Jul 18, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Shane Lowry reacts on the 14th inexperienced through the first spherical of the Open Championship golf event at Royal Troon. Necessary Credit score: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports activities Irishman Shane Lowry survived a misadventure at No. 11 and birdied two of his ultimate three holes to enter the clubhouse with the lead halfway by way of the second spherical of the 152nd Open Championship on Friday at Royal Troon.
Lowry’s two-putt birdie on the par-5 sixteenth gap and his 20 1/2-foot putt on the 18th gave him a 2-under-par 69, placing the 2019 Open champion at 7-under 135 heading into the weekend in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
He has a two-shot edge over 18-hole chief Daniel Brown of England, who posted a 1-over 72 to drop to five underneath.
“I do know (Saturday) goes to be an extended day, however I’ve achieved it earlier than,” Lowry mentioned. “Going on the market main the event, who is aware of if I’ll be main by the top of the day? With these circumstances, in all probability can be, however we’ll have to attend and see.”
On the par-4 eleventh, Lowry’s second shot acquired misplaced within the tough, and he hit a provisional ball onto the inexperienced. Then his unique ball was discovered, and by rule he was required to play it. It took 20 minutes between photographs for Lowry to make the choice to take a penalty stroke and a drop. He hit a blind shot over some shrubbery onto the inexperienced and double bogeyed again to five underneath.
“The referee requested me taking place, did I need to discover my first one, and I mentioned no. So I assumed that was OK,” Lowry mentioned. “Then we get down there, and someone had discovered it. So apparently we’ve got to search out it then, or you need to go and determine it, which I assumed, in the event you declared it misplaced earlier than it was discovered, that you just did not, you did not have to go and determine it.
“… To be sincere, I used to be completely happy sufficient leaving there with a 6. It was not like — it wasn’t a catastrophe. I used to be nonetheless main the event.”
Englishman Justin Rose was in third place at 3 underneath after 12 holes of his second spherical. He made his first bogey of the event on the twelfth.
World No. 1 Scheffler carded a 70 to affix a tie at 2 underneath with Billy Horschel (68) and South Africa’s Dean Burmester (69). Scheffler holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th and added a birdie at No. 16 to get to three underneath, however he discovered a pot bunker off the 18th tee and completed up with a bogey.
Within the clubhouse at 1 underneath by way of two rounds are Xander Schauffele (72), Patrick Cantlay (68), Australia’s Jason Day (68) and Canada’s Corey Conners (70).
Notable gamers who teed off within the afternoon wave embody Northern Eire’s Rory McIlroy, Spaniard Jon Rahm and U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau. Justin Thomas started the day in third place at 3 underneath however shot a disastrous 9-over 45 on his entrance 9, capped by a triple bogey at No. 9, to plummet out of competition.
Tiger Woods adopted a gap 79 with a 6-over 77 Friday to complete the 2 rounds at 14 over, lacking the reduce at his third straight main.
–Discipline Stage Media
