Shane Lowry posted an impressive third-round 63 to take the lead at the Cognizant Classic on Saturday.
Lowry was in fine form at PGA National, taking full advantage of favourable conditions. His putting, which had been quiet earlier in the week, caught fire as he rolled in several key putts.
On Saturday, the Irishman ranked second in strokes gained putting, having gained 2.815 strokes over the rest of the field.
Earlier in the week, Lowry had questioned whether the course setup was tough enough for a PGA Tour event.
But now he will likely be pleased with the current course arrangement.
Seizing the opportunity presented by Saturday’s favourable conditions, Lowry surged into the lead at the Cognizant Classic.
Shane Lowry reflects on third round 63
The 38-year-old star spoke to reporters after shooting an impressive eight-under-par round in Palm Beach, Florida.
Asked about the current state of his game, the Irishman responded: “Everything went pretty well, especially early on.
“I hit the ball in the fairway a lot yesterday, and I missed a few fairways early today, but I holed a few nice putts at the start.
“Then I started hitting the ball really well and giving myself lots of chances and converted a few and I felt like it was just a really nice solid round of golf. Birdieing the last two was kind of the icing on the cake.
“Yeah, my goal going out today was to get myself in the last two groups going out tomorrow. You want to be near the leaders, keep an eye on them and see what they’re doing.”
He added: “If the conditions are like this tomorrow, there are low scores out there, so someone could come from the pack. It’s not necessarily easy to lead around this golf course. There’s a lot of very difficult shots.
“But yeah, I’m up there where I want to be. I’ve had a few chances to win this tournament, and hopefully I can convert it tomorrow.”
To have a realistic chance of winning at PGA National, Lowry needs to follow up his round of 63 with another score in the 60s on Sunday.
With his current level of play, he has every opportunity to succeed.
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