Amateur ace Paul Dunne emerged as Ireland’s new star on the day the legendary Tom Watson waved goodbye to The Open.

While Dustin Johnson leads by one stroke on 10 under from clubhouse leader Danny Willett with five holes of his delayed second round to play today, Dunne lit up a rollercoaster day for the Irish.

The hugely composed Greystones amateur, 22, posted a second successive 69 to lied tied 10th on six under with the likes of Retief Goosen and Luke Donald, just three shots behind pace-setter Willett.
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Even Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth was a shot behind Dunne on five under with five holes to go.

Two-time Open champion Pádraig Harrington is lurking on three under after a battling 69 with Darren Clarke one under for the championship with five holes to play this morning after three hours were lost early yesterday due to torrential rain and flooding.

Graeme McDowell shot a second successviv 72 to make the cut on level par but Shane Lowry was bitterly disappointed to drive the 18th green and then three-putt from long range for a 72.

Devastated to miss the cut, Lowry said: “It’s tough to take. You come off 18th green and you’re robbed.

“It’s a big kick in the you know what. It’s just a big hit not making the cut here because I really felt like I was playing the golf good enough to come in with a top 10 or top 20 finish.”

Lowry made a quadruple bogey eight on the 17th in an opening 73 and confessed that he find it hard to live up to his own high exceptions and those of his fans.

The Clara man said: “If one more person said to me, ‘You’re going to win The Open…’ but look, I just didn’t hole the putts and didn’t get the breaks I needed.

“I think one of the things that's so impressive about Jordan Spieth is that he keeps just answering the expectations placed on him.

“Sometimes you can say and do all you want but deep down they're there in the back of your head and obviously I've got high expectations of myself.

“I wanted to come in here and have a chance of winning this weekend, but unfortunately I'm not even going to be here.”