SHANESATIONAL
IRISHMAN STARTS FINAL ROUND FOUR AHEAD AFTER RIP-ROARING RECORD 63
SHANE LOWRY will unite Ireland in support of his Open bid on the final day of an unforgettable week at Royal Portrush.
Favourite Rory McIlroy could not handle the pressure of home support in the first Major back in Northern Ireland since 1951.
But County Clare man Lowry has taken up the challenge in a sport where there are no boundaries in the island of Ireland as he shot a sensational courserecord 63 yesterday to take a four-shot lead into final round.
The Ryder Cup- style chants of “Ole, ole, ole” as the 32-year-old walked up to the 18th green gave a flavour of the frenzied atmosphere to expect today at the sold- out course on the Antrim Coast.
“This is only Saturday,” he said to his caddie Brian ‘ Bo’ Martin. Lowry even had a birdie putt on the final hole to equal the best score ever in a Major and the lowest 54-hole Open score.
But he settled for eight birdies – with five in a stunning back nine.
He hit 17 greens out of 18 and played like a giant along the coast from the Giant’s Causeway.
His late charge saw him rip apart the field and open up a seven-shot lead over fourth- placed Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose.
And the Irishman broke a run of the last 16 Majors having been led or co-led by Americans after 36 holes.
He said: “My mind is still a bit fuzzy. I really enjoyed today.
“The crowd were incredible and I played great golf. I just felt so in control of my game. There are very few days in golf when you get in this position.
“It is a great feeling. It was incredible out there. Every putt I got I wanted to hole because of the roars out there.
“I said to Bo: ‘ The next half an hour we might never experience again so let’s enjoy it’.” Now he Eddie Pepperell
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Lowry had a four-shot lead going into the final round of the 2016 US Open after a third-round 65, but collapsed to a final-round 76 to finish tied second behind Dustin Johnson.
He added: “I hope I am going to be able to deal with it better.
“Hopefully I am ready.” It was a thrilling third round in sunny conditions where every player pl in the top 20 shot sh par or better and a the front nine saw the top players jockeying for position.
When Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood made the turn, the two Englishmen were part of a four-way tie for the lead at 10-under par with JB Holmes.
Playing partner Holmes picked up two early birdies, but bogeys at 13 and 14 stopped his momentum on his way to a 69, while Lowry made great par saves at 10 and 14.
He pulled his drive and got a lucky bounce off a fan – to shoot a remarkable bogey-free round.
Rose got off to a slow start, but his round was kickstarted by an eagle on 12 on his way to a 68 to move to nine-under par.
Last year’s runner-up at Carnoustie said: “It was huge.
“I looked at the leaderboard and said to myself I needed to go low.
“I set myself the target of getting to 10-under par.
“I don’t mind being a few shots back.
“I didn’t want to have to run through too many players.
“We will see what happens. I am in a great spot going into tomorrow.”
His playing partner, and World No. 1, Koepka carded a 67.