SHANE LOWRY topped a grinding performance with a monster birdie putt at the 17th to keep his victory hopes alive in the Honda Classic in Florida.

Runner-up last year, Lowry was one-under for the day and working hard to tiptoe through the Bear Trap late in his round when he rolled in a 57-footer for an unlikely two at the 17th.

He couldn’t birdie the par-five 18th at PGA National’s Champion Course but a second successive, two-under left him outside the top-10 on four-under-par.

The West Palm Beach resident was just six shots behind clubhouse leader Justin Suh (25), who fired a six-under 64 to lead by one stroke on 10-under from Chris Kirk, who blasted a bogey-free 62.

“I feel like I need to play the courses that I like and the tournaments that Iike. Yes, we have to pay a certain amount of tournaments this year but there are a couple that I do like that want to play in and this is one of them,” said the world No 20, who is playing the third event of a five-in-a-row spell that will see him play eight events in nine weeks.

"The fact that I am at home and get to stay in my own bed makes it a little bit easier. It’s one of the most difficult courses we play all year, so it’s quite stressful, but I am having a good week so far.”

Lowry was especially pleased to hole that long-range birdie putt at the tough 17th, especially after seeing it hit Webb Simpson’s ball marker just a few feet short of the cup.

“Yeah, you are just happy to see your tee shot on land and on the green and it tried to just two-putt that from there.

“I thought it was in the whole way, then I thought Webb’s marker was going to knock it out but I am happy that it went in.

“It was a little disappointing not to birdie the last but I am happy with 68.”

Lowry — who was seven shots off the lead at halfway last year before being pipped by a shot by fast-finishing winner Sepp Straka — bogeyed the second, but chipped close for birdie at the par-five third.

He rolled in a 30-footer for birdie at the eighth to turn in three-under, kept his round going by getting up and down from 47 yards for par at the 10th and again at the 12th before navigating the dreaded Bear Trap in one-under.

After a long-range two putt at the 15th, he made six-footer for his four at the 16th after bunkering his approach, then drained one from nearly 60 feet for a two at the 184-yard 17th.

Pádraig Harrington is 10 shots behind Suh on level par but he kept his hopes of a third Honda Classic win on life support after also digging deep to fire a two-under 68.

The Dubliner (51) made four birdies and two bogeys on the Champion Course, and while he was outscored by current US Ryder Cup skipper Zach Johnson, the American felt the Irish star deserved more.

"Awesome, phenomenal pairing," Johnson said after firing a 67 alongside Harrington and European captain Luke Donald to go into the weekend just five shots behind early leader Justin Suh on five-under. "I'd take it every week. Two good buddies, two awesome champions.

"Pádraig, I feel like he played better than what he shot the last two days. I think he'll probably hang in there, at least my hope is that he gets in."

While Donald missed the cut on seven-over after a 76, Harrington was just inside the projected cut mark on level par as he missed just four greens in regulation.

However, he has his work cut out to win his third Honda Classic after Suh (25) fired a six-under 64 to lead by one stroke on 10-under from Chris Kirk, who equalled his career low with a bogey-free 62.

While Lowry and Harrington shot in the sixties in the US, it was a tough day for the rest of the Irish on the DP World Tour and the Challenge Tour.

Rookies John Murphy and Gary Hurley missed the cut in the Hero Indian Open at DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi.

Kinsale star Murphy shot a second successive 76 to miss out by four shots on eight-over while an opening 80 proved too much of a handicap for West Waterford man Hurley, who finished a shot further back after a 73.

The in-form Yannik Paul extended his overnight lead, carding a 69 to lead by five strokes on 10-under par in his quest for a second DP World Tour title.

The German (28), who finished second at last week's Thailand Classic, dropped just one shot to set the halfway target.

"It feels good when you feel like you can, first of all, get over the line and second of all, make a putt when it matters," said Paul, who leads from Finland's Mikko Korhonen, Iceland's Gudmundur Kristjansson, four-time DP World Tour winner Marcel Siem and local favourite Angad Cheema.

It was also a tough day for the Irish at the Challenge Tour's Nelson Mandela Bay Championship at Humewood Golf Club in South Africa.

Tied for eighth after an opening 66, Rosapenna's Ruaidhri McGee only scraped in for the weekend on the four-under-par cut mark after a two-over 74.

Greystones' Paul Dunne missed the cut in his first start this year as he followed a 70 with a level par 72 to miss out by two strokes on two-under.

Portmarnock's Conor Purcell, who started his campaign with three top-10 finishes, missed the cut for the second week running.

The former Walker Cup star (25) signed for a 77 to miss out on level par as France's Tom Vaillant posted a bogey-free eight under par 64 to take a three-shot lead on 14-under over Road to Mallorca number one Adam Blommé of France and last week's winner, JJ Senekal from South Africa.