Shane Lowry battles it out with Olesen but Rory McIlroy falters at Irish OpenTom McKibbin is still in the hunt thanks to two birdies on the front nine. Sat, 12 Sep, 2026 – 17:28Maurice Brosnan, Doonbeg
Shane Lowry made the turn tied for the lead with Jacob Skov Olesen at the Irish Amgen Open in Doonbeg on a dramatic day on and off the course at Trump International in west Clare.
It was a dream start for the leader as he drained a 31-foot putt for birdie on the first, much to the delight of the home support. He followed it up with two pars before a slip on the fourth when he overshot the green from the weeds and had to settle for bogey.
Even after breaking the course record and racing to the top of the leaderboard on Friday, Lowry was keen to stress that he had won nothing yet.
So Saturday showed as Olesen went out to chase him down with three birdies on the front nine. He bettered it with a sensational eagle on the eighth in an extraordinary hole.
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The Danish golfer, who won the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in 2024, drained a superb eagle putt only for Haotong Li to do the same. Lowry had to respond and he did with a big birdie effort to stay one in front. He was 13-under par at the halfway mark. Rasmus Højgaard forms part of a competitive chasing pack.
Elsewhere, defending champion Rory McIlroy endured a nightmare front nine with two double-bogeys and one bogey. He rolled a 43-footer for eagle to within inches on the fourth but couldn’t build on that momentum.
Another birdie-bogey saw him make the turn having scored 40. He shot 34 on Thursday and Friday.
There was a surreal scene on the 327-yard par 4 third after his drive went wayward. US President Donald Trump’s arrival had loomed over the entire morning until Air Force One flew over the course. It eventually landed at Shannon Airport, where the delegation boarded Marine One and headed to his property.
The organisational procedure for that arrival saw Lowry briefly delayed on the second hole. He eventually hit his approach as the helicopter blades howled through the air, before climbing up a sand dune to get a look at the operation.
The president immediately headed for the 18th green to watch players hit in from the box beside the grandstand.
Tom McKibbin is still in the hunt thanks to two birdies on the front nine. Irish Open debutant Liam Nolan shot an impressive 68. The Galway 26-year-old, who qualified in 2024 as an amateur, closed with a birdie.
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