Level-headed Shane Lowry stays in hunt
The leading Irishman, who had missed cuts on his championship debut at Congressional in 2011 and last year at Pinehurst by a stroke, had opened his 2015 account with an excellent one under-par 69 on Thursday and he followed it up with a second patient round, a level-par 70.
“You never know, it’s a bit early to be talking about winning,” a happy Lowry said. “There’s a lot of golf to be played yet. If I can just go out, keep doing my own thing, I am driving the ball, my iron play feels good.”
Lowry, 28, had got to two under playing some excellent golf with a birdie at the eighth for the second day in a row having wiped out an earlier birdie at the par-four fifth with a bogey at the next hole.
Following his opening round Lowry had steeled himself for setbacks, preaching patience as the key to his continued success in this most demanding of tournaments.
“Patience is massive. I might go out and get off to a bad start, I might go out and birdie the first three holes, you never know. You just have to take what comes on the chin and keep going and see what happens after that.
“You’ve got to really stay patient.”
That was put to the test at the 14th hole when Lowry fell back to level par with a double bogey six after seeing his long putt there pass the flag and roll off the green into a sand trap. Yet , the world number 57 found a way to dig deep and bounce, and he gave himself a tap-in for birdie at the 18th which will keep the Irishman in touch with the leaders, his level 70 leaving him at one under.
“I missed a great chance on 12 to get to three under, got unlucky on 14. Got an awful lie in the bunker and ended up making double. Chances on 15, 16, great par putt on 17 from 10 feet, then went on to birdie the last.
“One of those days I am happy with, could have been a bit better but I am in a great position for the weekend.”
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