Rory McIlroy is just two shots off the halfway lead at home and remains in a strong position to challenge for a second Amgen Irish Open title.
The world number three shot an opening-round 68 before firing in a one-under-par 70 at Royal County Down on Friday morning, making an eagle, a birdie and two bogeys to head into the weekend at four under.
McIlroy, the 2016 champion, started on the back nine but failed to take full advantage of unexpectedly good conditions, bogeying the par-3 14th for the second day in a row before rolling in from 27 feet for birdie on the par-4.
Rory McIlroy looking to win Amgen Irish Open for second time
McIlroy's round was highlighted by his eight-iron to 15 feet for eagle on the first hole (and 10th hole of the day), but he lost a shot on the par-4 fifth and finished with four pars, leaving him tied for fourth, two shots behind Matteo Manassero.
“I was hoping to take advantage of better conditions this morning,” McIlroy admitted. “You don’t see RCD on the first nine holes. [Royal County Down] It's easier to play.
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“Then the sun went down, it got colder and the wind started to blow in different directions. But I just wanted to make sure I could get through the weekend and give myself a chance. The first two days of work were done and now I turned my focus to the weekend.”
Manassero shot a third-round 66, with eagles on two par-5s, to move atop the leaderboard, giving the Italian a one-shot lead over overnight leader Todd Clements and fellow Englishman Laurie Kanter.
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Alejandro Del Rey is two shots back along with McIlroy despite a quadruple bogey at the par-4 15th, while Shane Lowry is five shots off the lead and looking to challenge McIlroy for the win after a second-round 69.
“I knew I could give it a try,” said Lowry, who won the title as an amateur in 2009. [a Sunday showdown with McIlroy] is what the tournament wants and needs.
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“Obviously me and Rory are both in the lead. It would be nice if we can go head to head on Sunday. You never know. It would be nice if we can go head to head on Sunday. We'll see.
“It's up to me to get there. I'm sure he'll get there no matter what.”
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