Shane Lowry might solely look on the brilliant facet after he carded a four-over 76 to see his hopes of successful the Arnold Palmer Invitational fade at Bay Hill.
Main by two photographs on eight-under at midway, the Offaly man (37) by no means acquired going after a bogey-bogey begin.
Whereas he fought again with birdies on the sixth and seventh, he was by no means snug off the tee or together with his irons.
Double bogeys on the eleventh and thirteenth left him hoping for higher issues in the present day after he ended the spherical six photographs behind chief Collin Morikawa on four-under.
Lowry mentioned as a lot to taking part in companion Wyndham Clark, who additionally shot 76, as they trudged up the 18th.
The 2019 Open champion is tied for seventh place with Rory McIlroy a shot additional again after he bogeyed the seventeenth and 18th and shot 73 to slide to tied tenth.
The Irish duo discovered Bay Hill’s thick tough and agency greens stern check, however Morikawa carded a five-under 67 to guide by a shot from Russell Henley (67) and by two photographs from Canadian Corey Conners (69) on 10-under.
The Californian is looking for his first win for 18 months, and he believes he’s hitting the ball higher than he was in 2021 when he claimed his second main win in The Open at Sandwich.
“It has been some time since I’ve hit my irons like this; it truthfully has,” Morikawa mentioned.
“Simply begin traces, quantity of reduce, we’re wanting all the way in which again to 2021, basically.”
As Lowry and McIlroy might attest, Bay Hill will expose weaknesses in a participant’s recreation.
Lowry is struggling to discover a substitute for his favorite driver, which he felt price him within the Cognizant Traditional, whereas McIlroy’s failure to seek out fairways has additionally been pricey over the primary three days.
“It is a course that should you’re not taking part in nice, it may present,” Morikawa mentioned. “It is simply a kind of which you can’t faux it.”
On the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open, Max Kennedy made an eagle and three birdies in a two-under 70 to enter the ultimate day tied for 54th on eight-under.
He’s ten photographs behind Australia’s Karl Vilips, who shot 66 to guide by a shot from South African novice Kieron Van Wyk.
Van Wyk (23), a senior on the School of Charleston, posted a 66 as he bids to turn out to be the second novice winner in two years on the PGA TOUR.
Final 12 months, Nick Dunlap gained The American Specific at La Quinta to turn out to be the primary novice champion since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
“Simply carry on doing what I’ve been doing the final three days and hopefully it pays off by the tip of tomorrow,” Van Wyk mentioned.
In China, Leona Maguire tied for thirty third, 19 photographs behind Japan’s Rio Takeda within the Blue Bay LPGA.
Maguire closed with a 71 in Hainan Island to complete on two-over as Takeda raced residence in 31 and shot an eight-under 64 to win by six photographs from Australia’s Minjee Lee.
In the meantime, Sergio Garcia loved a double victory at LIV Golf Hong Kong.
The Spaniard’s seven beneath 63 gave him a three-shot win within the particular person occasion from Dean Burmester on 18-under.
His Fireballs crew additionally gained the crew title.
Tom McKibbin added one other $566,875 to his financial institution stability when he shot 66 to complete in a four-way tie for sixth place, seven photographs behind Garcia, on 11-under.
Graeme McDowell tied for twelfth on nine-under after a 68.
On the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington goes into the ultimate spherical of the Cologuard Championship simply three photographs behind chief Greg Chalmers.
He shot a five-under 66 at La Paloma Nation Membership in Tucson to share fifth place on eight-under.
