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Shane Lowry launched himself into contention at the Tour Championship with a stunning round of 63 on Friday, featuring an electrifying back-nine performance that included a record-breaking putt. The 2019 Open champion carded six birdies on the inward nine and holing the longest putt in FedEx Cup Playoffs history, catapulting himself into a tie for fourth place. Here’s a recap of his remarkable day:

From Par to Phenomenal

• After an unspectacular even-par opening round, Lowry started his second round with 18 holes still to play.
• At the turn, he was one under for the day and the tournament, with plenty of work ahead of him to climb the leaderboard.
• The Irishman then produced a masterclass on the back nine, beginning with a birdie on the 10th hole.

A Record-Breaking Moment

Longest putt in FedExCup Playoffs history ‼️ @ShaneLowryGolf buries a 97’6″ monster

But it was on the 14th that Lowry gained global attention. Faced with a 97-foot eagle putt, he coolly drained it for birdie. Watch the unlikely hole-in-one here. This putt not only set a new FedEx Cup record but was also the longest putt holed on the PGA Tour this season.

A Birdie Bonanza

That record-breaking putt sparked a run of three successive birdies for Lowry. He rolled in 21-foot and 7-foot putts at the short 15th and par-4 16th respectively, before finishing his concerted effort with a 10-foot putt at the par-5 18th hole. This eagle, three birdies stretch saw him card an incredible nine-under-par 29 on the back-nine, a score that left him tied fourth at the close of play.

The Leaderboard Looks Like This

After 36 holes, Lowry is three strokes behind leader Russell Henley, who is at -10 after six holes of his second round. Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas are tied-second on eight-under, while Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa are joint-fourth alongside Lowry on seven-under. Rory McIlroy is at six-under after 12 holes, with two birdies on the board so far.

What’s Next for Lowry?

Lowry’s impressive performance comes at a crucial time, as European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is set to announce his team, including his six captain’s picks, on Monday week. Although no Ryder Cup points are on offer at East Lake, Lowry’s displaying his form at the right time could further boost his chances of selection.

The 2024 Irish Open champion, Rasmus Hojgaard, who is currently tied-25th on two-under at the British Masters, could potentially overtake Lowry for the final automatic qualification slot. Hojgaard just needs to finish tied-29th or better to jump above Lowry into sixth place in the European Ryder Cup standings.