With temperatures hitting a high of 27 degrees, the sun isn't the only reason Padraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin will be sweating as they wait to see what the final cut line will be at the 2023 Irish Open.

Out early for Day Two of the event, the pair knew with perfect conditions they would have to go low if they were to stick around for the weekend.

Harrington left himself with it all to do after carding a one-over par 73 on Thursday but bounced back to play some fine golf. Starting on the back nine, Harrington birdied his first hole of the day and bounced back from a blemish on 14, he hit birdies on 16 and 18.

The three-time major winner pledged €500 per birdie towards Make-A-Wish at the start of the week and said that he wanted to empty his pockets and had two more on his run in as well as a bogey on the fifth to card a three-under-par 69.

Tom McKibbin sits alongside Harrington at two-under par after carding a round of 70 today but it could have been so much better. The Holywood man climbed up the leaderboard early with birdies on holes 10 and 16 and backed it up with two more on the second and fourth and well poised to stick around for the weekend.

But two bogeys on the fifth and seventh dropped McKibbin right on the cut line which currently sits at two-under-par.

India’s Shubhankar Sharma backed up his leading score on Day One to clock up an impressive six-under-par 66. All tee times were forced to wait 30 minutes after a fog delay but it didn't distract Sharma as he made the turn in 28.

“It was a really early morning start for us so I was a bit sleepy but I managed to make a lot of putts on the front nine,” Sharma said.

“I had nine single putts which was amazing, I don’t think I’ve done that before. Everything was just flowing nicely, I was hitting it in the right spots and was really good inside 10 feet so it all came together.

“It was still as hot as yesterday, which is quite unusual for Ireland, but I quite like this weather and the greens were better today because we played in the morning.

“There are some tough pin positions but if you’re on with your putter there will be low scores out there. I made some changes in the first half of the season but I’m finally seeing the results.”