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 means 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 below.
“I do know (Saturday) goes to be a protracted day, however I’ve carried out it earlier than,” Lowry stated. “Going on the market main the event, who is aware of if I’ll be main by the top of the day? With these situations, most likely can be, however we’ll have to attend and see.”
On the par-4 eleventh, Lowry’s second shot bought 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 pictures 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 below.
“The referee requested me happening, did I wish to discover my first one, and I stated no. So I assumed that was OK,” Lowry stated. “Then we get down there, and anyone had discovered it. So apparently we’ve to search out it then, or it’s important to go and establish 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 establish it.
“… To be sincere, I used to be completely satisfied 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 below 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 below 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 below, however he discovered a pot bunker off the 18th tee and completed up with a bogey.
Within the clubhouse at 1 below by means 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 below 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 minimize at his third straight main.
–Area Stage Media
