Shane Lowry produced certainly one of his most mature and tactically astute performances to share the lead with world primary Scottie Scheffler heading into the ultimate spherical of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
On a day when Rory McIlroy lastly moved into high gear and raced dwelling in 30 to shut to inside 4 pictures of the lead after a 68, Lowry seemed like a person on a mission because the cream got here to the highest in Orlando.
Only a week after he failed to indicate the persistence required when holding a share of the 54-hole lead within the Cognizant Basic and ended up tied fourth, the Clara man dug deeper than ever to offer himself an opportunity to win probably the most prestigious titles on the PGA Tour.
Certainly one of six midway leaders, he matched Scheffler by making birdies on the sixteenth and seventeenth to card a two-under 70 on one other windy day and clinch his place within the remaining group for the second week working.
With Will Zalatoris making two double bogeys in his final 4 holes to drop from 11-under to seven-under, McIlroy’s sensational again 9 left him tied for eighth on five-under with the top-10 on the leaderboard lined by simply 4 pictures.
Lowry (36) and Scheffler lead by a shot from US Open champion Wyndham Clark on nine-under with simply two again in fourth with Hideki Matsuyama and Russell Henley.
One other epic end beckons and Lowry admits being paired with the world primary on Sunday solely provides to the problem.
“Yeah, it does,” the world quantity 54 stated after a spherical the place he rolled with the punches after which produced a double fist pump after rolling in a 32-footer for his sixth birdie of the day on the 178-yard seventeenth.
“Look, these are the explanations you rise up away from bed within the morning, to get out and compete in opposition to the most effective gamers on the planet.
“Yeah, I am excited. I am trying ahead to it. I am simply going to exit and do my factor and, look, two weeks in a row within the remaining group on Sunday, hopefully I can do a greater job than I did final Sunday.
“No matter what occurs tomorrow, I believe it is important progress for me over the previous few weeks.
“Received nice stretch of tournaments arising; it is good to be enjoying some good golf.”
Lowry hasn’t gained on the PGA Tour since he lifted the Claret Jug in 2019.
He missed final 12 months’s FedEx Cup playoffs and wanted a sponsor’s invitation this week for what’s his first begin in a signature occasion.
However he’s reaching his early season purpose, which was to get sharp for the Masters and with The Gamers to return subsequent week, he’s enjoying himself into type at exactly the best time.
In accordance with statistician Justin Ray, he’s the primary participant to carry 54-hole lead or co-lead in back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour since Lucas Glover final 12 months.
And whereas he has his work lower out to assert his first win for the reason that 2022 BMW PGA, the situations go well with his sturdy tee-to-green recreation, even when placing is treacherous on wind-exposed greens.
“I clearly holed a pleasant one on 17, however I did not really feel that snug with all of it day,” Lowry stated.
“It is laborious on the market. You are leaving these 25-footers for birdie; you are simply attempting to get it useless as a result of these 4-footers on these greens are fairly tough, particularly when it is windy.
“I at all times say, once you play in windy situations, the toughest a part of it’s placing.”
McIlroy made placing look simple as he adopted bogeys on the seventh and eighth with six back-nine birdies.
He began his magical run by turning into the primary participant to drive the tenth, blasting a 365-yard drive onto the entrance edge.
He went on to 2 putt for birdie and rolled in putts on the twelfth, thirteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and 18th to get inside 4 of the lead in five-under-par.
However admitted that chasing down the leaders will rely on situations.
He’s no stranger to come-from-behind wins, however he is aware of it gained’t be simple at a punishing Bay Hill, the place agency greens and thick tough punish errant pictures
“Relies upon what the situations are like,” McIlroy stated of his possibilities of including to his 2018 win at Bay Hill, the place he completed tied second final 12 months
“You begin chasing on this golf course, it might probably chunk you fairly rapidly.
“You begin taking some extra aggressive traces, begin going at some pins with these agency greens and brief siding your self.
“You’ve received to choose your spots and nonetheless be affected person. I believe the wind’s going to be out of a special route once more tomorrow, so the wind or the golf course goes to play fairly completely different to what it was at present. We’ll see what occurs.”
It was additionally a very good day for West Waterford’s Seamus Energy, who chipped in on the 18th for a closing birdie and a bogey-free 69 that left him tied for twenty fifth on one-under-par.
