Round Two report

Winning one Open is special. Winning two would be something else.

Shane Lowry is halfway to joining the exclusive club of multiple Champion Golfers after taking a two-shot lead at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

The 2019 Champion needed all his skill and all his resolve to shoot an excellent 69 on a day where so many of the field were blown away by gusting winds to reach seven-under-par for the week.

He is two clear of two Englishmen Daniel Brown and Justin Rose, who sit at five-under-par. Brown arrived as the overnight leader heading into round two and, with the spotlight on him, the Open debutant showed plenty of guts to shoot a one-over-par 72.

Rose, by contrast, had Royal Troon in the palm of his hands down the back nine. The 1998 Silver Medal winner was bogey-free on Thursday and did not drop a shot until the 12th in round two.

He matched Lowry in birdieing the 16th and 18th for a 68 that, given the difficult afternoon weather, could well be the round of the day.

Brown and Rose have a three-shot cushion to the field behind. Three sit at two-under-par but among them is Scottie Scheffler. The world number one lurking ominously just five off the lead.

In all, just 10 players are under-par, while the cut fell at six-over. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are among those who failed to make it, while defending Champion Brian Harman is tied-38th after a second successive two-over-par 73.

In all, 80 made the weekend and will carry hopes of a moving-day charge. But they have a long way to go to catch Lowry, who has the Claret Jug in his sights again.

Lowry dialled in

Lowry was among the star players on Thursday and it looked like he would hold the overnight lead until Brown emerged from the Troon dusk to take a one-shot advantage.

The Irishman wiped that out in just three shots, finding the heart of the fairway off the 1st tee before an excellent approach shot and birdie putt.

His wedges were on point early on. Another superb approach set up a birdie on 4 and, while he bogeyed 5, he rebounded at the Postage Stamp and reached the turn two-under-par for his round.

The back nine proved tricker. Lowry made a double-bogey on 11 after a second shot that hooked across the fairway and into a gorse bush. By that point, the wind was causing issues on the Ayrshire coast, with gusts reaching 35mph.

But Lowry is adept in these conditions and birdies at 16 and 18 sealed a 69.

"To shoot in the 60s is very good any day on this course, even when the conditions aren't this bad," he said. "I'm very happy.

“I'm pretty happy with the day. To be leading this Championship after two days, it's why you come here, it's why we're here.

“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.”

Brown and Rose chasing hard

Two weeks ago, Brown entered Final Qualifying for The Open. On Saturday, he will play in the final group at Royal Troon.

The Englishman is making his major debut this week and has taken to it like a duck to water. He played sensible golf on Thursday to shoot 65 but Friday was a different challenge.

He teed off just over an hour after Lowry and had to respond as the Irishman took the lead. He dropped two shots on the front nine but rebounded impressively on the back, with birdies on 10 and 16.

He bogeyed 17, the fifth-toughest hole of the day, but parred 18 to sign for a gutsy 72.

“I was trying to rein myself in a little bit after yesterday's score. I went out there knowing it was a lot windier, and 72, 73, 74 actually wasn't too bad,” he said.

Rose’s 68, in contrast, was magnificent. He birdied 4 and 7 by holing putts of 12 feet and six feet, before battling hard around the turn.

He bogeyed 12 after finding a greenside bunker but birdied 16 and 18 to join Billy Horschel in the penultimate group.

Like Brown, Rose also booked his place via Final Qualifying. And he insists it has prepared him well.

“You've got to be in it to win it, and the first big part of the journey was getting in the Championship,” he said.

“I look back at Burnham & Berrow, we played in a really, really tough westerly breeze. 

“That golf course is incredibly difficult in a westerly [wind] and I think even that little bit of experience of ... playing some tough links golf has probably help me a little bit these last two days.”

Scheffler leads chasing pack

Saturday is moving day at The Open. And the front three will be wary of a significant move from Scottie Scheffler.

The Masters winner compiled a second score of 70, despite cavernous bunkers, caddie sickness and cruel conditions, and sits five off the lead on two-under-par.

Ted Scott, Scheffler’s man on the bag, was evidently struggling through illness and could be seen lying prone around the edge of Royal Troon’s greens.

“He had a bit of food poisoning last night - well, it could have been food poisoning, it could be some sort of stomach bug,” said Scheffler.

“I definitely made a few more putts than yesterday. I think the golf course was more challenging today.”

He is joined by Horschel and Dean Burmester, while Corey Conners, Jason Day, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay are a shot behind.

Big names cut

The cut was a living, moving target in the afternoon. It eventually fell at six-over and 80 players (70 plus ties) will be back for the weekend.

There was some late scrambling to make it. While Woods and McIlroy were out of serious contention, Robert MacIntyre surged back from a horror start to book his Saturday tee time.

MacIntyre made a triple bogey on 1, bogeys on 2 and 3 and another triple on 4 in an awful eight-over-par start. However, his determination was unaffected and he came roaring back.

Birdies on 7, 10, 15 and 16 partially repaired the damage, and he has a chance of a Saturday surge. But playing partners Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg have the weekend off after both falling the wrong side of the cut line.

Plenty of players went down 18 with their fate undecided, including Max Homa. The American made a brilliant birdie on the last to make the cut, and celebrated wildly.

The Amateurs

While the race for the Claret Jug will be fiercely fought, so too will the battle for the Silver Medal. Four amateurs made it through to the weekend and are tightly-packed on the leaderboard.

At the head of the queue is Scotland’s Calum Scott, who went round in 75 to finish on four-over-par, and he has a one-shot advantage of The Amateur Champion Jacob Skov Olesen.

Tommy Morrison and Spain’s Luis Masaveu are a stroke further back on six-over-par.