The two best friends head into the 2025 Indian Championship weekend occupying the top two positions on the leaderboard. Tommy Fleetwood leapfrogged Shane Lowry at Derry Golf Club on Friday with a sensational second-round 64 to take sole lead at 12 under, one lead over Irishman and American Brian Harman.
“This is truly a unique challenge for all of us,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve only ever hit a 5-wood. The hole I’ve hit more is No. 18. But when you get to that point, you’re like, ‘Well, I haven’t hit one yet and I don’t feel very comfortable.'” It’s a very unique challenge, the greens are getting a little firmer and the pins are tricky.
“It was very, very fun. It tests your patience when you’re not riding well, because like this one on this course, there are some drops where you feel. Even if you hit it well off the tee, you end up using short irons and wedges, and it feels like there’s always a chance to miss. It’s a game I’ve been waiting for a lot. You have to be very patient. It was a great test.”
Paired with Lowry and European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald for the second day in a row, the Englishman burst out of the blocks with three birdies in his first six holes. After a round with several bogeys, Fleetwood could have done no wrong on Friday.
He birdied the 17th and 18th, the eighth and ninth holes of the morning, and also birdied the par-5 first hole, making a successful turkey ball around the turn. When he finally arrived, he found himself at 11 under among the leaders, adding another yen to his scorecard and taking the outright lead heading into the weekend.
Meanwhile, Lowry continued to have a solid hand alongside Fleetwood. Although his score was slower than his first 64, the Ryder Cup hero’s second round 69 was enough to grab the attention of his rivals. Lowry had four birdies scattered across his scorecard, including his only bogey of the week when he missed the green on the par-5 18th with a wedge in hand from the middle of the fairway.
“I think this golf course needs to play the way I want it to play,” Lowry said. “There’s a lot of holes where I don’t hit a lot off the tee and I’m trying to make plays out of it. So I think that suits me. A lot of mid-irons are a strength of my game. I’m going to play to my strengths this week and hopefully be dangerous this weekend.”
Herman, another former champion golfer of the year, is humming 36 holes as well. Although he admitted he was a little out of form as he hadn’t played since the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup final, the left-hander was active in the second round and was in contention for the win with a 7-under 65.
Herman’s only mistake was when he dropped a golf ball off the 13th tee, but he was able to recover and only hit one shot down the field. He quickly shook off the loose swing and continued playing the next seven holes at 5 under.
“I’ve heard it called a second-shot golf course, but the tee shot is difficult,” Herman said. “It feels like a lot. It’s a little bit like the open. You have to line up some shots in some places, but it’s a little awkward. I’m hitting it pretty well. I hit some irons pretty close. I saved pars when I should have saved pars. When I hit them into the trees, I didn’t make a big score.”
Herman leads the Americans on the field, with three notable players representing the red, white and blue ranking in the top 10 through two rounds. Following his 68 points in the first round, Ben Griffin scored 68 points in the second round, followed by Michael Kim. The two shot a 68, just four strokes off the pace of Fleetwood, who is tied for seventh at 8 under.
Griffin worked, sharing the fairway with Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy. Coincidentally, Hovland was there the entire day. Norwegian Hovland posted a bogey-free 67, splitting all 14 fairways en route to finishing within the top 20 at 6 under. McIlroy also settled for the same total score.
The Masters champion combined for a 69 on Thursday and a 69 on Friday after another shaky start. A bogey on the opener par-5 set the tone for the afternoon, and he again recorded three bogeys for the second day in a row, including squares on the 11th and 12th.
However, McIlroy was able to claw his way back into the championship in the closing stages thanks to four birdies in the final six holes.
“Today I missed too many shots on the wrong side and had to scramble. It’s pretty stressful to play from there,” McIlroy said. “Just being a little bit smarter and keeping everything a little bit more organized. Like you said, it’s probably easier said than done, but that’s what I’m going to do this weekend.”
