Shane Lowry stays focused amid excitement at The Open, backed by golf legend for a strong finish

Shane Lowry is tipped by fellow Irishman and two-time Claret Jug champ Padraig Harrington to go the distance at The Open after carding his lowest ever opening round in a major .

However, the 37-year-old insists on not getting ahead of himself , acknowledging that during Thursday's play he had to constantly remind himself it was merely day one with much more golf to be played, even suggesting the lively spectators might have enjoyed "a few pints of Tennent's".

Finishing second just a stroke behind England's Daniel Brown, who birdied the last to clinch the top spot late at 9.30pm, Lowry leads American Justin Thomas by two.

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"I'm pretty happy, but it's only one day," Lowry remarked. "We've got three more days. I kept telling myself that out there because for some reason I felt like the crowd were getting very excited out there. It was late in the afternoon. A few pints of Tennent's were had out there, I'd say. They were quite excitable out there, and it felt more like the weekend."

"I just kept on telling myself there's a lot more to do and there's a few days left, so I just kind of stayed in my lane and hit some good shots, and I was pretty happy with how I handled myself.", reports the Irish Mirror .

Lowry has expressed his deep desire to clinch the prestigious tournament once more, saying: "I'm fully aware that I have a job to do over the next three days. Look, I'd give anything to win this tournament again. I'd give anything to give myself a chance to win this tournament again, and that's why I'm here this week. This is obviously a great start to do that."

The world number 33 catapulted himself to the top of the leaderboard at Royal Troon with an impeccable bogey-free round of 66, finishing the day five-under-par before Brown edged ahead later.

Throughout his round, Lowry impressed with his putting skills, sinking some remarkable putts, including five birdies, and notably putting from over 20 ft on back-to-back holes on the back nine (10th and 11th).

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Aiming for a second triumph in the world's oldest golf tournament after his historic win at Royal Portrush in 2019, Lowry leads a major for the first time heading into the second day of the final major of the year.

Harrington, who caught the tail end of Lowry's round while addressing the media post his own round yesterday evening, is convinced that Lowry will be a tough contender for the rest to catch in the upcoming days.

"Shane when he gets in front, he's good," Harrington remarked. "He generally stays up there. He's a front runner. For him, he needs to get going. He's not someone who generally chases from behind. It's very positive for him."

In response to Harrington's remarks, Lowry stated: "It's just hard to get there. Going against the best golfers in the world, it's hard to get to the front. When you do get to the front, you kind of have to keep going and keep your foot down, and yeah, see where it leaves you at the weekend."

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