McIlroy and Lowry remain well placed at Irish Open

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry stay successful contention aft their 2nd rounds of nan Irish Open contempt failing to return afloat advantage of nan benign conditions astatine Royal County Down.

World number 3 McIlroy changeable a one-under 70, nan item of which was an eagle astatine nan par-five first - his 10th - while Lowry had been connected way for a 68 until a bogey astatine his closing hole.

English brace Laurie Canter and Todd Clements held nan clubhouse lead astatine five-under aft nan greeting activity pinch Spain's Alejandro Del Rey alongside McIlroy a changeable back.

After an opening 67, Del Rey reached 8 nether but plummeted backmost to nan section pinch a quadruple bogey 8 connected nan 15th.

McIlroy's chap Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin closed pinch a birdie to paper a 69 and looks definite to make nan play astatine one-over par.

Persistent crosswinds tested nan players connected Thursday but nan conditions were arsenic calm arsenic they person been each week for nan early starts connected Friday.

Despite that, however, McIlroy played his first 5 holes successful one-over, a bogey connected nan par-three 14th putting him connected nan backfoot earlier he picked up his first of nan information astatine nan next.

Having birdied 16, 17 and 18 connected Thursday, McIlroy had to settee for 3 pars connected Friday but he prompted a immense roar from nan crowd pinch an eagle astatine nan first, made imaginable by a booming 333-yard thrust down nan fairway.

"I wish each spread was that easy," he quipped aft his round.

That was arsenic bully arsenic it sewage for nan 35-year-old, though. A bogey 5 astatine nan 5th aft uncovering problem disconnected nan tee brought him backmost to four-under but he is primed to beryllium a cardinal protagonist complete nan weekend.

So, too, is Lowry. Like McIlroy, nan 2019 Open champion did not person it each his ain measurement connected Friday, cutting a despondent fig aft de-greening his eagle putt astatine nan driveable par-four 16th, starring to an improbable bogey.

But nan 37-year-old has spoken positively of really he has handled setbacks this twelvemonth and he reeled disconnected 3 birdies astir nan move to scope two-under.

Six pars and a closing bogey, having missed a four-footer for par astatine nan last, near a somewhat sour sensation successful nan 2009 champion's rima but he is well-placed for a Saturday complaint astatine conscionable 4 back.

Lowry's 36-hole people of 141 was matched by his playing partner Robert MacIntyre. The Scot, who won his nationalist unfastened successful July having already clinched nan Canadian Open successful June, battled backmost superbly pinch 5 consecutive birdies having fallen to 4 complete pinch a double bogey astatine nan 16th.

MacIntyre's countryman Calum Hill is 2 shots amended disconnected aft a bogey-free 67 while India's Shubhankar Sharma carded 9 birdies and 3 bogeys successful a hugely awesome 65 - nan lowest people of nan week - to catapult himself to wrong 3 of nan lead alongside caller British Masters victor Niklass Norgaard of Denmark (67).