Golf

Shane Lowry ready for final group battle with Scottie Scheffler at Bay Hill

Irishman at nine under for the tournament, with Rory McIlroy lurking after back nine 30

Shane Lowry of Ireland hits a tee shot on the 10th hole during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Photograph: Mike Ehrmann/Getty

Sun Mar 10 2024 - 11:53

Shane Lowry will head into the final day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a share of the lead as he targets PGA Tour glory at Bay Hill.

The Irishman carded a third round 70 which included six birdies and four bogeys to tie with American Scottie Scheffler, who was also two-under for the day, at nine-under-par for the tournament.

Scheffler’s compatriot Wyndham Clark is a shot behind the leaders, while Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is tied for eighth on five-under after shooting a 68, with his back nine 30 equalling the course record on a day when he became the first man to drive the 10th green with a 365-yard tee-shot.

McIlroy told the PGA Tour’s official website: “I’m definitely a good few yards longer over the last couple of years than I have been in the past.

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“I thought if I got it in one of the two front traps that would be a good leave to hit something up the green, but, yeah, I wasn’t trying to hit it on the green, but it was nice to walk up and see it on there.”

McIlroy will draw on the experience of his victory at this year’s Dubai Desert Classic, where he shot a third-round 63, as he attempts to close the gap on the leaders.

He said: “I won that golf tournament in 27 holes. I shot nine-under on Saturday and three-under on the front nine on Sunday, and sort of cruised, I didn’t really do much else.

“When the golf course is playing as tough as this, that’s all, you sort of only need like two really good nine-hole stretches, and then you can sort of play conservative and make a lot of pars the rest of the way.”

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