Shane Lowry will lament late bogeys on 16 and 17 as he lies seven shots behind Tommy Fleetwood and Patrick Cantlay heading into the final round of the Tour Championship.
Despite closing with a birdie on the last, Lowry looks like he will be on the periphery of what should be a dramatic climax to the 2025 FedEx Cup as Fleetwood looks to finally get over the line on the PGA Tour.
Lowry, looking to end a victory drought that spans back to the 2022 BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth, made the perfect start with three birdies in his first six holes. A fluffed chip on the par-3 11th cost him a bogey but a birdie on 13 kept his hopes alive.
Back to back bogeys on 16 and 17 look to have ended his chances and although he birdied the 18th, he wore a regretful grimace on his face as he signed for a 68 to lie on nine-under.
Rory McIlroy’s chances ended in a watery grave as he took a double bogey on the treacherous par-3 15th and at six-under after a 71 his playoff campaign will end on a whimper.
At the top it’s Fleetwood and Cantlay locked together on sixteen-under after rounds of 67 and 64 respectively and they lead by two shots from Russell Henley, three from USA Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley while world number one Scottie Scheffler is at arms length on twelve-under.
For Fleetwood, who has six runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour and 29 top-5 finishes without a win, Sunday presents another golden opportunity to finally breakthrough on US soil.
Despite two recent body blows at the Travelers and St Jude Championships, the Englishman is in position to end his heartache and win both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.
But he will have to overcome a stellar field and his own demons if he is to end his quest for victory.
But until now it has felt different. The putts have been dropping, he leads the field in strokes gained putting, instead of lip outs he has had lip ins.
He started slowly in round three, missing his first three greens but his short game which has been known to buckle under scrutiny bailed him out.
His response to a bogey on the fourth was sensational as he reeled off four successive birdies to take the lead.
A bogey on the 9th still kept his nose in front of the chasing pack and he added a birdie on the 13th to restore parity.
But the nerves seemed to creep back in on 14 although he got out of jail with a par. On the 220-yard par-3 15th which had already counted Justin Thomas, Ludvig Åberg and Rory McIlroy as victims, there was no hiding place.
A rushed 6-iron cannoned into the water costing him a double bogey as he lost his lead.
Cantlay meanwhile finished with a flourish, birdieing his last three holes on top of birdies on 2, 3 and 14 in a bogey free charge to the summit as he sent Bradley a timely Ryder Cup message.
But Fleetwood’s response to adversity yet again was superb. Birdies on 16 and 17 rubbished the error on 15 and he is in the thick of it again.
“I think I got on a really good run with my putting. I thought 5 was a great bounceback. I hit a really good tee shot and a good shot into the green and a good putt, so I played that hole well. 6, I hit two good shots in. But then again, 7 sort of a poorish tee shot, got away with it, holed a long putt,” said Fleetwood.
“I just think it was never a round that really flowed for me, but it was difficult. I think it was damp conditions, wasn’t cold by any means but obviously different air and windier, and I just found it a bit more difficult today.
“But the one thing I was really happy with was my putter. I felt like when I was on the green, talk about flow, things were going really well. Felt like I was reading them great and in a really good rhythm, so that was good.”
Fleetwood is relishing the opportunity to have another crack at getting his breakthrough victory. Despite numerous near misses he has kept coming back.
“Well, it’s where everybody wants to be when you tee it off each week. You want to be in the final group on Sunday or you want to be in contention. I love the fact that I’m playing so well. I love the fact that I’m getting rewarded for my work by being in this position because we all grind so hard, we all practice so hard, but it’s been so long where you don’t get out of it what you put it. Golf just isn’t like that.
“I love that I’m up there again, and it’s just another chance. It’s another opportunity. It’s another day where I get to go out and do what I love and enjoy it and be in contention and just go and hit the golf shots, and what is like the best pressure, if you like. We’re trying to win a golf tournament and do something very special.
“There’s definitely different pressures than that, whether it’s trying to keep your card or whatever it is. Very excited to go into tomorrow.”
Leave a comment