Rónán MacNamara in Royal Troon
Shane Lowry joked that he is not a good runner but as a front runner in big tournaments he knows how to get over the line and he leads the 152nd Open Championship heading into a big weekend at Royal Troon.
Lowry carded a two-under 69 to move to seven-under-par and two shots clear of major debutant Daniel Brown and Justin Rose who came through final qualifying to secure his place in the Open.
Lowry’s lead is even more impressive given that he double bogeyed the par-4 11th after losing his second shot in a gorse bush before recovering the two shots with birdies on 16 and 18.
Big names such as world number one Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele lie in wait but Lowry’s name at the top will command respect from the chasers particularly given his ability to lead from the front.
“I put myself there in a few big tournaments, and I’ve managed to knock them off. So I’ve done it a few times. I don’t know. It’s hard to win tournaments. We’ll see. I’ll tell you Sunday evening,” said Lowry whose late, early start has seen him get the best of the conditions and avoid the plus 30mph gusts in Troon.
Lowry teed off one shot shy of Brown and he certainly picked up where he left off on the greens on Thursday as he started like a dream on Friday rolling in a birdie on the first from 9-feet. A wedge to tap in range on the par-5 4th saw Lowry move two shots clear and he recovered from a bogey on the par-3 5th with a birdie at the Postage Stamp.
Chances went on 9 and 10 and after he was distracted by an unassuming cameraman in the right rough on 11, causing him to lose his approach left in the gorse bushes, he was disappointed to realise his ball had been found but then received to escape the 11th with a double bogey which was a result given the circumstances.
Crucial pars on 12 and 14 steadied the ship and Lowry powered on to the finish.
“I felt like I went out there, I was in control of my ball, did all the right things for a lot of the round. Then when I got in a bit of trouble, I feel like I really finished the round well,” said Lowry.
“I’m pretty happy with the day. To be leading this tournament after two days, it’s why you come here, it’s why we’re here.
“Yeah, I’ll sit back and watch a bit of golf in the afternoon and see where it leaves me come the end of the day, and get out there tomorrow. The job tomorrow as well is to try to put myself in a position to win this tournament on Sunday, and that’s what I’ll try and do.”
Last year Lowry played the Scottish Open as his links warm up for the Open before missing the cut in Hoylake. This time around he got some early practice in at Troon before taking the week of the Scottish Open off to play some links golf back in Ireland which looks to have been a recipe for success.
“I feel like the three weeks I’ve had at home, the golf I’ve played in Ireland, coming here and doing my reccy here a few weeks ago, I feel like that’s all helped.
“Yes, I have felt quite calm and composed the last couple of days. I’ve felt really in my comfort zone. Yeah, I’m pretty happy with how things have gone.
“I always really enjoy my week in Ireland the week before The Open, and I go around and play some links golf and hang out with my friends. I really feel like that puts me in a good frame of mind going into play a big tournament.”
While Lowry’s nearest challengers are a major championship debutant and a player who came through final qualifying. Brown has plenty of links pedigree having won the English Amateur Championship in his amateur days while Rose is a qualifier by name but not in nature. A former US Open winner, world number one and Olympic Gold medallist, he put himself right in the mix with a fabulous Friday finish where he birdied two of his last three holes and brought the house down on 18.
“Yeah, that was such a fun way to finish. Obviously I celebrated, and there was the realisation I didn’t have to hit another shot, could really kind of let my guard down and enjoy the day because it was a really hardworking, good round of golf. To finish that way was obviously special with the crowds, being a fairly full grandstand Friday afternoon. It was really good to enjoy that one,” said Rose.
Rose was arguably the biggest name in Open Final Qualifying and he came through a gruelling exam at Burnham and Berrow. Ranked 63rd in the world at the time of qualifying and with a PGA Tour win last year and top-10 at this year’s PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup star knuckled down and believes such a test has made him battle hardened for the week.
“Yeah, that’s still the dream. Obviously you’re out there and, yeah, like I said at the time just a little quip, but you’ve got to be in it to win it, and the first big part of the journey was getting in the tournament.
“But yeah, even I look back at Burnham & Berrow, we played in a really, really tough westerly breeze. That golf course is incredibly difficult in a westerly and I think even that little bit of experience of get back playing some tough links golf has probably help me a little bit these last two days.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler looks the danger man at two-under-oar alongside Billy Horschel and Dean Burmester with PGA champion Xander Schauffele in the pack a shot further back.
Rory McIlroy was part of a catalogue of big hitters who missed the cut. The wind change on Thursday has negated the advantage of big hitting and favoured the platters and shot shapers.
Big hitters and names like Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Cameron Smith, Tommy Fleetwood, Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau and Tiger Woods all missed the cut.
Meanwhile, there will be plenty of Irish interest early on Saturday in the shape of 21-year-old Tom McKibbin and 52-year-old Pádraig Harrington who both eased through to the weekend on three-over while 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke (55) made his first cut at the Open since 2016.
