Shane Lowry breaks Doonbeg course record with 62 at Irish Open

Shane Lowry shot a course-record 62 in the Irish Open's second round at Doonbeg, reaching 11 under par and moving three strokes ahead of his nearest challengers. According to BBC Sport's report on Friday, Li Haotong and Jacob Skov Olesen were closest to the Irishman, although later groups had yet to finish and the leaderboard remained provisional.

Watch the highlights:

Lowry made nine birdies and one bogey at the par-70 Trump International Golf Links in County Clare. Conditions had improved after the wind and rain of the opening day, and he took advantage with six birdies before the turn. After starting with two pars, he birdied the third, fourth and fifth, then added three more from the seventh to complete the front nine in 30.

The momentum continued after a par save at the 10th, where Lowry escaped long rough and holed from 10 feet. Birdies at 11 and 12 brought a possible sub-60 score into consideration, something he later acknowledged thinking about. A three-putt bogey at the 13th interrupted that run, but he recovered with a birdie at 15 before closing with three pars to set the course record.

Lowry won the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009 and later claimed the 2019 Open Championship. BBC Sport reported that this was his first tournament since missing the final two PGA Tour play-off events, and that he had gone four years without an individual title. His second-round performance put him in contention again at his national championship, with two rounds still to come.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy finished nine shots behind Lowry after a second successive 69. An eagle at the eighth, set up by a shot from 267 yards to two feet, was not enough to overcome further problems on the greens. He birdied the 17th with a long putt but then three-putted the final hole from four feet for bogey. McIlroy said reading the greens had been difficult, while expressing satisfaction with his play from tee to green.

Among the pursuers, Li returned a 63 and Olesen a 64. Tom McKibbin reached five under after a 67, joining Ewen Ferguson and Rasmus Hojgaard on that total. Robert MacIntyre improved on his opening 72 with a 65 to stand at three under alongside Jon Rahm. Their positions, like Lowry's advantage, were those reported before all second-round play had concluded.