Yesterday 02:54 PMBen BlakeIrish scores:
Tom McKibbin -4 (3)
Shane Lowry -3 (1)
Rory McIlroy -2 (2)
Pádraig Harrington +1 (1.45)
Liam Nolan +1 (11.05)
Max Kennedy +3 (7)
Cormac Sharvin +3 (12.20)
Séamus Power +3 (1.35)
Mark Power +4 (12.00)
Thomas Higgins +4 (2.10) 3 minutes agoBen BlakeEagle has landed for Donald
Team Europe’s Ryder Cup captain showing them how it’s done on the par-4 third. DP World Tour on Twitter / XHOLE OUT EAGLE FOR LUKE DONALD! 🇪🇺#AmgenIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/JD4kVXN8HA— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 11, 2026
x.comExternal contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. 6 minutes agoBen BlakeBright start to Day 2 for McIlroy
It’s a dry morning in West Clare and, thankfully, the wind is significantly calmer than yesterday.
Rory McIlroy begins his second round with a solid par, and then putts a birdie from off the green on the second to go one under for the day and two under overall. 18 minutes agoBen BlakeMcKibbin in hot pursuit after back-to-back birdies
The 23-year-old lands his tee shot on 2 on the fairway and a brilliant second shot allows him to tap in a two-foot putt for a second consecutive birdie.
He’s now on four under with Kobori and Maximilian Steinlechner, and one off the lead. 26 minutes agoBen BlakeKobori climbs the leaderboard
We had quite a few players move to four under yesterday before falling away (Francesco Molinari, Rafa Cabrera-Bello), and New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori is the latest to come to close the gap on Niemann to one shot.
After starting round two with a bogey, he has holed three birdies and two pars. Two under for the day and four under overall. Kazuma Kobori of New Zealand. Getty Images 42 minutes agoBen BlakeMcKibbin joins Lowry on three under
Tom McKibbin will have caught the eye of Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald with his two-under 68 on Thursday, and the Co Down golfer has made an ideal start to his second round – birdieing the first with a 10-foot putt.
Rory McIlroy will be on the first tee in a few moments, followed by Shane Lowry at 9.40. 51 minutes agoBen BlakeShots of the day from round one
Featuring Shane Lowry, Rikuya Hoshino, Alex Fitzpatrick, Thriston Lawrence and Thomas Detry’s albatross.DP World Tour on Twitter / XFive of the best shots from the opening round 🎥#AmgenIrishOpen | @Amgen pic.twitter.com/8Y8GYJVbj9— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 10, 2026
x.comExternal contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. 57 minutes agoBen BlakeEndurance golf, wild winds and a welcome return to form for Lowry
Here’s Conor McKeon’s take on Day 1, which turned into a real slog. Conor McKeon: Slow day in Doonbeg as Rory and Shane survive the great Irish Open crawl‘Six hours might be a first for me,’ admits McIlroy after trying day in windy conditionswww.independent.ieToday 08:06 AMBen Blake“It’s wind, it’s links, it’s long grass, oscillating balls, rulings, ball searches, you name it, one after the other, and there’s no space out on the golf course.”
Read Brian Keogh on yesterday’s first round, with quotes from tournament director Miguel Vidaor addressing the delays and slow play.
The Spaniard is expecting lighter 8-15mph winds and fewer problems in round two.Shane Lowry leads Irish charge amid ‘perfect storm’ for wind-lashed competitors at DoonbegOffaly star shows maturity to lie just two shots off the lead with Tom McKibbin a shot further backwww.independent.ieToday 08:02 AMBen BlakeSecond round Irish tee times:
07.45 Max Kennedy (Irl), Richard Mansell (Eng), Kazuma Kobori (Nzl)09.10 Luke Donald (Eng), Tom McKibbin (NIr), Alex Fitzpatrick (Eng)09.30 Rory McIlroy (NIr), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Brooks Koepka (USA)09.40 Shane Lowry (Irl), Patrick Reed (USA), Jon Rahm (Esp)11.05 Liam Nolan (Irl), David Law (Sco), Renato Paratore (Ita)12.00 Tom Vaillant (Fra), Jack Senior (Eng), Mark Power (Irl)12.20 Cormac Sharvin (NIr), Jeong weon Ko (Fra), KH Lee (Kor)1.35 Séamus Power (Irl), Sepp Straka (Aut), Joaquin Niemann (Chi)1.45 Pádraig Harrington (Irl), Eugenio Chacarra (Esp), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)2.10 Shaun Norris (RSA), Thomas Higgins (Irl), Kota Kaneko (Jpn)Today 08:00 AMBen BlakeGood morning. We’re back for Day 2 of the Irish Open from Doonbeg, where Chile’s Joaquin Niemann leads the way following his five-under 65 yesterday.
Shane Lowry, who tees off at 9.40, heads the Irish charge after carding a three-under, 67 while Rory McIlroy (-1) and Tom McKibbin (-2) are both in the mix and due out on the course to begin their second rounds very shortly. Rikuya Hoshino of Japan putts on the first green on day two of the Amgen Irish Open. Getty ImagesYesterday 08:34 PMTony Considine‘I went after it and allowed myself to be Shane Lowry’ — Offaly hero surges into Irish Open contention
And our final post of the day is Brian Keogh’s report on Shane Lowry’s opening round of 67 which has him right in the mix. Join us again tomorrow and all weekend.
Thanks for reading.‘I went after it and allowed myself to be Shane Lowry’ — Offaly hero surges into Irish Open contentionMature Lowry overcomes six-hour marathon to open with super 67 at Trump Doonbegwww.independent.ieYesterday 08:20 PMTony ConsidineDouble bogey costs Rory McIlroy at windy Irish Open as champion sits four shots off lead after opening round
Rory McIlroy is only four back but will have regrets about his double bogey on 13. Jim van Wijk & Carl Markham have this report for you. Double bogey costs Rory McIlroy at windy Irish Open as champion sits four shots off lead after opening roundRory McIlroy battled on against testing blustery conditions at the Amgen Irish Open to sit four shots off the clubhouse lead following a one-under par opening round.www.independent.ieYesterday 07:11 PMBen BlakeThat’s my lot for the evening but the blog will return tomorrow morning as the second round get underway at Doonbeg.
In the meantime, keep an eye out on the Irish Independent for our extensive coverage of this year’s Irish Open. Yesterday 07:03 PMBen BlakeFirst round 67 as Lowry finishes with a par
On a challenging first day, it’s been a really steady back nine from 2009 winner Shane Lowry and only leader Joaquin Niemann has carded a lower score.
That spells the end of the Irish involvement on Day 1 with a couple of groups still out on the course. Shane Lowry putts on the 18th green as darkness sets in. Getty ImagesLoad moreTickarooLive Blog Software