdie putts before sinking a 40-footer to pick up a shot at the 17th.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy looked set for a birdie-birdie finish after firing his approach at the final hole to four feet, but he took three putts to drop a shot and card a second consecutive 69.

"I just didn't have it on the greens. I really struggled to read them," said McIlroy.

He added: "It's been a tough one on the greens the last two days. But tee to green I've actually been pretty happy with how everything else is. I just need to try to hole a few more over the weekend."

Li, Norgaard and Olesen established themselves as Lowry's closest challengers.

Li, who finished tied fourth in last year's Open Championship at Royal Portrush, carded seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to shoot 63, while Olesen mixed seven birdies with a single bogey in a 64.

In the late wave, Norgaard matched his compatriot's 64 with a bogey-free round.

Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin shaved a shot off his opening 68 to reach five under, a group which includes Scotland's Ewen Ferguson (66) and 2024 winner Rasmus Hojgaard (63).

Playing with McIlroy, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre bounced back from an opening 72 with a fine 65 to sit eight shots back alongside two-time winner Jon Rahm, who recorded four birdies in a 67.

Race to Dubai leader and 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed is one shot better off on four under, but five-time major champion Brooks Koepka needed a birdie on 18 to shoot 66 and sneak inside the cut line on one over.

Home favourites Seamus Power (+4) and Padraig Harrington (+8), as well as Tyrrell Hatton (+8) are among those who will not make the weekend.