ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND - JULY 29: Sean Crocker of the United States hits off the tee on hole 2 during Day Two of the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews on July 29, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Big guns Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have dominated the winner’s enclosure for Irish golf over the past 10 years but Niall Kearney and Challenge Tour stars Conor Purcell and John Murphy are looking to make their mark this weekend.

Kearney (34) rattled in seven birdies in a six-under 66 to keep alive his hopes of a maiden win in the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews.

The lanky Dubliner is tied for 15th on 10-under but while he’s five shots behind American Sean Crocker, whose bogey-free 66 gave him a one-shot lead of Scotland’s Scott Jamieson on 15-under, he’s confident he has the game to make a run at the title.

“I knew I needed to go low and I executed well,” said a delighted Kearney, who needs a big somewhere to secure a full card as he’s 165th in the Race to Dubai with only the top 123 exempt next year. “I know a low weekend is required but I am well capable.”

Open Championship surprise package David Carey bounced back from bogeys at the second and third by making eight birdies against just one dropped shot over his last 15 holes to card a 67 and make the six-under cut on the mark.

“To be honest I was just very unlucky on both,” he said of his early mistakes. “I left it an inch short for par on two, then on three I hit a great drive miles down the par five and just got the most awful bounce with my second shot, up against a wall over the back of the green.”

He responded with three birdies in a row, picked up three more at the 10th, 11th and 13th, then followed a bogey at the 14th with birdies at the 15th and 18th.

“I played much better than the score yesterday too so I just kept telling myself to be patient, the putts that are just missing and bad breaks will even out, thankfully I made a few on the way in,” Carey said.

“I was particularly happy with the putt on 18, I knew I needed it from around 10 feet to make the cut. So to deal with the pressure of that to make my first DP World Tour cut on my first try after The Open, being in bed sick all last week unable to practice due to Covid was very satisfying.

“Hopefully I can push on now at the weekend. I haven’t been at 100 pc energy-wise this week yet but I’m feeling better every day.”

Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort’s Simon Thornton missed the cut by two shots on four-under after a 71 with Jonathan Caldwell’s bogey-par finish for a 72 leaving him three outside the mark on two-under.

Paul Dunne made ten birdies in rounds of 72 and 71 but he had too many mistakes with five bogeys and two double-bogeys over the two days proving costly.

Cormac Sharvin’s struggles also continued as he missed his 11th cut in a row two-over despite a second-round 71.

Irish eyes were smiling in the Irish Challenge at the Palmer South Course at The K Club, however, where John Murphy and Conor Purcell are hoping the home crowd can push them all the way after they surged into contention yesterday.

Kinsale native Murphy carded a five-under 67 and Portmarnock star Purcell a 68 to go out in the final group just two shots behind English pace-setter Todd Clements on 11-under par.

"I saw Conor's name at the top of the leaderboard at the back of the green and I thought it would be pretty cool to be playing with him in the last group tomorrow,” Murphy. "That's the kind of thing you fantasise about playing against your friend with a home crowd and a chance to showcase and show off.”

Purcell went out in level par but eagled the 10th and birdied the 11th and 12th before following a bogey at the 14th with a sand-save birdie four at the 18th on a day when the wind blew and just nine of the 22 strong Irish contingent made the one-under par cut.

"I have been in a couple of later groups this year so I know what to expect and hopefully I have learned from that,” Purcell said. “Hopefully we can put on a show over the weekend.”

Holywood’s Tom McKibbin shot 70 and West Waterford’s Gary Hurley a 69 to share 10th on seven-under, just six shots behind 25-year-old Clements, who shot 65 to lead on 13-under.

Mallow’s James Sugrue found his putting touch and rolled in seven birdies in a 66 to move up to tied 12th on six-under.

Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy shot 67 to share 25th on four-under with Irish amateurs Robert Moran from Castle, who shot 72, and Malone’s Matthew McClean, who posted an impressive, bogey-free 66.

The cut fell at one-under par with The Island’s Paul McBride sneaking in on the mark as he birdied the 18th for a 75.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Meadow has two more rounds to hone her game for next’s AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield after she carded a one-under 71 to make the cut on the mark in the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.

The Jordanstown star bogeyed the par-five 18th but snuck in on the one-under cut line as world number four Lydia Ko carded a second successive, bogey-free, seven-under 65 to lead by two shots on 14-under par from American Lilia Vu.