Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy have become something of kindred spirits, both with their eyes on golf’s biggest prizes. And, in this 89th Masters on golf’s most pristine terrain, the two Irishmen moved into contention in their respective bids to claim a green jacket.
Only one of them, if at all, can succeed.
Yet, their destinies are intertwined. Luck of the draw, perhaps? Because, with McIlroy and Lowry in back-to-back groups, the rare opportunity for a sit-down breakfast – unplanned – allowed the two Irishmen to get their heads around the task at hand. Or, maybe, just to shoot the breeze? In golf, where one day merges into another, time and space can be hard to find.
“We talked about what he did yesterday and he was quite frustrated. I’m sure last night was tough for him. But for both of us, there’s a lot of golf to be played this weekend yet, and he knew that,” related Lowry of the breakfast talk between the two.
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The upshot was that the two players, both Major champions in their own rights, shot rounds which moved them into contention. In Lowry’s case, it was a 68 to reach the midpoint on five-under 138; in McIlroy’s, it was to sign for a bogey-free 66 for 139, two shots behind clubhouse leader Justin Rose.
Lowry had set a target to shoot in the 60s, on a course – with heavy overnight rain, the lightning and thunder rolling above Augusta throughout the night – softened and, although remaining a difficult examination, providing an opportunity to make a move.
“I felt like the course was gettable. I felt like I played a pretty solid round of golf. Didn’t do anything spectacular. A couple of times I got myself out of position. I think I did a great job getting me back in, and I’m right where I want to be going into the weekend,” admitted Lowry.
Lowry recovered from a bogey on the par-3 fourth with birdies on the sixth and eighth and, as he walked up the ninth fairway, his attention was caught by movement on the giant white leaderboard. Impossible to ignore, his name was being added. He was moving, in the right direction.
“You know when you’re on that big white leaderboard you’re doing something all right. That’s the thing here, I said it yesterday, there’s only 10 names on the leaderboard. You feel like everyone is going well, and you just have to stay in your own lane out there and commit to what you’re doing. But yeah, it is nice to see your name up there and try and keep pushing on from there,” admitted Lowry.
Although he didn’t manage to birdie either of the par-5s on the homeward run, Lowry’s birdies on the 10th – from four feet – and the 14th enabled him to get into a position to challenge over the final two rounds in his attempt to claim a second career Major, to add to his Claret Jug win of 2019.
“I don’t come here just to enjoy myself. I come here to compete, this is what we practice for. This is what you get up out of bed in the morning for, for late tee times on Saturdays and Sundays of Majors. I got myself a late tee time tomorrow afternoon and hopefully I can go out and do something pretty good and get myself a late tee time Sunday and take it from there,” said Lowry.
In the group ahead, McIlroy was also making a significant move, all the more impressive for how he had finished his first round on Thursday with two double bogeys on the closing four holes of a round. He signed for a 72. “I’m the king of 72s around here,” he half-quipped.
But McIlroy’s response – again looking to close the deal on the career Grand Slam, something he has done every year since 2014 – to the late, late speed bumps of the first round were admirable in getting back towards the business part of proceedings.
Did he think he had proved anything by his reaction in posting a bogey-free 66? “I don’t think I proved anything. If anything, I just backed up the belief that I have in myself, that I’m as resilient as anyone else out here. You know, again, like I’ve been really proud of how resilient I’ve been the whole way throughout my career, and I think today was just another example of that,” responded McIlroy.
Still, McIlroy – and, indeed, Lowry – have to play catch-up headed into the weekend with Rose, a former US Open champion but yet to convert good scoring at Augusta National into a green jacket, assuming the clubhouse lead after adding a 72 to his opening 65 for a 36-holes total of eight-under-par 136, a shot clear of Bryson DeChambeau.
