Shane’s in pole position to deliver Royal Portrush an Irish Open champion
Ireland’s Shane Lowry yesterday blasted himself into pole position to lift the Claret Jug at the 148th Open Championship, after a stunning eight-under-par 63 at Royal Portrush.
24 hours after home hero, and pre-championship favourite, Rory Mcilroy bowed out at the halfway stage, 32-year-old Lowry stepped up to the plate and took The Open by the throat.
Eight birdies and no dropped shots took him to 16-underpar – four shots clear of Tommy Fleetwood at the top – heading into today’s final round.
“I just really enjoyed it. I played some great golf and the crowds were incredible,” said Lowry.
“I am looking forward to tomorrow.”
Fleetwood had himself fired a five-under-par round of 66 to move on to 12-under-par for the Championship
Earlier, former Masters champion Danny Willett had set the clubhouse target on sevenunder after a bogey-free 65, but acknowledged he was likely to face a bigger deficit at the end of the day.
“The wind is dying down now and it would be nice to see it pick back up,” Willett said.
“If you play well and get in the last groups, you should get the best weather, but you can see the leaders potentially getting that bit further away.”
The later starters undoubtedly got the best of the conditions and the birdies came thick and fast.
Holmes had reclaimed top spot with a birdie at the third, which was matched by Lowry, but Lee Westwood picked up a shot at the
fourth to join Holmes on 10-under.
Fleetwood was a shot behind after almost holing his approach to the short fifth for an eagle and tapping in for his second birdie of the day.
Lowry picked up his second birdie of the day on the fifth and with Fleetwood making a birdie ahead on the seventh, there was a four-way tie for the lead.
Lowry, who sacked his caddie following a fourth straight missed cut in the Open at Carnoustie last year, moved into the lead with a birdie from close range on the ninth.
Fleetwood responded with a birdie on the 10th, but in the group behind, Lowry used the contours of the green to his advantage to set up another birdie and improve to 12-under.
Westwood had dropped back to nine under after being forced to take a penalty drop from a tree following a wayward drive on the 10th.
A two-putt birdie on the par-five 12th edged Lowry back in front and he then enjoyed a stroke of luck on the 14th.
An errant drive was heading for dense undergrowth but hit a fan on the back of the neck and landed in light rough, from where Lowry was able to hit his second shot just short of the green and make par.
With strong winds and rain forecast for Sunday’s final round, tournament organisers had brought the tee times forward, with the last group due out at 1.47pm.
Lowry doubled his advantage with a birdie on the 15th and moved three ahead with another on the par-three 16th after a stunning tee shot on a hole fully deserving of its name “Calamity”. He then completed his birdie run on 17, before a closing par on 18.
With defending champion Francesco Molinari surrendering his hold on the Claret Jug after a one-over-par 72, the Italian admitted he would love nothing more than for close friend Tommy Fleetwood, with whom he struck up such a devastating partnership at last year’s Ryder Cup, to break his Major drought.
“It would make a good story to have the two of us, one next to each other, on the Claret Jug,” added Molinari.
“I’ll cheer him on and hopefully he can get it done. There’s still a long way but he’s there with a chance.
“If it’s not this week, I think it’s coming pretty soon.”
Meanwhile, hometown boy Graeme Mcdowell will have a top20 finish in his sights as he starts the final day in a tie for 29th on two-under-par after a three under 68 yesterday.