The Open: Shane Lowry two ahead of Justin Rose, Dan Brown as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods miss cut at Royal Troon

Former major champion Shane Lowry holds a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of The 152nd Open as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were among the stars to miss the cut at a windy Royal Troon.The Irishman followed an opening-round 66 – the best start of his major career – with a two-under 69 on Friday morning to move to seven under and bolster his hopes of a second Open victory, five years on from his impressive breakthrough success at Royal Troon.Lowry’s closest challenge comes from former world No 1 Justin Rose and fellow Englishman Dan Brown, who led after the opening round of his major debut, while world No 1 Scottie Scheffler is within five of the lead and in tied-fourth as he chases a seventh win in 11 starts.Lowry leads the Open Championship by two shots after posting a second round two-under-par 69 at Royal Troon in tough conditions”Anything that’s thrown at me, I feel like I’m ready to take it on the chin and move on,” Lowry said. “If I give myself a chance on Sunday I know I can do it and that’s as good as a position to be in as any.”Strong winds sent scores soaring for the majority of the field, with McIlroy’s major drought extending into another season after a second-round 75 left him heading home early on 11 over and Woods missing the cut for a third successive event.Despite missing the cut Tiger Woods claimed he loved his experience of playing in the Open Championship at Royal Troon and confirmed his intention to play in next year’s event at Royal PortrushLowry started the day a shot behind Brown but immediately pulled level with Brown by rolling in from 10 feet at the first, then responded to missing a birdie chance from a similar distance at the third by firing a wedge to tap-in range to take advantage of the par-five next.He failed to get up and down from the sand at the par-three fifth but birdied the Postage Stamp to reach the turn two ahead, which remained his cushion until he racked up a double-bogey at the 11th after pulling his approach into an unplayable lie in a gorse bush.