Hopes of a second 2025 Irish PGA Tour Signature Event win are slim after both Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy slipped down the leaderboard on moving day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Lowry, who held a two-stroke advantage over the field after 36 holes, got off to a nervy start with back-to-back bogeys, but steadied the ship and got those two strokes back with birdies on the par-5 sixth and par-3 seventh to reach the turn at level-par and holding a share of the lead with Collin Morikawa.
Avoiding big numbers has been key at the tough course this week, and Lowry had admirably managed that for his first 45 holes, but he made a mess of the 11th, starting with a poor iron shot off the tee and, after choosing to layup on the par-4, came up short with his wedge and couldn’t get up-and-down from the rough, leading to a double bogey-six.
Two holes later, he was writing another ‘six’ on his card after finding the water on approach to the 13th, and his second double bogey in three holes saw him slip back to -4 overall and +4 for the day. He closed out with five pars, but now finds himself six shots off the pace.
McIlroy had been far from his best tee-to-green on Friday but managed to grind out a two-under round of 70 that saw him trailing Lowry by just four strokes, and it was a similar ball-striking story on Saturday but his putter failed to come to the rescue.
He traded two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine, then birdied the 10th and headed into the closing stretch at -1 for the day and very much still in with a shout, but a poor finish saw him drop shots on 15, 17 and 18, with a birdie on the par-5 16th in between, and he falls into a tie for 10th at -3.
28-year-old Morikawa, having bogeyed just two of his first 36 holes, was definitely one of the primary danger men and he added just one more bogey to that tally on Saturday, but offsetting it with six birdies to move to the head of affairs.
Three birdies on the front had saw him draw alongside Lowry at the turn, but it wasn’t until the final hole of the day that he took sole possession of the lead. On the 18th, Morikawa reached the green in two and calmly sank an 11-foot putt for birdie, edging ahead of the pack. This strong showing signals a return to form for the golfer, who had faltered during his previous two trips to Bay Hill, failing to make the cut both times.
Morikawa credits his resurgence to a more disciplined approach.
“You have to hit good shots out here,” he said. “I felt like I’ve had more control for the first three days and just got to keep sticking to that game plan tomorrow. It’s really being patient and being OK with the easy two-putt that you’re going to be able to tap in for par.
“On a course like this you just have to have complete control of your golf ball, and that’s what it’s going to take tomorrow,” the 2021 Open winner added.
Chasing him down on Sunday will be Russell Henley, who posted a third-round 67 to sit alone at nine-under. He holds a one-shot advantage over Canada’s Corey Conners, who scored a 69 to reach eight under. Australia’s Jason Day, meanwhile, surged into the mix with a late flourish. He reeled off three consecutive birdies to close his round, signing for a 69 that left him at seven under—three shots off Morikawa’s pace.
Day’s round could have been even better. A rocky stretch from the 7th to the 9th saw him drop three shots in a row. “I was veering off course a bit in the middle there,” he admitted. “Three bogeys isn’t what you’re after. But I settled things down nicely after that. Ending with three birdies feels good.”
Further back, Michael Kim and Tony Finau sit at five under, five shots adrift of the lead. Andrew Novak, Sepp Straka, and Lowry are knotted together at four under, tied for seventh.
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