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Shane Lowry birdied the last hole to set the clubhouse target at seven under on an increasingly blustery second day of the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The Irishman rolled in a 20-footer as he followed his opening 66 with a two-under 69 on the Ayrshire coast.
“To shoot in the 60s is very good any day on this course, even when the conditions aren’t this bad. I’m very happy,” he told BBC Sport NI, referring to the 30mph winds that were buffeting the links during his round.
Two Englishman are leading the chasing pack. Dan Brown, the world number 272 who led overnight, backed up his sensational six-under-par opening round with a solid 72 on Friday.
And Justin Rose, the 43-year-old former US Open and Olympic champion, drained a 30-footer on the 18th to post a 68 and also move to five under.
The trio are three clear of world number one Scottie Scheffler. The American, who has already won six times this year, including the Masters in April, hit a 70 to join compatriot Billy Horschel (68) and South African Dean Burmester (69) on two under.
Tiger Woods once again drew the biggest following of the morning starters and was afforded a huge ovation on the 18th as he closed with a six-over 77 that left him certain to miss the cut at 14 over.
There has been much speculation regarding the three-time Open champion’s future, given his lack of competitiveness after missing the cut at the past three majors, as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in a 2021 car crash.
However, when asked if he would be at Portrush for next year’s Championship, the 48-year-old replied: “Definitely.”
Woods’ playing partners Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele will be here for the weekend. They are both at one under although Cantlay’s 68 was four shots better than his good friend could manage.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy are among the later starters.
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