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Shane Lowry hardly put a foot wrong in the second round of the Valspar Championship, where a bogey-free 68 for a midway total of five-under-par 137 on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook resort in Florida ensured he comfortably survived the cut and can aim at a weekend charge.
In near perfect conditions of sunshine and barely a breath of wind, scoring was low with Canadian Adam Hadwin claiming the clubhouse lead in adding a 66 to his opening 64 for 12-under-par 130, a stroke clear of defending champion Sam Burns and veteran Scott Stallings, with Justin Thomas a stroke further back after successive 66s.
Lowry, who started on the 10th, claimed back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th to get off to a strong start. On the par-three 13th, his tee-shot came up three feet short of the pin and he calmly rolled in the birdie putt; then, on the par-five 14th, his three-wood approach found a greenside bunker and, after splashing to nine feet, he rolled in the putt.
Although he gave himself a number of chances, Lowry managed only one further birdie – on the par-five first, where he was on the green in two and two-putted from 35 feet – to make it into the weekend but playing a game of catch up.
For Graeme McDowell, however, it proved to be a frustrating round. After starting with a bogey on the 10th, the Northern Irishman got momentum going with birdies on the 12th, 15th and 18th to turn in 33 and raise hopes of surviving the cut. But a homeward run, which failed to yield a birdie, and incurring bogeys on the second and fifth, saw him ultimately sign for a 71 for 144.
Hadwin, who hasn’t won on tour since lifting the 2017 Valspar, continued his fondness for the layout with a round that included six birdies and a lone bogey.
“My mind has been pretty good this week, staying patient, not getting too worried about any sort of missed shots or anything,” he said.
“I was fairly average for the first few holes. It didn’t really kick off until I made a par save on seven and then got a few putts to go in . . . my putting, it’s tremendous. It’s what won me the tournament five years ago, it’s been a strong part of my game for the last four, five years now, and I’m finally starting to see some improvement with the iron play, hitting more greens, giving myself more chances. So, again, [it’s about] staying patient around this place I think is key.”
Currently ranked 132nd in the world and coming in off a top-10 finish at The Players, where he admitted looking too often at the leaderboard got into his head a little bit, Hadwin added: “I’m in a great spot to try and go win another golf tournament.”
Among those also in contention is Thomas, who is also eager to get back to winning ways. His last win came in last year’s Players, so he has gone just over a year without another victory.
“I feel like I’ve been trending in the right direction. I feel like I’m really close to playing some good golf and getting on a run and winning some tournaments,” he said. “But, that being said, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen. I’m not owed anything . . . at this point, it’s about staying in that focus and really just trying to execute each shot.”
In the Steyn City Championship in Johannesburg, a co-sanctioned tournament on the DP World and Sunshine Tours, South African Shaun Norris produced a sizzling 62 for a midway total of 126, 18 under par, which gave him a three-stroke lead over James Hart du Preez heading into the weekend.
With his younger brother Kyle on his bag, Norris had only one piece of advice to offer before the round: “I said to him, ‘let’s go out and have some fun’. Overall my game was great and I gave myself a lot of chances. I’m smiling out there and I’m very happy,” said Norris of a round which brought an eagle and eight birdies.
Jonathan Caldwell, the only Irish player in the field, couldn’t recover from an opening 77 and added a 72 for 149 to miss the cut by 10 shots.