Lowry Takes Control at Irish Open with Record Round
Shane Lowry is leading the Amgen Irish Open at Trump Doonbeg after posting a course-record 8-under 62 in round two, moving from 17th place to top of the leaderboard. He is now 11-under par and three shots clear of Jacob Skov Olesen, Niklas Norgaard, and Haotong Li.
Lowry's performance was particularly impressive given his struggles this summer, missing out on the second leg of last month's FedEx Cup Playoffs and falling outside of the world's top 50 as a result. However, with Ryder Cup points qualification now underway, he is determined to turn his form around.
The defending champion, Rory McIlroy, is only 2-under par after back-to-back rounds of 69, leaving him nine shots behind Lowry and facing a sizeable deficit to get back into contention. LIV star Tyrrell Hatton missed the cut after an indifferent two-day total of 8-over par.
Lowry's win would be his seventh DP World Tour title and his first on the circuit in almost four years, making it a particularly special performance on home soil.