Shane Lowry and Justin Rose weather the storm at The Open

AS IT STANDS -7 Lowry; -5 Rose, Brown: -2 Horschel, Burmester, Scheffler SELECTED OTHERS  -1 Day, Cantlay, Schauffle; +1 Koepka; +9 DeChambeau; +11 McIlroy; +14 Woods

Shane Lowry and Justin Rose mastered a brutal Open test to set up the possibility of a tantalising weekend showdown between two Ryder Cup heroes at Royal Troon.

Lowry, chasing his second Claret Jug this week, posted a resilient two-under 69 in the morning wave to lead by two at halfway.

And Rose – so desperate to get his own hands on the silver chalice – expertly negotiated the tougher afternoon conditions on a day where gusting winds wreaked havoc on many a scorecard.

“To shoot in the 60s is very good any day on this course, even when the conditions aren’t this bad,” Lowry said, relieved to get in the clubhouse and watch the chaos unfold.

“I was in control of my ball, did all the right things for a lot of the round. Then when I got in a bit of trouble, I feel like I really finished the round well. I’m pretty happy with the day. To be leading this tournament after two days, it’s why you come here.”

• Rory McIlroy’s ‘messy lifestyle’ to blame for major drought

• Tiger Woods confirms next start after Open missed cut

The trouble Lowry speaks of was a bizarre scene at the daunting par-4 11th. He double bogeyed that feared ‘Railway’ hole, but only after a chaotic half hour that saw him berate a cameraman, lose a ball, hit a provisional and then find it again.

To his credit, Lowry recovered his poise and rallied superbly down the stretch, birdieing the last once again to set an impressive seven-under target.

Rose, meanwhile has made just one bogey across 36 holes on this devilish Ayrshire links. The 43-year-old could become the first Englishman to win the Open since Sir Nick Faldo all the way back in 1992 – his own birdie at the last leaving him just two back.

“That would be nice,” he smiled after his sublime 68 matched the lowest score of the day. “When I won the U.S. Open (in 2013) it was our first since Tony Jacklin, so those are nice moments when it comes together and you can share the story of what it means, but you’re never thinking of it, and we are pretty selfish from that point of view.

“We want it for us, and obviously it’s great to share it with everybody that it’s meaningful to, but in the moment you’re just trying to get the job done.”

Daniel Brown is also still managing to unlock the Troon code.

• The curious case of Phil Mickelson at The Open

• Rory McIlroy’s ‘messy lifestyle’ to blame for major drought, says former agent

The unheralded 29-year-old was not perturbed by the pressure of being an overnight leader on his major debut, posting a gritty one-over 72 to put himself in Saturday’s final group alongside Lowry.

“I managed to get seven or eight hours in,” the Englishman said, dismissing the notion he might have had a sleepless night after his scintillating opening 65. “I was knackered. I don’t think I’ve had a late finish like that in a long time.

“I was trying to kind of rein myself in a little bit after yesterday’s score. Going out there with it being a lot windier, knowing that 72, 73, 74 actually wasn’t too bad. So, yeah, it was a lot tougher.”

The world No.272 is three shots ahead of the world’s best player Scottie Scheffler, who, despite making a careless bogey on the last, is still ominously poised.

Scheffler – the pre-tournament favourite – is joined by Billy Horschel and leading LIV golfer Dean Burmester at two-under. American chums Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are among a cluster of players a further shot adrift.

Elsewhere, however, so many of the game’s eminent stars fell victim to the carnage.

Rory McIlroy’s major drought extends beyond a decade after his second day of horrors in Ayrshire. The Northern Irishman, flummoxed by the changing winds during both his toiling rounds, ended his major season on an 11-over aggregate score.

Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland will also left to rue what went so badly wrong on the links.

And it was another tale of woe for Tiger Woods, who finishes his major season 44-over-par after signing for a 78.

Woods still vows he will be at Royal Portrush in 2025 and continue battling his injuries and his fading career. Sadly, though, the 48-year-old’s increasingly sporadic but miserable outings are now being rendered footnotes in the major narrative.

The pertinent question, now, however, is who can stop Lowry returning for next year’s homecoming clutching onto his second Claret Jug?

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.