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Shane Lowry plays his stroke from the eighth tee on the second day of the 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf in Sandwich, England. Photo: Christopher Lee / Getty Images
Brian Keogh
Shane Lowry is still the king of the jungle at The Open and he vowed to hunt big game again on Saturday as the predators of the game take the lead Get closer at Royal St George’s.
Determined not to let his long-awaited defense of his title fizzle out with a whimper, the reigning champion made sure to roar out loud on a traditional ice cream cone open afternoon in Sandwich when he made two of his last four holes with Birdy and signed a staggering five under 65 to keep his dream title alive.
He could be seven strokes behind the outstanding South African Louis Oosthuizen, who is definitely second this season in the majors when he followed his first 64 with a 65 to get two shots from American Collin Morikawa (64) and three from the magnetic n Jordan Spieth (67) with a 36-hole record total of 11 under par 129.
But Lowry knows he’s in the right place now, and believes he’s negotiating with the nerves of his opening 71 out of the way and safe that he can apply pressure when the day changes, rain, hail, or shine.
« It’s very satisfying, » said Lowry. “I know we got to the good end of the draw with the weather and it was pretty nice this afternoon, but shooting 65 around Royal St George’s is always a good feat.
“ Royal St George’s is still hard no matter what conditions you play in so the leader still has to go out and play great golf. I’m now in a position where I can go out tomorrow and try to get a good result.
« I feel like my iron game is pretty good and I rolled a couple of putts today. I felt comfortable on the greens after not feeling too comfortable yesterday. So if I can keep positioning myself on the fairway, I feel like I can shoot a low number and get myself into a decent position by Sunday. ”
It was only Friday but it had all the marks a moving day, as the big guns used the blazing sunshine and a steady breeze of 15 miles / h to make their movements before the R&A slowly turned the screw over the weekend.
Number 1 in the world rankings Dustin Johnson shot to fourth with Dylan Frittelli and Scottie Scheffler when he also shot 65, while Brooks Koepka birdieed his last three holes for a 66, putting him just six behind, tied with the US Open champion 12th place Jon Rahm over five under.
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The Spaniard played with Oosthuizen and Lowry, shot a bogey-free six-under-64 and is in the mood to steal another major under Oosthuizen’s nose.
« I hope I don’t do anything fancy have to, but if I have to, I’ll try and I have the confidence that I can do it, « said Rahm.
Lowry is 17th in a four-under place, but he left the course with the kind of man who knows he shot 63 on Saturday at Royal Portrush two years ago and can do it again tomorrow. He only missed two fairways and only three greens, but more importantly, he regained some confidence with the wood.
While following a birdie with a bogey on the fifth after an awkward chip on the second, he rolled on the sixth a 20-foot one for a two, shaved the hole from 40 feet on the next, and then did a 25-foot putt on the 8th and another putt on the ninth to go under on two.
Oosthuizen was most of the time steadfast of the day, and after early birdies in first and seventh place, he went from the 12th birdie birdie eagle to pull three strokes ahead of Morikawa on 12 under.
However, Lowry and Rahm both fired on all cylinders , and when Oosthuizen did his first bogey of the week on the 16th, the Clara man felt weak and punched for birdies from 3.50 meters at 15 and 18 feet at 17.
« I was 10 in the morning, » said Lowry . “I knew I had to get a good score. To be honest, I sat down with my trainer Neil this morning and we discussed yesterday’s round. I felt like I was a little tough on myself yesterday. I didn’t play as badly as I thought. So I just dared to go out today and get a good result and luckily I did. ”
Oosthuizen was surprised to hear that he had shot a record amount, but he’s not thinking about his second yet Open win.
« You try not to think about it until you do it, » he said. “I remember looking back on 2010 and knowing I was way ahead, but the first time I really thought about winning this tournament was after I tee-off on the 17th. There were a lot of things that are in St. Andrews comes in, especially the 14th and 16th and 17th tee boxes.
“A lot can happen around this golf course. I think you don’t want to think too much on a links course until you hit the 18th green and hopefully have a head start. ”
As for Darren Clarke, the 2011 champion signed 75 to the One over cut to miss five shots. But he had tears in his eyes as he greeted the crowd. With 36 to go, the 72nd green ovations remain the Holy Grail for all of them.
The British Open
Louis Oosthuizen will go into the third round of the 149th Open by two strokes after recording the lowest half-time total in championship history at Royal St George’s.
The British Open
Pádraig Harrington finished the day -2 while Rory McIlroy has a second par round in a row behind him. Shane Lowry hit a 65 to go to -4.
The British Open
A frustrated Rory McIlroy admitted that his game is « not close enough » after he found himself in the weekend at The Open Championship with a second up and down level par round of 70 in a row at Royal St George’s in Sandwich, Kent.
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