SHANE LOWRY MOVED into contention for a six-figure start to the new year with a closing eagle on day two of the Volvo Golf Champions.
Lowry chipped in from the greenside bunker on the short par-four 18th to finish in a share of fourth place on five-under par.
“It was a nice way to finish,” the Clara native told EuropeanTour.com after his round of 69.
“It was a frustrating day. I played lovely for the first 10, 11 holes and then dropped a couple of silly shots and didn’t really hole any putts.”
Louis Oosthuizen jumped to the top of the leaderboard with the day’s low round of 64. The South African goes into the weekend on 12-under-par, one shot clear of overnight leader Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.
A top-four finish at Durban Country Club this weekend could net Lowry in excess of €100,000, with a €350,000 on offer for the tournament winner.
More importantly it would earn him vital rankings points as he looks to break into the world top 50 for the first time in his career and secure an invite to his debut Masters at Augusta in April.
He said: “I know there’s a few guys in double digits but if I can go out there and shoot a good score tomorrow, I know I’ll be right in there on Sunday.”
Padraig Harrington is nine shots off the lead after a round of one-under 71 which included a double-bogey on the par five 14th.
Darren Clarke made up for his sluggish start as he shot 68 to move to one-under par while Michael Hoey finished the day on two-over.
