Shane Lowry looks to have left himself too much ground to make up in the final round of the BMW PGA Championship, making a second win at Wentworth unlikely this year.
Lowry is using the tournament as part of his build-up to the Ryder Cup. He was handed a captain’s pick by Luke Donald for Bethpage Black, following what was an inconsistent season on the PGA Tour.
Wentworth has been good to him in the past. He lifted the trophy there two years ago, edging out Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm by a single stroke.
This time around, though, he is well off the pace heading into Sunday. Lowry sits at seven under par through three rounds, eight shots behind the co-leaders Alex Noren and Adrien Saddier.
A few late misses during his third round could have made a difference. If he had taken those chances, he might have been closer to where he needed to be.
Shane Lowry shares frustration after third round at BMW PGA Championship
Lowry was four under par for the day as he stepped onto the 13th tee, but his birdie at 12 turned out to be his last of the round.
Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, he said that not capitalising on the final two holes took some of the shine off his performance.
“I put myself in position these last few holes to make a little run and put myself up closer to the lead. Middle of the fairway, well down on 17, middle of the fairway, well down on 18, to finish with two pars is always very disappointing.
“But a bogey free 68 is decent. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well, I feel good, my driver feels good. My irons haven’t been as good as I would like this week, but when I get on the greens, I’m starting to hit my putts at the hole. A lot of them have a chance of going in, so I’m happy with what I see there as well.”
Shane Lowry shares details on his stunning approach shot at the ninth
Even though Saturday was not his best day, Lowry still managed to pull off a highlight at the turn.
The 38-year-old missed the fairway right on the ninth and found himself blocked out. But he managed to thread a draw from 180 yards through a gap in the trees, landing it just left of the green.
Lowry downplayed just how good it was afterwards:
“I hit a poor drive, and to be honest, I saw the gap straight away so I started to move the people. There’s a gap there, it looks better on TV. But it’s amazing, you just see the shot. There was a lot of people in the way, and I knew that I couldn’t go left and then I had a look and I just saw the gap so I just started to move them.
“I always say when I go down and have shots like that if I’m in a practice round or a Pro-Am, I go for the shot all the time and I more than likely pull it off. When I see the shot, I generally hit a pretty good one. So I’ve seen the shot straight away. Thankfully my caddie knows my game and he knows that when I see a shot most of the time I’m pretty good at pulling it off.”
Lowry’s recent performances have not been stellar, but his self-assurance might be vital at Bethpage Black, especially with the enthusiastic atmosphere anticipated from American fans.
And while Donald will know there is work ahead for Lowry before Bethpage Black rolls around next September, history shows that he tends to show up when it matters most.
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