Irish Open: Superb Shane Lowry surges clear as Rory McIlroy struggles at Doonbeg – BBC Sport
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Brilliant Lowry surges clear as McIlroy struggles
Image: Getty Images
Image caption: Shane Lowry made nine birdies in a scintillating display
By Matt Gault, BBC Sport NI senior journalist
Published 42 minutes ago
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.
Lowry, 39, established a three-shot lead over China’s Li Haotong and Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen at Trump International Golf Links in County Clare on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland.
"It was real fun out there," said Lowry. "I got off to a nice start and then I just kept going. 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."
Lowry, who has not won an individual title in four years, started with two pars before reeling off a hat-trick of birdies from the third.
After a par on the sixth, he 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 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 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.
Six-time major winner McIlroy, 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 birdies.
