Shane Lowry and Dan Brown Shine at British Open

Ireland's Shane Lowry matches England's Dan Brown atop the British Open leaderboard. Lowry, the 2019 champion, started strong but encountered a minor setback. Several top golfers are vying for position while former world champion Tiger Woods struggles, risking missing the cut alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy.

In a thrilling start to the British Open's second round at Royal Troon on Friday, Ireland's Shane Lowry ascended to the top of the leaderboard, joining England's Dan Brown. Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, began the day one shot behind Brown but quickly gained ground with two early birdies, moving to seven under par through four holes. However, a bogey at the fifth brought him back to six under, level with Brown who maintained a steady performance.

American Justin Thomas will begin his round three under par, narrowly leading Swede Alex Noren, England's Justin Rose, Joe Dean, American Russell Henley, Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes who are all clustered at two under par. Canadian Corey Conners finished the day one under par, tied with world number one Scottie Scheffler and fellow American Xander Schauffele.

Meanwhile, former world number one Tiger Woods continued to struggle, recording six bogeys and two double bogeys in his opening 79. Woods dropped another two shots on Friday, slipping to a precarious 10 over par and facing the risk of missing the cut. U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (76) and world number two Rory McIlroy (78) also face challenging roads ahead if they intend to compete over the weekend, with stronger winds expected to complicate play later in the day.