Ireland's Shane Lowry shot a four under par 67 to claim a share of the lead at the British Open on eight under as 15-time major winner Tiger Woods and pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy looked set to miss the cut on Friday. Resuming on four under, Lowry birdied four of the opening five holes and picked up another two shots on eight and 10.
However, he bogeyed the 14th and 18th coming home to fall into a three-way tie for the lead with overnight leader J.B. Holmes and South Africa's Dylan Frittelli. "You can have that great round and that day where everything goes right," said Holmes, who shot a three-under round on Friday. "But it's nice to get two rounds in a row. It shows a little consistency."
English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood are just one shot further back on seven under, while world number one Brooks Koepka also kept himself in the hunt for a fifth major on five under. However, Woods was made to pay for his disastrous 78 on Thursday as a one under par round left the Masters champion still on six over and five shots off the projected cut.
"It's more frustrating than anything else because this is a major championship and I love playing in these events," said Woods, who has struggled at three majors since his stunning triumph at Augusta in April.