It’s the final Major of the year as the world’s best golfers bid for the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
You can follow all the action right here over the next few days.
Irish in action:
Shane Lowry -7 (69)
Pádraig Harrington +3 (73)
Tom McKibbin +3 (72)
Liam Nolan (A) +13 (77)
Darren Clarke +6 (71)
Rory McIlroy +13 (15)
He has a chip off the green to make par on 17. As it stands he and McIlroy – the pair who gave us that memorable US Open battle – are a combined 21 over par.
It’s been an Open to forget for McIlroy, as his major drought is set to continue into another year.
“
I thought I did a really good job of understanding the golf course so far. It’s about getting my head around now what the test is going to be the next couple of days,” he told Sky Sports.“More of the same from now on.”
It’s probably one of the best 78s he’s ever shot!
Having began his day right in the mix on -3, the two time major champ had a nightmare front nine shooting five bogeys and one double dropping back to +6, he battled back on the back nine with three birdies to leave him as he is now, inside the cut line after finishing on +4.
Irish Independent reporter Brian Keogh caught up with the Dubliner after his round.
“I could easily be well under par here — two, three under par, four under par,” he said after a tough day on the greens.
He drops back to +13 after six holes of his second round. The projected cut is +5 as it stands.
The conditions are tough but Justin Rose is hanging tough on -3, four behind Lowry with five to play.
The wind is causing havoc for him and he’s in trouble again on the sixth hole. He was 85 yards out there playing an 8 iron into the strong breeze and it went badly wrong.
His swing has been described by the Sky Sports commentary team as ‘worrying’ as he hits the thick stuff once again. He’s not even one third of the way through his round but his chances of making the cut already appear to be gone.
He misses a three footer for the double as his week goes from bad to worse.
A catalogue of errors on that hole sees him drop back to +11, six shots outside of the projected cut mark. With the wind as high as it is, his chances of making the cut now are very slim.
His lie was terrible and his chip goes flying through the green, racing into a bunker at the front. That will be his sixth shot and the best he can hope for here realistically is a double as Troon chews him up. The projected cut-mark of +5 is looking further away by the second for him.
“I’m ready for anything that’s thrown at me,” says Lowry.
Meanwhile, Daniel Brown is in second place two shots behind Lowry after finishing with a 72.