SHANE LOWRY declared mission accomplished as he fired his lowest round of the season to roar into contention for the RBC Heritage.

Seeking his first win since he claimed The Open at Royal Portrush 21 months ago, the Clara star (34) fired an eagle and five birdies in a six-under 65 to move up to tied sixth on seven-under.

He ended his day just four strokes behind the clubhouse leader Corey Conners but by the end of play he was tied for 11th, nine shots behind two-time RBC Heritage winner Stewart Cink (47) who shot a second successive, eight-under 63 to lead by a whopping five shots from Conners on 16-under.

"Pretty happy," Lowry said after he rifled a 184-yard eight-iron to six feet to set up an eagle three at the second, then followed his lone bogey of the day at the third with five birdies, including a brace of near holes-in-one at the 179-yard fourth (five inches) and 201-yard seventh (2 feet).

"I think we definitely looked to have got the worst side of the draw. I knew I needed to go out there and shoot a decent number if I was going to put myself up there for the weekend, so it was nice to go out and do it."

Graeme McDowell missed the two-under-par cut by four shots as a double-bogey six at his 17th hole scuppered his chances and he shot a level par 71 to finish in two-over.

Cink shattered the previous RBC Heritage 36-hole record by three strokes, becoming the oldest player to hold the 36-hole lead at the event.

Stewart Cink (1st/-16)

• Playing in his 76th round at the RBC Heritage, the 2000 and 2004 champion posted the 36-hole scoring record with a pair of 63s at 16-under 126 (Previous: 129 by Phil Mickelson/2002; Jack Nicklaus/1975)

• The 126 total shatters his career-low 36-hole score (130; five occasions, most recent at 2021 Sony Open in Hawaii)

• Holds sixth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR; 2-for-5 in converting previous attempts (2004 WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational, 2008 Travelers Championship)

• Holds 36-hole lead for the second time at the RBC Heritage (2003/T10)

• Last 36-hole lead on the PGA TOUR was over 4,600 days ago at the 2008 Travelers Championship

• His five-shot lead is one shy of the 36-hole tournament record (Darren Clarke/2005, Jack Nicklaus/1975, Johnny Miller/1974)

• Since the bogey on opening hole of round one, he has made 13 birdies and two eagles and holds a 5-stroke lead

• With back-to-back rounds of 63, joins Loren Roberts as the only players with multiple 63s or better in tournament history

• Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach The Green (6.556) and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (9.626)​

• Claimed his seventh career PGA TOUR victory in this season’s first event at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California

• With a victory, would join Bryson DeChambeau as multiple winners on TOUR this season

• At 47 years old, becomes the oldest player to hold the 36-hole lead at RBC Heritage

• Joins Lee Westwood (47 years old/THE PLAYERS) as the only two players this season over age 45 to lead after 36 holes of a TOUR event

Corey Conners (2nd/-11)

• RBC Ambassador offset a double-bogey on No. 14 with nine birdies for a 7-under 64, marking his 11th career round of 64 or better on TOUR

• In search of his second PGA TOUR victory in his 106th start (2019 Valero Texas Open)

• Missed just five greens in 36 holes (31 of 36)

• After missing the cut in his first three starts at the RBC Heritage, finished T21 in 2020

• The 29-year-old Canadian seeks to become the first Canadian to win the RBC Heritage

• Has 11 top-25 finishes in 17 starts this season

Additional Player Notes

• Making his fourth start at the RBC Heritage, Emiliano Grillo (3rd/-10) is the only player in the field and first player since Billy Horschel (2019) to go bogey-free in the first two rounds of the RBC Heritage

• After posting a career-low and bogey-free 9-under 62, first-round leader Cameron Smith (T4/-9), followed with an even-par 71

• In his second RBC Heritage start, world No. 4 Collin Morikawa (T4/-9) turns in a bogey-free 3-under 68

• South Carolina native Wesley Bryan (T8/-8) in search of first victory on TOUR since the 2017 RBC Heritage; turned in a second round 5-under 66 to mark his lowest 36-hole score in 14 rounds at the event

• Reigning The Open Championship winner Shane Lowry (T11/-7) follows 70 with a 6-under 65 for a five-stroke turnaround

• Defending champion Webb Simpson sits T40; the last defending champion to miss the cut at the RBC Heritage was Davis Love III in 1993

• World No. 1 and RBC Ambassador Dustin Johnson sits T19 at 5-under 137

• Past RBC Heritage champions: Stewart Cink (1st), Wesley Bryan (T8), Branden Grace (T19), Matt Kuchar (T31), Webb Simpson (T40), Brandt Snedeker (T54), Jim Furyk (MC), Brian Gay (MC), Satoshi Kodaira (MC), Davis Love (MC), Graeme McDowell (MC), C.T. Pan (MC)

• Michael Kim withdrew during the second round