Shane Lowry is again on this planet’s high 50 and gunning for a St Patrick’s Weekend victory in The Gamers Championship at Sawgrass this week.
The Offaly man (36) was disillusioned to not put Scottie Scheffler below strain from the beginning within the closing group of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
However after rallying from two opening bogeys to shoot 72 to Scheffler’s bogey-free 66 and declare third place in an occasion the place he has struggled, the 2019 Open champion can not wait to check himself in Jacksonville this week.
“Rory did say to me this morning that the final Paddy’s Day we completed The Gamers on, he gained it, so it is hopefully my flip to win it,” grinned Lowry, who has shot below par in eight of his final 12 rounds at TPC Sawgrass.
Lowry’s third-place end at Bay Hill was value $1.4 million, however it additionally boosted him to thirtieth within the FedEx Cup standings and from 54th to thirty seventh on this planet.
“I used to be near being so much higher this week, however one other top-five and a few well-needed, much-needed FedExCup factors, and on to Sawgrass subsequent week,” stated Lowry, who congratulated Scheffler as they walked up the 18th fairway.
“After I hit my method shot in there, he simply rotated and stated, ‘That was a heck of a spherical of golf’,” Scheffler revealed after a dominant efficiency notable for his improved play on the greens.
The American prolonged his lead over Rory McIlroy on the high of the world rankings and defends The Gamers this week feeling higher about his placing than he has in a while after making a string of adjustments.
“I attempt to not focus an excessive amount of on the outcomes, however my course of was actually good this week and the outcomes to date are fairly robust to argue with, I’d say,” stated Scheffler, whose unimaginable consistency— three wins and 15 top-tens in his final 23 begins — was recognised by McIlroy.
“Anybody can pop up and win an occasion right here or there or get on a great run, however the constant performances that Scottie’s been placing in week-in and week-out, each time he tees it up, it’s unimaginable,” McIlroy stated.
“We knew if he began to gap putts, then this form of stuff would occur,” McIlroy stated, including that had been it not for different narratives reminiscent of LIV Golf, the American can be getting better plaudits.
“The play on the golf course has form of taken a backseat to all the things else, which is a disgrace.
“So, yeah, I might say if we had been in a special place on this planet of golf, Scottie’s golf would most likely be getting much more applause and reward.”
It was one other snakes-and-ladders efficiency from world quantity two McIlroy, who has did not document a top-20 end in his first 4 begins of the PGA TOUR season, having completed 2023 with ten top-10s in a row.
If Scheffler solved his placing conundrum at Bay Hill, McIlroy must type out his iron play (particularly from inside 150 yards) because the Masters approaches.
“I suppose for me, in my head on the minute, it is all in regards to the method play as a result of that is the factor that I am combating,” McIlroy stated on Sunday after he adopted a again 9 of 30 on Saturday with a gap 41 and a closing spherical 76 that left him tied twenty first.
“I’ve received three days right here to attempt to determine it out and get some good work in. Once more, I feel I will most likely lead the sector in strokes gained off the tee this week, for the third week in a row, so I simply want the opposite.
“As soon as I try this, then the subsequent half is the important thing for me.”
McIlroy shared twenty first place with Seamus Energy, whose first top-25 end on the PGA TOUR since final July’s John Deere Basic sees him transfer from 107th to one hundred and first on this planet.
It was additionally a optimistic week for Tom McKibbin on the DP World Tour.
Following his tie for ninth behind Matteo Manassero within the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa, he moved to a career-best a hundred and twenty fifth on this planet.
The Holywood star (21) was undone by a gap triple bogey seven and completed seven pictures behind Manassero, who leaps practically 200 locations to 182nd following his first DP World Tour win for nearly 11 years.
