Shane Lowry sets his sights on a showdown with friend Rory McIlroy after the pair played their way into contention at Amgen Irish Open

Shane Lowry has set his sights on a showdown with friend Rory McIlroy on Sunday after the main attractions played their part in the battle for the Amgen Irish Open.

Lowry added a 69 to his opening 72 in the second round to make it one-under-par at Royal County Down. McIlroy’s 70 left him four under par and just two strokes behind the leader, Italian Matteo Manassero.

“I know I can take a chance,” said Lowry, who won the title in 2009 as an amateur. “I think it’s what the tournament wants and needs.

“It would be great if we could try it together on Sunday. You never know. It would be nice to be face to face. It’s up to me to get there myself, because I’m pretty sure he’ll get there too.”

Lowry and McIlroy, who won the Zurich Classic in New Orleans as a team earlier this year, were among the early starters on Friday and both regretted not taking full advantage of the favourable conditions.

Shane Lowry (left) has his sights set on a Sunday showdown with his friend Rory McIlroy (right)

Lowry added a 69 in the second round to his opening score of 72 for a one-under-par lead

“I felt like I hit some great shots and struck the ball fantastically,” added former Open champion Lowry.

“I gave myself a few chances and when I bogeyed the ninth hole, my last hole, it was pretty disappointing. But when I look back and assess my round, I’ll be pretty happy with what I did.”

The highlight of McIlroy’s round was an 8-iron to 15ft, making an eagle on the par-five. This was his 10th hole of the day. However, the world number three skipped his remaining eight holes in one.

“I would have liked to take advantage of the easier conditions this morning,” he admitted.

“Those first nine holes, you’re not going to see it play any easier. As the sun went down it got a little colder and the wind started coming from a different direction. It fooled me on that tee shot on the fourth and then five, seven, eight and nine were tough to play with the wind.

“But it was just a matter of making sure I was here for the weekend and giving myself a chance. It’s kind of a job for the first two days and now I’m focusing on the weekend.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy’s 70 has left him four under par and just two points behind the lead

“It’s much better here than nine years ago when I watched the third round on TV. I’m happy to be here for the weekend and I’m happy to give myself a chance.”

Spaniard Alejandro del Rey equalled McIlroy’s eagle in the first and looked set to take the lead when he reached eight under par, but he made a quadruple bogey of eight in the 15th to finish with McIlroy at four under par.

English duo Laurie Canter and Todd Clements are in second place on five under par.