Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will have to brace themselves for a survival mission as they look to chase down Matteo Manassero in brutal third round conditions at Royal County Down.
McIlroy trails Manassero by two shots on four-under-par after a second round of 70 while Lowry carded a 69 to move to within the Italian who is six-under-par after a round of 66 as they both look for their second Amgen Irish Open titles.
There will be plenty of home players to pique the interest of the 15,000 crowds with Tom McKibbin and Séamus Power both within striking distance on one-over after rounds of 69 while 17-year-old Roganstown amateur Seán Keeling has not ruled himself out of contention after he made the cut on his tour debut at level-par with a round of 72.
“Yeah, it’s great. It’s always good for a National Open for the home guys to be playing well,” said McIlroy whose only top-10 in the Irish Open since 2012 was his win in 2016.
“I saw Shane shot a couple under today. Tom played great, too. Got himself in for the weekend. Not too far out of it either. Always good to have that home interest and it will get the crowd going over the weekend.”
Lowry meanwhile, is looking to complete an amateur/professional double in this event having won in Baltray in 2009.
“The conditions are going to be tough. It’s going to be windy tomorrow. We might get a bit of rain apparently. So yeah, it’s not going to take too good a score to give yourself a chance going into Sunday. I’ll be ready for tomorrow and hopefully give it my best.
“I know I can go and give it a run. I think it’s what the tournament wants and needs. Obviously myself and Rory is up there. It would be great if the two of us could give it a run on Sunday. You never know. It would be nice to go toe-to-toe on Sunday. We’ll see. It’s up to me to get myself there. I’m pretty sure he’ll get there, anyway.”
There is an incredible story brewing around the once forgotten about Italian hotshot Manassero who rose to prominence by winning four times on the DP World Tour between 2010 and 2013 including the BMW PGA Championship before remarkably losing his game for the best part of a decade.
Still only 31, ‘Manny’ has worked his way back through the Alps Tour, won on the Challenge Tour last year to secure a return to the DP World Tour and has since won the Johnson Workwear Open.
Now leading here after 36 holes by a shot from English duo Laurie Canter and Todd Clements thanks to two eagles and three birdies and just two dropped shots, Manassero can land his biggest win in eleven years and secure a PGA Tour card for 2025 in what would be a sensational comeback story.
“I played really well. I am so happy how I handled myself in difficult condititons this afternoon,” said Manassero. “There is not much you can do. You have to hit good shots, and the way the golf course is, you need to start it in the right place with the right trajectory and the right shape. Otherwise, it is just not good enough. So I am really happy with how I played and obviously with the score.”
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