Shane Lowry was in sizzling form on Friday as he played his first nine-holes in just 29 strokes as he surged to the top of the leaderboard. The Offaly man has been playing some of his best golf this year and produced a nine hole stretch to remember as he went six-under-par. Teeing off on the 10th hole, Lowry birdied his first three holes of the day before picking up further birdies on the fifth, seventh, and eighth holes. And the fast start saw Lowry climb to the top of the leaderboard ahead of Ryder Cup teammate Viktor Hovland. A good result this week will likely lift Lowry to a career-best world ranking. The Offaly man has been as high as 14th in the world and currently sits in 15th place in the rankings. The Offaly man has been very consistent this year, missing just one cut and finished in second place behind Rory McIlroy at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and finished in 7th place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The 2019 Open winner looks all but certain to make the European Ryder Cup team this September. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.