Shane Lowry moved into the lead of the 152nd British Open at seven beneath par after his second spherical at Royal Troon on Friday as a tame Tiger Woods limped to 14 over to overlook the reduce. Woods isn’t the one massive title to battle within the blustery circumstances on Scotland’s west coast as Rory McIlroy will start his second spherical at seven over and certain needing an beneath par spherical to make the weekend. Lowry had been usurped on the prime of the leaderboard late on Thursday by unheralded Englishman Daniel Brown, who posted a six beneath 65.
Nonetheless, the Irishman, who received his sole main on the British Open in 2019, recovered from a dramatic double bogey on the eleventh that threatened to derail his cost to submit a two beneath par spherical of 69.
Lowry leads by two photographs from Brown, who confirmed little signal of nerves beneath the highlight in his first main, with a gradual 72 to sit down at 5 beneath.
“To be trustworthy, I used to be joyful sufficient leaving there with a six. It wasn’t a catastrophe,” mentioned Lowry on his travails at 11.
“To be main this match after two days, it is why you come right here.”
Lowry was on the cost as he hit the flip in 34 due to birdies on the primary, fifth and eighth.
The world quantity 33, although, was rocked as after a wayward tee shot on the eleventh, he veered manner left into thick bushes.
Remarkably Lowry’s ball was discovered, however deemed unplayable forcing him to play a drop and lose two photographs.
He bounced again impressively selecting up two photographs within the ultimate three holes.
World primary Scottie Scheffler has Lowry in his sights because the American moved right into a share of fourth at two beneath regardless of dropping a shot at 18.
Scheffler has already received six occasions this 12 months, together with his second Masters title in April.
A monster putt on the 14th and a birdie on the par-five sixteenth took the American inside hanging vary earlier than a pricey bogey on the final left him nonetheless 5 adrift of Lowry.
– Woods’ worst ever Open –
Woods’ match got here to a sorry finish after two rounds that may do little to quell doubts over whether or not he ought to proceed to place a battered physique via the pressure of wanting so as to add to his 15 main titles.
The 48-year-old hit again at strategies earlier within the week from former European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie that he ought to retire to protect his standing as one of many sport’s all-time legends.
Woods has harassed he feels bodily higher of late as he continues to struggle again from the extreme leg accidents he suffered in a automotive crash in 2021.
“I simply have to maintain progressing like that after which ultimately begin enjoying extra competitively and begin moving into type of the aggressive stream once more,” he mentioned.
However the three-time British Open champion reduce a sorry determine as he trudged across the Troon hyperlinks along with his two-round rating leaving him in 149th out of the 154 gamers nonetheless lively within the match.
His rating of 156 over two rounds matches his worst ever at a significant with the 2015 US Open and is his poorest at a British Open by three photographs.
Sturdy winds ensured low scoring remained troublesome with the sixth, which had been the longest gap in British Open historical past on Thursday at 623 yards, lowered by 20 yards because of the circumstances.
Consideration later turns to McIlroy’s try to get well from a disastrous opening spherical of 78 with the projected reduce sitting at 4 over.
Scottish Open champion Bob MacIntyre’s desires of a primary main on residence soil unravelled as he dropped eight photographs in his first 4 holes to drop to 9 over.
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