The 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon is well underway, and Irishman Shane Lowry has emerged as the early leader after a strong second round performance. Lowry, who won the Open Championship in 2019, overcame a misadventure at the 11th hole to finish with a 2-under-par 69, putting him at 7-under 135 heading into the weekend.
Lowry’s birdies at the 16th and 18th holes gave him a two-shot lead over 18-hole leader Daniel Brown of England, who struggled in the second round and dropped to 5 under. Despite the challenging conditions, Lowry remains confident as he looks ahead to the weekend.
The incident at the 11th hole, where Lowry’s ball got lost in the rough, tested his composure and decision-making. After a 20-minute delay to sort out the situation, Lowry ended up double-bogeying the hole but managed to maintain his lead in the tournament.
In third place at 3 under is Englishman Justin Rose, who made his first bogey of the tournament at the 12th hole. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is tied at 2 under with Billy Horschel and Dean Burmester after carding a 70 in the second round.
Several notable players are still in contention, including Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, and Corey Conners, all sitting at 1 under through two rounds. The afternoon wave of players, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau, have yet to tee off and will be looking to make their move up the leaderboard.
Unfortunately, it was a tough day for some of the top players, as Justin Thomas struggled with a disastrous front nine, and Tiger Woods missed the cut after finishing at 14 over for the two rounds.
As the tournament heads into the weekend, all eyes will be on Shane Lowry as he looks to maintain his lead and capture his second Open Championship title. With challenging conditions and tough competition, it promises to be an exciting finish at Royal Troon.
Stay tuned for more updates and highlights from the 152nd Open Championship as the world’s best golfers battle it out for the prestigious title.
