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Shane Lowry set his sights on a Sunday showdown with Rory McIlroy after the headline attractions played their way into contention in the Amgen Irish Open.
Lowry added a second round of 69 to his opening 72 for a halfway total of one under par at Royal County Down, with McIlroy’s 70 leaving him four under and two shots behind leader Matteo Manassero.
“I know I can go and give it a run,” Lowry, who won the title in 2009 while still an amateur, said.
“I think it’s what the tournament wants and needs. Obviously myself, and Rory is up there. It would be great if the two of us could give it a run on Sunday. You never know.
“It would be nice to go toe-to-toe on Sunday. We’ll see. It’s up to me to get myself there. I’m pretty sure he’ll get there anyway.”
Lowry and McIlroy were among the early starters on Friday and both were left to rue failing to take full advantage of surprisingly benign conditions.
“I felt like I hit some great shots, drove the ball brilliantly,” former Open champion Lowry added.
“Gave myself a few chances and then to bogey the ninth, my last hole, was pretty disappointing. But when I go back and assess my round, I’ll be pretty happy with what I did today.”
The highlight of McIlroy’s round was an eight iron to 15 feet to set up an eagle on the par-five first, his 10th hole of the day, but the world number three covered his remaining eight holes in one over.
“I would have liked to have taken advantage of the easier conditions this morning,” McIlroy admitted.
“Those first nine holes, you’re not going to see RCD playing any easier. Then when the sun went it got a little colder and the wind started to come out of a different direction.
Happy to be here for the weekend and happy to give myself a chance— Rory McIlroy
“It fooled me on that tee shot on the fourth and five, seven, eight and nine played tricky with that wind.
“But it was just a matter of making sure I was here for the weekend and give myself a chance. Sort of job done for the first two days and turn my attention to the weekend.
“It’s much better than nine years ago here when I was watching the third round on TV. Happy to be here for the weekend and happy to give myself a chance.”
Manassero made a flying start to his second round with an eagle on the first followed by birdies on the second and third, with another eagle coming from tap-in range on the par-five 12th following a stunning approach.
“I played really well,” Manassero, who won his first DP World Tour title in more than 10 years in South Africa in March, said after his 66. “I’m so happy with how I handled myself in difficult conditions this afternoon.
“There’s not much you can do, you have to hit good shots and the way the course is you need to start it on the right place with the right shape, the right trajectory, otherwise it’s just not good enough.
“Links golf makes you hit really difficult shots, everything has to be right. It takes a lot of energy out of you, but when you’re playing well the adrenaline kicks in and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Spain’s Alejandro del Rey had also eagled the first and looked set to post a testing target when he reached eight under par, but ran up a quadruple-bogey eight on the 15th and finished alongside McIlroy on four under.
England’s Todd Clements and Laurie Canter are Manassero’s closest pursuers on five under, with Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson joining McIlroy and Del Rey on four under.
