STUART MOFFATT: Good afternoon, everyone. We're joined in the interview room by the clubhouse leader Shane Lowry. Shane currently leads the championship at 7-under par.
Shane, 2-under par 69 today, what were your thoughts on today's performance?
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it was good. I felt like I went out there, I was in control of my ball, did all the right things for a lot of the round. Then when I got in a bit of trouble, I feel like I really finished the round well.
I'm pretty happy with the day. To be leading this tournament after two days, it's why you come here, it's why we're here.
Yeah, I'll sit back and watch a bit of golf in the afternoon and see where it leaves me come the end of the day, and get out there tomorrow. The job tomorrow as well is to try to put myself in a position to win this tournament on Sunday, and that's what I'll try and do.
Q. Could you just talk us through No. 11, also more particularly, how you responded to it over the last few holes.
SHANE LOWRY: I did the hard part. I hit my drive where you could find it, which is obviously a hard thing to do on that hole. I did a nice lie in the rough. I got a little bit distracted on the right just as I was over the shot, and I kind of lost a bit of train of thought. You're so afraid of going right there that I just snagged the club and went left.
Then from there, I hit a great provisional. The referee asked me going down, did I want to find my first one, and I said no. So I assumed that was okay. Then we get down there, and somebody had found it. So apparently we have to find it then, or you have to go and identify it, which I thought, if you declared it lost before it was found, that you didn't, you didn't have to go and identify it.
I felt like through that whole process of that 20 minutes, it was whatever it was, of taking the drop, seeing where I could drop, and I felt like I was very calm and composed and really knew that I was doing the right thing, and I felt like Darren did a great job too just kind of -- he kept telling me, we have loads of time. We don't need to rush this. We just need to do the right thing here.
To be honest, I was happy enough leaving there with a 6. It was not like -- it wasn't a disaster. I was still leading the tournament.
I think the 12th hole for me was key. 12 was playing very difficult, straight into the wind. I hit driver, 4-iron there too, the best shots I've hit all week, to about 30 feet and made par there. From then on, I felt like down out of the left coming in, it was playing quite difficult, but I felt like you could give yourself chances on the way in, and that's what I did.
Q. You looked just remarkably composed really for the last two days, never really flustered at all by anything -- maybe that moment on the 11th perhaps. Can you describe the feelings you get when you come to a links course? Do you feel, when it's windy and it's blowing like this, that maybe you've got a little bit of an advantage? Do you feel a comfort level in that?
SHANE LOWRY: Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. I get to conditions like this, and I know I can do it, I know I can deal with that. There's an art or there's a -- you know, it's quite difficult to stand up there from 190 yards and make yourself hit a 4-iron as low as you can. It's quite difficult to tell yourself that.
I feel like the three weeks I've had at home, the golf I've played in Ireland, coming here and doing my reccy here a few weeks ago, I feel like that's all helped.
Yes, I have felt quite calm and composed the last couple of days. I've felt really in my comfort zone. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with how things have gone.
Q. Obviously leading at the halfway stage, a competition you've won before, how does it change when you're leading, everyone's chasing you, and how much can you lean into that previous experience from years ago going into the weekend?
SHANE LOWRY: I suppose, look, I'm going to have a very late tee time tomorrow. I'm not going to be playing for another 24 hours. I know what that's about. I know tomorrow is going to be a long day, but I've done it before.
Going out there leading the tournament, who knows if I'm going to be leading by the end of the day? With these conditions, probably will be, but we'll have to wait and see.
Yeah, you just go out, and for me, it's just about going out and playing my own game, shooting the best score I can, and then seeing where it leaves me at the end of the day. Try not to worry about what other people are doing and just trying to take care of your own personal stuff.
Q. Are you a good front-runner?
SHANE LOWRY: I wouldn't say I'm a good runner.
(Laughter).
I don't know. I put myself there in a few big tournaments, and I've managed to knock them off. So I've done it a few times. I don't know. It's hard to win tournaments. We'll see. I'll tell you Sunday evening.
Q. How much stronger was the wind, and how much harder was the wind at the end of your round compared to the beginning?
SHANE LOWRY: The front nine is going to be playing very difficult this afternoon because the wind is like a quarter different than it was maybe yesterday when we played. The back nine was nearly straight out of left with a little bit of help, but it's got more help today.
The back nine, although it would have been downwind, plays easier, but yeah, the front nine is going to be very difficult, and that wind is very strong. Yeah, the golf will be interesting this afternoon.
Q. You said on the second shot to 11, you lost your train of thought. Firstly, was that a joke?
SHANE LOWRY: No.
Q. Was it like a camera going off?
SHANE LOWRY: Just there was a cameraman there, and he was walking up, and I asked him to stop or move back, and he just kind of stayed there. As it was over, he put his camera up. I kind of saw it out of the corner of my eye, and I should stood off it, my own fault.
Q. David Howell was commentating with your group on Sky Sports, and he said the fellow who found your ball was feeling a bit sheepish when he realised you probably didn't want that to happen. Were you aware of that, or did you see the spectator who found it?
SHANE LOWRY: No, I didn't. I just was trying to figure out what I was going to do, if I was going to make a 5 or a 6.
Q. Shane, you took a really deep breath before playing that provisional. You kind of closed your eyes, looked up. It was obviously a reset. Is there something you go to? Is there a process you use in a situation like that?
SHANE LOWRY: No. Sometimes you are in a frame of mind that it works better for -- you know, you get on with it better than other times. This week in my head feels like that, where I think I'm ready to take what comes, take what's given to me out there. Almost ready for -- anything that's thrown at me, I feel like I'm ready to take it on the chin and move on. I just have to deal with it and try and make the best of it and see where it leads me.
Q. Showing your emotions is something that I think is both a calling card for you and something that I'm sure sometimes maybe run hot. How do you go about balancing that as something you want to use but also maybe not letting it get the worst of you?
SHANE LOWRY: I don't know, like I can get a bit down on myself and a bit hot headed at times, but I really feel like that's why I've had the career I've had. I've spoken to people, my coach and my team about this at times, and if I go out there and try to be somebody I'm not, you're just not going to be successful. That's how I feel.
Yeah, like I say it all the time, if I go out there and be myself, I feel like I can do very well. So allow myself to do that, and yes, without getting in your own way. It can help you at times.
Q. Is there anything in particular that you did differently to prepare for this week compared to perhaps past Opens?
SHANE LOWRY: No, but I played -- I didn't play the Scottish Open last week. I played the Scottish Open last year, and it's the first time I missed the cut in the Open in a few years. So I decided not to play it this year.
I always say two of my favourite weeks of the year are the week before the Masters and the week before The Open, where I like being at home in Florida preparing for Augusta, I go on a trip there. I just like the kind of routine of getting ready for a big tournament.
I always really enjoy my week in Ireland the week before The Open, and I go around and play some links golf and hang out with my friends. I really feel like that puts me in a good frame of mind going into play a big tournament.
Q. When you win, you win big. Should the chasers be worried about you in this form?
SHANE LOWRY: I don't know. Let them like -- honestly, I'm not sure Scottie Scheffler is too worried about anyone with the form he's in. He's obviously on the leaderboard, and he's one person that people are going to be talking about.
There's some other guys there as well. I see Justin Rose going well, and this guy Daniel Brown, I've never played with him, but obviously he had a great day yesterday and looks to be going all right today.
Yeah, I don't know, like I think if I give myself a chance on Sunday, I know I can do it. That's as good a position to be in as any.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports