Ben Griffin leads $20m Memorial Tournament with Shane Lowry chasing & Scottie Scheffler lurking at Muirfield Village
IRELAND's Shane Lowry is firmly in contention at the halfway stage of the Memorial Tournament.
The
Advertisement
2
Shane Lowry is in the hunt, but he playing partner for rounds one and two Ben Griffin leads at Muirfield Village
2
Scottie Scheffler is just three behind the leaders Nick Taylor and Ben Griffin in Dublin, Ohio
The Clara native signed for a level-par 72 in tough scoring conditions at Jack's event.
His second round tally leaves his tied for fifth and just four shots off the lead going into the weekend.
Last week's Charles Schwab Challenge winner Ben Griffin shares top spot on seven-under with Canada's Nick Taylor.
Taylor fired a bogey-free 68, while overnight leader Griffin followed up with a steady 72.
Advertisement
read more on golf
At four-under, World No. 1
Akshay Bhatia is in solo third on five-under, two clear of Scheffler.
Lowry, who turned 38 in April, is the only Irishman in the $20 million Signature Event field after Rory McIlroy opted to skip another PGA Tour stop.
The Clara native will now look to push on over the weekend and add his name to the elite list of Memorial champions after a second place finish at the last Signature event, The Truist Championship.
Advertisement
Most read in Golf
Joining Lowry in tied-fifth are Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns, who surged into contention on Friday afternoon in Ohio.
Meanwhile, gold legend
Jack Nicklaus stunned as Rory McIlroy ghosts Memorial Tournament host and golf legend ahead of PGA Tour Signature event
The golf legend was speaking ahead the
The Down native is currently in a media blackout, he hasn't spoken to the press prior to the
Advertisement
And that silence has seemingly extended to 18-time major winner Nicklaus as the golf icon revealed his 'surprise' that McIlroy didn't call him to explain his absence from this week's PGA Tour event.
"And, you know, I haven't talked to him for him to tell me why or why not."
Shane Lowry tees off at 7:48PM Irish local time on Saturday.
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Josh Honohan: Versatility is definitely a strength of mine
Presuming John O'Shea is delegated defensive duties within the Irish coaching ticket would be dangerous with Heimir Hallgrímsson around. The Icelander's soundbites resonate with the last non-Irishman to take the reins, Giovanni Trapattoni, for the priority he places on fundamentals. Josh Honohan's promotion to the squad tallies with that outlook, the Corkman considered one of the best League of Ireland defenders in recent years. Sunday's introductory session at Abbotstown was a leisurely workout before the real work began on Monday. First things first for the Ireland boss was assembling his defenders away from the main group to engage in shadow drills without the ball. 'It's still fresh to me but you can see why he's been successful as an international manager,' said Honohan, referring to Hallgrímsson's track record with his homeland and Jamaica. 'He's shown me clips of the way we play and little principles we have. He wants us to be a well-drilled team with good shape - and you can see he is a top manager.' Honohan has two friendlies – at home to Senegal on Friday and away to Luxembourg next Tuesday – to make his debut and push for inclusion in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers. Silverware has eluded him since he left Cork City to join Shamrock Rovers chasing their fifth successive title at the start of last season. Shelbourne denied the Hoops that unprecedented sequence but his call-up to the Irish fold was based primarily on how he fared on the European run that included a trip to eventual Conference League champions Chelsea. While Colin Healy praised Honohan's lightning pace at City and Stephen Bradley talked up his ability to operate with either foot, he didn't always mark himself out as a future Ireland defender. 'I never went to the UK as a teen but never saw it as a negative,' said the 24-year-old, recalling several of his peers receiving invites from interested clubs. 'I played with Carrigaline United until I was 16. I was lucky I had great coaching down there and then I went to Cork City, the academy there, had brilliant managers there and I think that is definitely something that helped me. 'Coming to Shamrock Rovers last year, with the standards they set, the manager, and the rest of the staff there, has improved me. 'You always have confidence in your own ability because if you don't then nobody is going to have confidence in you. 'I think in the modern game you must be versatile, comfortable playing in different positions. And, having done that in the last couple of years, I definitely think it's a strength of mine.'
The Irish Sun
11 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Rory McIlroy set to break PGA Tour media silence ahead of RBC Canadian Open after non-conforming driver controversy
RORY MCILROY is set to break his media silence at this week's RBC Canadian Open. Advertisement 2 Rory McIlroy has not spoken with the media since prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow 2 The Grand Slam champion made headlines for swapping out a 'non-conforming' driver due to a failed test of the club Five-time major winner McIlroy made headlines for swapping out a The Grand Slam winner has remained tight-lipped on the failed driver test, opting not to speak publicly about the issue during his time in Charlotte. That radio silence extended to 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus as the golf icon However, with the Canadian Open up next, he's expected to face questions on the matter when he returns to the media spotlight. Advertisement read more on golf The Down native has been confirmed for PGA Tour media duties after the PRO-AM on Wednesday, a day ahead of the opening round at TPC Toronto in Osprey Valley. Masters champion McIlroy will be looking for his fourth win of the campaign at the RBC Canadian Open. It comes just one week ahead of the season's third major at the US Open. Failing equipment tests is far from uncommon on the PGA Tour - even for the best. Advertisement Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his The world number one revealed he was also forced to swap out his driver after it failed testing in the aftermath of his victory. Scottie Scheffler living 'peak dad life' as he's handed baby son with 'poop stain' immediately after winning £3million Plenty of other golf star had varying opinions on the testing, such as Collin Morikawa , Xander Schauffele and Lucas Glover. McIlroy will be looking for a hat-trick of wins at the tournament that gets underway on Thursday with all the action live on Sky Sports Golf Advertisement
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Rickie Fowler hails Royal Portrush as PGA Tour star seals qualification for 2025 Open Championship on Emerald Isle
PGA Tour star Rickie Fowler hailed Royal Portrush after the American booked his spot in the field for July's major in County Antrim. The popular golfer revealed that links golf is his 'favourite' as he expressed his delight about qualifying for the season's final major on the Emerald Isle. 2 Rickie Fowler qualified for The Open after his performance at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club 2 The Open returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since Shane Lowry's maiden major title win in 2019 Fowler has booked his spot at The Open after emerging as the highest finisher at the Memorial Tournament that was not already exempt. The Californian and Brandt Snedeker both finished tied for seventh at one under. But it was Fowler who got the nod thanks to his superior position in the Official World Golf Ranking — entering the week at No. 124 compared to Snedeker's No. 430. Irish fans will be delighted with the result as the popular player has. a huge following. read more on golf In what's been a rollercoaster few years for the six-time PGA tour winner, he said that he can't wait to head back to Northern Ireland in July. Speaking with the media after his final round in Ohio, Fowler said qualification for this year's Open was a prime target. He said: " A definite positive is going over to Portrush, that's one I wanted on the schedule. "I had a great time over there... when were there last - had a decent showing as well, so... Most read in Golf "Links golf is my favourite, and Portrush is a great spot. So, I'm excited of that opportunity." Fowler indeed does play some of his best golf on Links tracks, he finished 6th in 2019 - with a best finish of 2nd at the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler has become the first golfer since Tiger Woods to He added the title to his triumphs at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the The Dallas superstar edged past Ben Griffin in a tense final-round battle at Muirfield Village. 28-year-old Scheffler carded a composed 70 to finish four shots clear of the field in Dublin, Ohio.
