Joaquin Niemann rattled off four consecutive birdies from the 14th on Thursday to sign for a five-under 65 and grab a two-shot lead at the Amgen Irish Open. It was a course-record round on a day when 35 mph gusts had balls moving on the greens.

McIlroy, the defending champion, signed for a one-under 69 after a double bogey at the par-4 13th and returned to the course at 9:30am local time on Friday to start his second round.

“After making the double bogey on 13, I was just trying to get those two shots back by the end of the day,” he said. “Didn’t quite do that, but I think finishing under par for the day was a reasonable effort.”

Shane Lowry shot 67 to sit two off the lead alongside South Africa’s Shaun Norris, according to Associated Press coverage. Poland’s Adrian Meronk was three under through 15 holes when play was suspended in fading light on Thursday evening.

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A six-hour round in gale-force gusts

The Atlantic-coast links played firm and fast under gusts that reached 35 mph, and rounds took roughly six hours to complete.

“I felt like I did a solid job of making pars and trying to get to the clubhouse as quick as I could,” Lowry said. “I honestly didn’t think we were going to get finished.”

McIlroy blamed the traffic as much as the weather.

“This course isn’t conducive to letting you get in a flow,” he said. “Especially the first two days with so many people in the field, there’s a lot of stopping and starting.”

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Niemann took the wind head-on and made it work.

“You got to hit those tee shots and keep it under the wind, left-to-right wind, right-to-left wind,” he said. “Like every shot into the wind, just times 100 probably.”

Belgium’s Thomas Detry produced the shot of the round, holing out from around 230 yards in the rough on the par-five 10th for an albatross. He then played his last six holes in five over and signed for a 74.

Trump due at his own course on Sunday

Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Ireland on Saturday for engagements in Dublin, then travel on to Doonbeg to stay overnight at the hotel and watch Sunday’s final round, the Irish Times reported. His security detail is expected to bring as many as 1,000 people to the course, including up to 200 Secret Service officers.

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Trump bought the west-coast property in 2014 and rebranded it Trump International Golf Links. This is the first Irish Open staged at the venue. The president remained in the US on Thursday and Friday for the 25th anniversary commemorations of the September 11 attacks before crossing to Ireland.

The 36-hole cut falls at the end of Friday’s second round. McIlroy is chasing a second successive Irish Open title.

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