Skip to content

Lowry, Holmes share 36-hole lead at the Open Championship

David Cannon / David Cannon Collection / Getty

Shane Lowry and J.B. Holmes sit at 8-under par through two rounds to share a one-shot lead at the Open Championship.

Holmes set the pace early on Friday at Royal Portrush with a 3-under 68 to back up his 66 from Day 1 and extend his first-round lead.

Later, the Irishman Lowry stormed past Holmes with six birdies through 10 holes, but he dropped two shots down the stretch to settle for a share of the top spot.

A pair of Englishmen, Tommy Fleetwood and 46-year-old Lee Westwood, share third place at 7-under par.

All four players are looking for their first career major title, and Westwood would become the oldest first-time major winner ever if he can hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Here's how the top of the leaderboard looks after Round 2:

Place Player To Par R2 Score
T1 J.B. Holmes -8 68
T1 Shane Lowry -8 67
T3 Tommy Fleewood -7 67
T3 Lee Westwood -7 67
T5 Cameron Smith -6 66
T5 Justin Harding -6 65
T5 Justin Rose -6 67
T8 Brooks Koepka -5 69
T8 Jordan Spieth -5 67
T8 Andrew Putnam -5 67
T8 Dylan Frittelli -5 69

Notables Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka, and Jordan Spieth are well-positioned for a run over the weekend. Rose is three back of the lead - the best of the group - with Koepka and Spieth following closely behind.

After a disastrous opening-round 79, Rory McIlroy battled his way back to within one shot of the 1-over cutline on Friday. He shot a day-low 6-under 65, but McIlroy couldn't birdie his final hole to solidify his spot for the weekend.

Tiger Woods (6-over) and Phil Mickelson (8-over) are also bowing out of the Open Championship early. It's the first time in the 83 majors they've played together that neither made the cut.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox