After hitting seven birdies in a gap 66 on Thursday, McIlroy cemented his place on the high of the leaderboard with a birdie on the par-four third.
However the Masters champion hooked an iron into the water together with his tee shot on the sixth earlier than dropping one other shot on the ninth.
Whereas he scrambled to avoid wasting par on the lengthy thirteenth, McIlroy incurred one other penalty on the quick 14th earlier than bouncing again with a birdie on the sixteenth by sinking a 45-foot putt for birdie.
One other wayward shot into water on the seventeenth led to a bogey and the 36-year-old completed with one other dropped shot after he did not stand up and down from beside a rock to the proper of the inexperienced.
Enjoying with Ryder Cup team-mate McIlroy, Lowry combined three birdies and two bogeys on the entrance 9 however picked up pictures on the tenth and sixteenth to take a seat alongside two-time DP World Tour winner Elvira.
“I do fairly get pleasure from it, the artistry of transferring the ball round and hitting totally different pictures,” Lowry informed Sky Sports activities.
“We had an incredible group at the moment. Once you’re on the market having a little bit of enjoyable it is simpler to play good golf in order that angle for the remainder of the yr and I will be fairly good.”
It was a tough Friday for Fleetwood, nevertheless, because the Englishman did not make a birdie or eagle in a spherical for the primary time for the reason that US PGA Championship final Might.
England’s Marcus Armitage carded a 70 and is 2 pictures off the lead whereas South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence – who was third in 2024 – is alongside McIlroy at two underneath.
