Shane Lowry believes he is ready to take anything thrown at him “on the chin” after keeping his bid for a second Open title strong at Royal Troon.
Lowry added a second-round 69 to his opening 66 for a total of seven under par and a double lead over English duo Justin Rose and Dan Brown, both of whom qualified in the 36-hole finals earlier this month.
CAPITAL WORDS REMEMBER THE SCRIPT
With strong winds sending high scores to late starters, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludwig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood all missed out, but home favorites Robert MacIntyre and Justin Thomas battled through a nervous start to make the weekend.
Lowry recovered from a double bogey on the 11th with birdies on the 16th and 18th as he bids to lift the Claret Jug for a second time following his victory at Royal Portrush in 2019.
Surprise overnight leader Brown, who finished with a flawless 65 at 9.33pm on Thursday, battled back with a second-round 72, while Rose returned with a superb 68 and dropped one shot in 36 holes.
Lowry felt he “did the hard part” on the 11th by getting his tee shot in play, but was distracted by a photographer on his second shot and dragged it into the gorse.
After drawing the penalty Lowry hit his fourth shot to about 10 feet to give himself a chance to salvage a bogey, only for his actual ball to be found by a spectator.
That meant it was still in play and, after a long delay while deciding where to take the best shot, Lowry hit his way around the green and finally finished with a double-bogey six.
Former Ryder Cup player David Howell, a Sky Sports analyst for Lowry's team, said the spectator who received the ball “looked like a little sheep” when he saw Lowry's intentions, adding: “He feels bad.”
“I hit the mark,” Lowry explained. “The referee asked me if I went down (from the corner) to get my first one, I said no. So I thought that was fine.
“Then we got down there and someone has found it, so you have to go and point it out. I felt in that whole process of those 20 minutes of seeing where I could dump I was calm and steady and really knew I was doing the right thing.
“And Darren (Reynolds, his coach) did a great job. He kept telling me that we have plenty of time, there is no need to rush this.
“To be honest, I was happy enough to leave there with six. It was not a disaster. I have felt calm and composed for the past few days. I felt really comfortable.
“Sometimes you're in a state of mind where you get on with it better than other times. This week in my head it feels like that, when I think I'm ready to take on what's coming, I take what's given to me out there.
“Whatever is thrown at me, I feel like I'm ready to take it on the chin and move on.” If I give myself a chance on Sunday I know I can do it and that's as good as any position to be in.”
Brown may have been expected to return to earth after his heroics on Thursday, but the 29-year-old from Northallerton produced a sequel to his senior debut.
“I've been really laid back,” Brown said. “I think I'm a realist too.
“I know I'm not going to start focusing on myself and think, 'Oh my God, I'm leading the Open' or 'I'm second in the Open' or whatever.
“There are still 36 holes left. I might have a good cycle tomorrow and a stinky cycle on Sunday. You just don't know.”
FALDO PRAISES ROSE
Rose's round received high praise from six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo, the last English Open winner in 1992, when he commented on Sky Sports.
“Probably the best 68 of his career on a day like today in this wind,” Faldo said.
Speaking about his historic opportunity, Rose said: “When I won the US Open (in 2013) it was like 'First time since Tony Jacklin' and it's a good time when they meet, but you don't think about it.
“Right now you're trying to get the job done.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Billy Horschel and Dean Burmester shot five for the lead at two under par, while Jason Day, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Corey Conners were all under par.
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