Lowry in the lead as McIlroy drops back

SHANE LOWRY was in sparkling form at the Cognizant Classic in Florida yesterday, following up on two 67s in his first two rounds with a 66 in his third to end the day on 13 under and set himself up perfectly for a trophy surge in today’s final round.

The in-form Offalyman (below) had three birdies in his front nine, and then birdied the 10th hole before a bogey on 13 and another birdie on 16 before a brilliant birdie on the last.

Rory McIlroy ended the day on seven under after a 72, and would have in real contention had it not been for a disaster at 16, where he dropped three shots.

Meanwhile Joaquin Niemann took six holes to get going Saturday and then ran off six birdies on his way to a 6under 64, giving him a two-shot lead in LIV Golf Jeddah as he goes for his second LIV win in three starts this year.

For Anthony Kim, Saturday was another struggle.

Kim, competing after being away from golf for nearly 12 years, started the second round at Royal Greens with three bogeys and a double bogey. He wound up with another 76, leaving him 25 shots behind after two rounds.

Kim has made one birdie in each of his two rounds since returning to golf. He signed up with LIV as a wild card for the remainder of the season, with hopes of playing well enough to earn a permanent spot for 2025 in the Saudi-funded league.

Niemann took until his third season on LIV to win, and now he goes for his second title. He won the season opener in Mexico, where he shot 59 at Mayakoba and eventually won in a playoff.