Shane Lowry birdies last four holes to make Irish Open cut

Spain’s Jorge Campillo set the pace at the halfway stage of the Horizon Irish Open as home favourite Shane Lowry staged a grandstand finish to make the cut at Mount Juliet.

Lowry looked set for an early exit until he birdied his last four holes for a second round of 70, the former Open champion rounding off a brilliant fightback by holing from 20 feet on the 18th to the delight of the large crowds.

Playing partner and compatriot Seamus Power also birdied the last in a second consecutive 68 to leave him eight under par, three behind leader Campillo.

“It was pretty cool,” Lowry said with considerable understatement. “To be honest I’d almost half-resigned myself to the fact that I was going home, packing my bags.

“Don’t know if I’ve ever birdied the last four to make the cut, so that’s a first, and I’m just happy to be in the weekend.

“Everybody knows how much this tournament means to me and how much I want to be here. I know it’s sold out at the weekend and I know there’s quite a few people who want to come down and see me play, so it’s nice that I’m here now and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

At three under par Lowry is eight shots off the pace as he looks to win the event for a second time, the 35-year-old famously lifting the title as an amateur in 2009.

“I need to go low tomorrow obviously, but I feel like I found something on the back nine, so I’m excited for the weekend and the (JP McManus) pro-am Monday, Tuesday and The Open.

“I think that’s why I let myself play good golf because I was telling myself coming down the last few holes that I found something on the greens and mentally.”

Power, who carded seven birdies and three bogeys in his 68, added: “It was a lot of fun at the end there, Shane holing that putt