Bogey blues for Lowry as he tumbles down Pebble Beach leaderboard

SHANE LOWRY suffered trouble in paradise and now needs a red-hot third round to survive the cut in the weatherdelayed AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The world number 44 was one-under for the day and two-under for the tournament after seven holes of his second round at Pebble Beach.

But he dropped five strokes in his next four holes, racking up a double-bogey six at the treacherous eighth before poor tee shots led to three bogeys on the spin from the ninth. While he birdied the long 14th, he bogeyed the 16th as the weather deteriorated, then pulled his tee shot into the Pacific Ocean at the last, finishing with a six for a five-over 77.

At four-over, Lowry could need a 65 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club today to make the cut for the top 60 and ties.

But Graeme McDowell battled his way to a one-under 70 there to trail a quartet of leaders by five shots shortly before play was suspended for heavy rain.

Veteran Phil Mickelson (48) made seven birdies in a four-under 68 at Spyglass Hill to share top spot with Lucas Glover (66 Pebble), Scott Langley (69 Spyglass) and Paul Casey (64 Monterey) on 10-under par.

In Australia, Michael Hoey is chasing the perfect 40th birthday gift after he moved to within four shots of Nick Flanagan and Jason Scrivener in the innovative ISPS Handa Vic Open. The Ballymoney man turns 40 on Wednesday and knows a sixth European Tour triumph would see him win back his card after two years on the Challenge Tour.

Paul Dunne shot a six-under 66 at the same venue to lie a shot further back in joint 16th with Gavin Moynihan sneaking in on the five-under cut mark after a 72.

Portmarnock amateur Conor Purcell (21) missed out after rounds of 72 and 76 as Scrivener shot 66 and overnight leader Flanagan a 68 at the Beach Course to share the lead on 14-under par.

They head countryman Wade Ormsby by one stroke in an event where men and women play over the same layouts in separate tournaments for equal money.

The halfway cut in the parallel LPGA Tour event fell at level par with Leona Maguire making it on the mark after a one-under 72 on the Creek Course.

Stephanie Meadow missed out by two strokes after a five-over 77 on the Beach Course, however, as American Kim Kaufman shot a seven-under 66 on the Creek to lead by two strokes on 13-under from Japan’s Haru Nomura.

On the PGA Tour Champions, Darren Clarke finished with eagle three for a five-under 67 that left him just four shots behind leader Jesper Parnevik in the Oasis Championship at Broken Sound.