Shane Lowry arrived at the Amgen Irish Open looking to build on a solid opening day at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg. The former champion had negotiated difficult conditions on Thursday and remained firmly in contention after his first 18 holes.
Lowry opened with a three-under 67 after a demanding round affected by strong winds and a slow pace of play. With the tournament moving into the weekend, the Irishman was among the players in position to challenge for the title, while several leading names remained in the field.
His second round then changed the complexion of the tournament and gave Lowry a significant advantage heading into the next stage of the event.
Shane Lowry Explodes With 62 and Comes Close to a 59
Shane Lowry fired an eight-under-par 62 on Friday to match the course record at Doonbeg and move to 11-under for the tournament.
The 39-year-old produced nine birdies and only one bogey, including a remarkable six-under 30 on the front nine. He made three consecutive birdies from the third before adding another three in a row at the seventh, eighth and ninth.
After birdies at the 11th and 12th, Lowry briefly had golf’s magic number of 59 in sight. He admitted the possibility had entered his mind.
Shane Lowry was all smiles as he lapped up the positive feeling from his blistering 62 on day two of the Amgen Irish Open
“I thought about it, yeah,” Lowry said. “I did have a little look. I went out in 30 and the back nine’s only 34, so you do kind of think about it a little bit.”
That opportunity disappeared at the 13th when Lowry three-putted from around 20 feet for his only bogey of the round. He responded with a birdie at the 15th before closing with three pars.
The 10th hole also proved important. After finding trouble with his approach, Lowry faced a difficult recovery but holed a 15-foot par putt to keep his momentum alive.
“It was big,” Lowry said. “I just managed to hole that putt. I don’t know how, and it kicked me on for the rest of the round.”
The round carried extra significance after a frustrating 2026 season. Lowry had suffered costly late setbacks at the Dubai Invitational and Cognizant Classic and had also dropped down the leaderboard with a Sunday 80 at the Masters.
Yet Friday was different. “I felt like it was very in control today, so it was good fun out there,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve had that much fun on the golf course, so I’ll take it.”
While Lowry now has an excellent opportunity at his home tournament, the weekend will also bring a very different challenge as several major names remain within striking distance.
Rory McIlroy Faces Putting Battle After 69
Rory McIlroy enters the weekend with significantly more ground to make up after another frustrating round on the greens.
The defending champion carded a second successive 69 and sits at two under for the tournament, well behind Lowry. McIlroy produced a highlight with an eagle at the eighth but struggled to convert several opportunities elsewhere.
He also made a bogey at the 11th before a birdie at the 17th was canceled out by a three-putt bogey on the 18th.
McIlroy was clear about the source of his frustration after the round.
According to “BBC Sport,” McIlroy said, “I just didn’t have it on the greens. I really struggled to read them”.
The Masters champion added that the putting issues had affected him over both opening rounds, although he remained satisfied with his play from tee to green.
“It’s been a tough one on the greens the last two days, but tee to green I’ve actually been pretty happy with how everything else is,” McIlroy said.
He will now need a significant improvement with the putter if he is to move up the leaderboard over the weekend. Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre are also among the notable players chasing the leaders, leaving McIlroy with plenty of work ahead.
Shane Lowry Reveals How Close He Came to Golf’s Magic Number