SHANE Lowry believes he will still need the golfing gods on his side to become the first Irish winner of the Masters after a sensational second round 68 left him five shots behind halfway leader Scottie Scheffler at Augusta.

The Clara man chipped in for eagle at the 10th to move to one-under-par, then mixed brilliant birdies at the 13th and 15th with crucial nine footers for par at the 14th and 16th to keep his dream alive.

Scores

“It was one of my better rounds of my career,” said Lowry, who was denied the Honda Classic by a shot last month but hoped the golfing gods would pay him back a few weeks later.

“I think it was quite tricky out there quite difficult but I managed to play some good golf and hole some nice putts at the right time.

“I’m obviously very happy with my score. I was a lot more disappointed standing here yesterday and I am in a great position going into the weekend now.

“I made a great I made great par saves on 14 and 16 and I absolutely hate that wedge shot on 15 so I was so happy to get it on land but overall my game was pretty solid.”

He faces more tough conditions today but insists he’s up for the challenge and ready for the toughest of tests.

“With the wind gusting at 25 miles an hour it’s unbelievable how hard it is down around Amen Corner and how easy it looks on TV, but it’s brutal, it’s so hard,” he said.

“You’re going to need everything to go your way to be standing there on the 18th green on Sunday but I’m where I want to be and I’m where I need to be so I’m looking forward to it. It’s gonna be hard but I’m looking forward to it.”

More wind is forecast for Saturday but Lowry is not concerned.

“I play well in tough conditions,” he said. “I much prefer the scoring be like this than 20-under. This is where I think I thrive in these kind of conditions. Yeah, it's supposed to be windy tomorrow.

“And knowing Augusta, it will probably be easier pins on Sunday. Scoring might get a little better on Sunday, but tomorrow you need to put yourself in a position to give yourself a chance on Sunday, so that's my goal for tomorrow.”

When he lost to Sepp Straka’s final-hole birdie in the Honda Classic on February 27, Lowry hoped the golfing gods would pay him, “hopefully in about five or six weeks in Augusta.”

Grinning last night, he said: “I did say that. Three weeks, four weeks time. I said that, something like that. Yeah, I'm hoping. I'll need every type of God on my side this weekend.”

He knows Augusta is the toughest mental test of them all but also that luck plays a part and after making a 38-yard pitch for birdie at the 10th, he’s ready for anything,

“Oh, you're saving two shots there,” he said of his second chip in this week having made one for eagle at the 13th in his first round 73. “It was a very sandy lie. It wasn't a great position. I wanted do hit it 10, 15 feet and give myself a chance of a par and not make double. That's kind of what you are doing out here on a day like today. You're just trying to at worse make bogeys and then take your birdies when you get the chance.

“But yeah, obviously that kick-started the round. From there on I played beautiful for the rest of the round as well and gave myself a few chances and the two par saves that I needed to save as well.”

As for Augusta’s mental test, he knows many things are out of his control.

“I think so, yeah,” he said. “You need to be so precise out there, and you can be made to look very silly with okay shots. If you hit the wrong shot at the wrong time, you're making a big number out there. 

“That's the way this golf course is. You just need to manage your game very well out there and play quite conservative, which is what I tried to do today.

 “I think I did it very well, and I holed a few putts when I needed to, and got a bit of fortune as well. (On) 10 you're saving two shots there. Was I level par for the tournament going into 10th? Maybe. I don't know what score it was, but you make bogey there, and all of a sudden the cut is in your head because you have 11, 12, and Amen Corner. 

“You hole out, and I feel like I'm in the tournament then. You're only a couple off the lead at the time.”