SHANE LOWRY AND John Murphy are poised for a Sunday challenge at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrew’s.
The Irishmen both shot brilliant rounds of five-under par 67 to move to a share of second place on 11-under, three behind tournament leader Danny Willett.
Kinsale’s Murphy, 23, is already guaranteed the best finish of his fledgling pro career in what is only his third start on the main European Tour.
But St Andrew’s has been a happy hunting ground for him in the past as he won the famous Links Trophy as an amateur in 2018.
Teeing off on the 10th hole on the Old Course, Murphy got off to a flying start with an opening birdie before climbing up the leaderboard with back-to-back birdies at the 18th and then the first.
Two more birdies at the fifth and the eighth left him alongside Lowry in a group of four on 11-under.
Lowry’s Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton and England’s Richard Bland — who had the low round of the day with a magnificent 64 — are also on 11-under.
Lowry’s scoring was concentrated in a burst of five birdies in seven holes on the front nine but it was his performance on the back nine, where he managed level par in testing conditions as the wind got up, that anchored his score.
And it could have been even better but for a missed birdie opportunity at the last to further close the gap on Willett.
“There’s a bit of a fatigue alright,” the Clara native conceded when he spoke to Sky Sports afterwards.
“It’s a bit of a comedown from last week but it’s still a big tournament in its own right.
“I’m a competitor, I’m a competitive person, and when I come and play, I want to do well.
“I’m out there giving it my all. I managed to play some nice golf over the last three days and I’m a good position going into tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it.”
He added: “I shot level par on the back nine with a bad bogey on 10. I would have taken that standing on the 10th tee. The rain started to come in, it was quite cold out there, and the ball was going nowhere.
“I’m able to deal with it, I’m able to do it. I hit some nice shots, gave myself a couple of chances. I’m disappointed that I didn’t hole that one on the last but I’m very happy with my day’s work.”
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