Shane Lowry believes his Amgen Irish Open hopes disappeared following a frustrating third round on Saturday but the former Open champion will take plenty of positives from his game into his final round on Sunday.
The world number 23’s two under par 70 around the Palmer North course failed to make an impact on the tournament leaderboard as Spaniard Angel Hidalgo got on a hot streak with 12 birdies in a round of 63 to take the clubhouse lead midway through Saturday afternoon on 14 under par.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy was needing a low scoring back nine as he made the turn in his third round at nine under, and a birdie at the par-three 14th moved him to 10 under par with four holes remaining. Yet Lowry will start his final round on Sunday at least eight shots off the pace at six under after 54 holes.
His 18th hole of the day was a microcosm of his round, excellent shot-making off the tee and into the green of the par-five closing hole to give himself an eagle chance from 40 feet. His first putt left him inside two feet of the hole but what should have been a straightforward second lipped out and Lowry had to settle for a closing par.
“I played really, really nice, hit the ball tee to green really good, way better than yesterday,” Lowry said. “Then I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole on the greens. It was disappointing, frustrating.
“But a lot of positives. I think there’s a really low score in me tomorrow. I’m out of the tournament, so it’s disappointing, like I’m too far back, too many people ahead of me.
“I was hoping to maybe shoot four or five under today. I only gave myself a little sniff. It’s tricky in the wind, but I played nice. I hit the ball really well.
“I felt like my iron play was poor yesterday, so it was really nice to hit some really nice iron shots today. My putting was poor today, so maybe it will get better tomorrow.
“We’ll see. It is what it is now. I’m just hoping I can go out and shoot a low one tomorrow.”
Whether he does or not, Lowry feels he is building steadily into his third Ryder Cup performance for Europe, when Luke Donald’s team defends its title against the United States at New York’s Bethpage Black at the end of the month.
“Look, it’s easy to stand there and dwell on…I missed a few putts today. As a golfer, you’re trying to always last half full.
“So I feel like that’s some of the best golf I’ve played all year today. I’m very upbeat about tomorrow, next week, three weeks’ time. If I keep hitting the ball like that, I’ll be all right.”
What Lowry would have given for some of the heat emanating from Hidalgo’s putter. The 2024 Spanish Open champion started his day at three under par, nine shots off the overnight lead shared by France’s Adrien Saddier and Joakim Lagergren of Sweden but rattled in seven consecutive birdies from the second hole. A bogey at the ninth halted his surge, only for Hidalgo to rebound with with consecutive birdies at 10 and 11. Two more birdies followed at 14 and 15 to keep him on course for a tilt at Darren Clarke’s course record 60 but those hopes were undone with his second shot into the water at the par-five 16th, which led to a double bogey. The 27-year-old did finish on a high, though, with a birdie at the last to take the clubhouse lead with his 63 at 14 under par.
Saddier, wearing a heated massage belt between shots, was managing to stay in contention and a birdie at the par-four 13th moved the Frenchman back into a share of the lead with Hidalgo five holes from home, with playing partner Lagergren, his overnight co-leader, on 11 under, one over for his round.
On a day that saw near sell-out crowds throng around the Irish stars, the two other homegrown golfers lost ground on their third round starting positions. Tom McKibbin fell from five under after 36 holes to three under after 54, having shot a two-over 74 while Alex Maguire could not maintain the momentum that got him past the midway cut on Friday and earned him a tee-time in the final two rounds.
Maguire, 24, carded a one-over 73 that featured four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey and though he remains on course for the biggest pay cheque of his short professional career he will start his final round on one under par.
