The 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year got back into the swing of things instantly after his five-bogey first-round display left him over par.

The Clara native achieved four birdies on the front nine and suffered his only bogey on the course’s infamous fourth hole.

He complimented his front-nine 32 with a score of 33 on the back-nine, with two further birdies helping the defending champion to a four-under-par score heading into the final two rounds.

The gap between tournament leader, 2010 Champion Golfer of the Year Louis Oosthuizen and Lowry did expand but the Offaly man will be happy with his recovery on day two.

Lowry’s Team Ireland Olympic teammate Rory McIlroy shot even for the second day in a row to confirm his position in The Open for the weekend.

McIlroy made amends on holes 4-6 after a horrible stretch yesterday saw him shoot three bogeys in a row.

However, the golfer shot four bogeys once again, all on different holes to that of yesterday, and it ultimately kept his score higher than it could have been.

His four birdies countered the bogeys and helped the Northern Irish golfer ensure a stable round two performance kept him afloat.

The final hole was the only hole he birdied for the second time.

Pádriag Harrington also made the cut, joining Lowry and McIlroy among the ranks for rounds three and four.

The two-time Champion Golfer of the Year went two-under-par on Friday to secure his spot in this weekend’s action.

Harrington avoided the same mistakes he made at the beginning of round one to ensure there would be no double-bogey on his scorecard again.

However, two bogeys on the front nine – one at hole 9, where he birdied on Thursday- ensured a second consecutive 36 for the first half of the course.

Fortunately, the Dubliner more than made up for this with a strong performance on the back nine, particularly on the first six holes, to ensure he brought his score down below the cut.

Harrington had a lot more fortune on hole 15 on Friday but struggled once again on the closing hole, putting with his fifth shot for the second round running.

Darren Clarke was the only golfer from the island of Ireland to miss the cut, with the 2011 Champion Golfer of the Year seeing his return to the course he won at get cut short.

A poor front nine was compounded by a woeful start to the final nine holes as Clarke could only manage a triple bogey at 10 – a hole he made par at in round one.

A further bogey on 11 put the writing on the wall for the last man to win at Sandwich, who bowed out with a score of six-over-par.

Harrington, Lowry and McIlroy will progress to the final two rounds, which will be available to watch on Sky Sports The Open.

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The famous tournament has had five Irish winners in its lifespan (dating back to 1947) and there have been four Irish wins since the turn of the century.

Shane Lowry – 2019

Offaly’s Shane Lowry is the current defending champion, having won in 2019.

The Clara native had stiff competition in the first two rounds but a stellar third round put the Claret Jug beyond anyone else’s reach.

Lowry became the first Irish player to win The Open on Irish soil, achieving victory in Portrush, Antrim.

The Republic of Ireland golfer won his first major by six strokes and will defend his title this weekend.

Pádraig Harrington – 2007 & 2008

Pádraig Harrington is the only Irish golfer to win the tournament twice, doing so back-to-back in 2007 and 2008.

The Dubliner achieved his first win at Carnoustie in Scotland, shooting an impressive four-under-par on the final day to earn a play-off against Sergio Garcia, who led all weekend.

Harrington could have tied it up quicker had he not went into the Barry Burn twice on the 18th hole.

The Irishman became the first golfer from the Republic of Ireland to win The Open and the first Irish golfer since Fred Daly in 1947 after his one-shot play-off win.

Harrington repeated his feat the next year at the Royal Birkdale in Southport where everyone struggled throughout the weekend.

The golfer almost pulled out of the tournament because of a wrist injury and fought his way up the scoreboard throughout the weekend to become the second golfer to win the tournament back-to-back in three years, after Tiger Woods achieved the same feat in 2006.

His fantastic back nine on Sunday saw the two-time Champion Golfer of the Year separate himself from the rest of the pack.

Darren Clarke – 2011

Darren Clarke achieved his childhood dream by winning the 140th Open Championship three years later in 2011.

Clarke won at the venue where this year’s Open is being held, shooting five-under-par and leading since the second round.

At 42, the veteran came into the tournament as an outsider and left Sandwich as the champion.

It was a fairytale moment for the Northern Irish golfer whose best finish in a major previous to his win was third in the 2001 Open.

Rory McIlroy – 2014

In 2014, Rory McIlroy became Champion Golfer of the Year after shooting 17-under-par at the Royal Liverpool.

The current World number 11 achieved the first of two majors in the space of a month with a dominant weekend on Merseyside.

The Northern Irishman went bogey-free in the first round and achieved the same score of 66 in the second to take a commanding lead that he extended further on Saturday.

McIlroy bogeyed three times on the final day but his six-shot lead was too much for any chasers to close down.

The 149th Open Championship will take place from Thursday, July 15th – Sunday July 18th.

All Irish tee times are available here.

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