Naples, Florida …

The all-Ireland pairing of Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell are set to end a long USA domination and become the first Irish-born winners and only the second non-USA born duo of the QBE Shootout at the Tiburon course in Naples, Florida.

Lowry and McDowell combined to come from five shots behind at the start of the second round and gel superbly in the modified alternate shot format in recording an eight-under par 64 and storm to an eventualy share of the lead in the overcast, rainy and windy weather and weather really more akin to the beloved Emerald Isle.

The Irish pair managed an eagle and six birdies in the $US 3.3m event and with the winners being handed $US 410,00 each.

G Mac and Lowry clearly delighted in sharing the lead heading to the final round of the 2017 QBE Shootout. (Photo – QBE Shootout)

McDowell and Lowry ended their round with the clubhouse lead before being joined at 18-under par by the first day leading pair of Steve Stricker and Sean O’Hair who strugged to post a three-under par 69 and this afte their sizzling 15-under par 57 start in the sauna-like weather on Friday.

Lowry and McDowell, and also the only non-Americans among the 24 players, brilliantly kick-started their quest to the top in eagling the opening hole to move to 12-under par and this after Friday’s round of a 10-under par 62 that McDowell had described as ‘average’.

They then birdied the second hole to move to 13-under par before going to 15-under with back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth holes.

Lowry, who is contesting the Greg Norman hosted event for a first occasion, then birdied the dog-leg right par-4 10th hole to take the team to 16-under par while McDowell, and teeing-up for a sixth occasion, stole the limelight in holing a long birdie putt from off the front of the green at the par-4 13th that put the team into the lead at 17-under par.

But if there was a McDowell ‘shot of the day’ it was at the par-5 14th and in playing a magnificent bunker fourth shot from a Lowry plugged lie to just some two -feet to allow Lowry to hole for a great saving par.

“I impressed myself with that bunker shot on 14 and to be fair to my partner my lay-up wasn’t very good and I left him 20-yards further back from where he should have been,” said McDowell.

“But then he didn’t leave me much for my next as it was a fairly plugged lie and with these fairly big bunkers we have here at Tiburon, so my No. 1 thought was just to get the ball out and don’t leave in it there.

“So, the ball came out perfectly and my short-game coach, Pete Cowen who was walking around with us was a shot he kind of showed me and I figured I better put on a show for him and it came out nicely.”

Lowry helped see the team go to 19-under in almost holing his wedge second shot for an eagle at the par-4 15th and leaving G Mac the easiest of birdie tap-in’s to get to a  combined 18-under par.

The Irish team of Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry along with their respective caddies.

A par followed at the par-3 16th before a little controversy down the left side of the par-5 17th when Lowry had driven off the tee and McDowell finding the ball lying in sand but in a hole made by a TV camera tripod.  The pair called for a ruling but were denied a ‘free’ drop but with McDowell quickly taking his hand off his shot and with the ball advancing less than 50-yards.

From there Lowry found the green and then two-putted for a par.

Thankfully Lowry had found the fairway on 18 as McDowell then stood-up but playing a poor drive that rolled off the fairway and into a hazard all the way left of the hole on route to a par and their 18-under tally.

“We just got off to a nice start and G Mac and myself said to ourselves at the start of the week that it would be nice to go to dinner on Saturday night with the chance of being in contention and we are,” said Lowry.

“So we have managed to do that.  It is a fun week here and we are clearly having a nice time and while it is a different format we don’t get to play too much, it’s been nice to come here and hopefully the weather plays its part tommorrow.”

McDowell, who last teamed with Gary Woodland to finish sixth in 2015, said:  “Shane and I both felt a fast start was key today and so that we can have something to hang onto and as it turned-out that eagle-birdie start was great to get our confidence up.

“We both hit some nice tee shots early on and also hit some nice iron shots and also holed some nice putts.

“So, it was nice to get into the round that way and hopefully we can finish off the job tomorrow.”