'I'm here to win the tournament': Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy stay in contention at the Open

FIGHT TALK: Shane Lowry acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during day two of The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Pic: David Davies/PA Wire.

There may have been a couple of record-low rounds on Friday at The 154th Open but Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy both did enough in their second rounds to suggest their race is far from run in the final major of the season.

Australia’s Lucas Herbert and American Sam Burns each wrote their names in men’s major championship history as they carded 62s at Royal Birkdale, matching five other low rounds, all in the recent past: Lowry, Xander Schauffele (both Valhalla, 2024 PGA), Rickie Fowler and Schauffele again (both LA Country Club North, 2023 US Open) and Branden Grace (Birkdale, 2017 Open).