Former major champion Shane Lowry leads by two strokes at the halfway point of the 152nd British Open, while other stars including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods missed the cut at a windy Royal Troon.
The Irishman followed up his best start to his major career with a first-day 66 with a two-under 69 on Friday morning to move to seven under and boost his hopes of a second British Open title five years after his impressive breakthrough at Royal Troon.
Lawry’s closest rivals are former world number one Justin Rose, who was in the lead after his first major debut, and fellow Briton Dan Brown, while world number one Scottie Scheffler is tied for fourth place, five points behind the leader, and seeking his seventh win from 11 starts.
“Any challenge that’s thrown at me, I’m ready to take it and move forward,” Lawrie said. “If I give myself a chance on Sunday, I know I can do it and that’s better than any situation.”
Strong winds caused the scores of most of the participants to soar, with McIlroy shooting 75 in the second round and heading home early at 11 over par, Woods missing the cut for the third consecutive tournament, and most of the players’ scores not improving this season either.
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Despite missing the cut, Tiger Woods said he enjoyed his experience playing in the British Open at Royal Troon and has confirmed his intention to play in next year’s tournament at Royal Portrush.
How Lowry took the lead at halftime
Lawrie started the day one stroke behind Brown but quickly drew level with him by rolling the ball from 10 feet on the first hole, then responded to missing a birdie chance from a similar distance on the third hole by hitting a wedge into tap-in distance to put himself in good position on the next par-5.
He couldn’t get up and down from the sand on the par-3 fifth hole, but a birdie on the poststage stump put him two turns ahead, and he continued to hold his own until he pulled his approach into an unplayable lie in the gorse bushes on the 11th hole for a double bogey.
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Lawrie was told he couldn’t use his provisional ball and ended up with a double bogey on the dramatic 11th hole.
Lawrie ended his par streak with a long-distance two-putt for birdie on the par-5 16th hole, then drained a 20-foot putt on the final hole to cap a stunning round that gave him the 36-hole lead in a major championship for the first time in his career.
Brown was one stroke behind the leader before a bogey on the second to last hole put him back at five under, but Rose had the standout performance in the afternoon waves, mixing four birdies and a drop shot in awful conditions to move into a tie for second.
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Justin Rose birdied his final hole at Royal Troon to finish the second round with a 68 and move to within two strokes of the halfway lead.
Horschel tied with Rose with a 68 and is tied with Dean Burmester and Scottie Scheffler at two under par. Scheffler was four strokes behind the leader before a bogey at the final round dropped him to a tie for fourth, while Woods’ partner, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, are tied for seventh with Corey Conners and Jason Day.
Joaquin Niemann made five consecutive bogeys on the par-3 eighth hole but recovered to stay at par with a 71, while former major winners Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa are all one over par heading into the weekend.
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Joaquin Niemann recorded a five-stroke bogey eight at Royal Troon’s par-3 Postage Stamp, which features three separate bunkers on the hole.
Royal Troon sees early exit for big name
Robert McIntyre, last week’s Genesis Scottish Open winner, was eight over after four holes but recovered with a four-over 75 to get back to five over, although the tough conditions meant seven of the top 12 in the world missed the cut.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Sweden’s Ludvig Averi were eliminated at nine over par, while world number five Wyndham Clark was also eliminated after shooting 80 in the second round. Meanwhile, McIlroy’s quest for an elusive fifth major championship continues after a nightmare start on Friday.
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Rory McIlroy took an eighth on the par-five fourth hole at Royal Troon in the British Open and his hopes of making the cut began to fade.
McIlroy’s hopes of advancing were ended by a triple bogey on the par-five fourth hole, and the 2014 British Open winner admitted he let the conditions get the better of him as he missed the cut by five strokes despite two birdies on the final hole.
Viktor Hovlan, Sahith Teegala and Tommy Fleetwood also failed to make the weekend, while Woods ended his major season with a six-over 77 and just one birdie.
Who will win the 152nd Open? Watch extended coverage live on Sky Sports this weekend. Live coverage continues on Sky Sports Golf. Stream The British Open and other top sports on NOW.
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