Shane Lowry now needs to finish T6th or higher at the Wyndham Championship if he is to qualify for next week’s Northern Trust and the first event of the FedEx Cup Play-Off Series.
That is the PGA Tour forecast after Lowry rode a roller-coaster of emotions over the closing stages of his third round in continuing heatwave conditions at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro.
Lowry haveing moved to 10-under par thanks to back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th holes before completing his closing six holes – birdie (13), par (14), eagle (15), bogey (16), birdie (17) and then a bitterly disappointing par at the last.
His round of an eventual three-under par saw him end the day sharing ninth place at 12-under par.
Lowry went into day three of the $US 5.8m event just four shots off the lead and tees-up on day four of the last ‘regular’ Tour event for the season still four shots from the lead held by World No. 9 Henrik Stenson.
Stenson, and seeking his first Stateside victory in four years, birdied four of his closing six holes in a second straight four-under 66 to move one clear of the field at 16-under par.
Tied with Lowry in ninth place is Dane Soren Kjeldsen (66) and with duo sharing a rented Greenboro house this week.
“It was an eventful day especially over the last few holes”, said Lowry.
“I played okay over the outward nine but just did not get anything going before I holed a couple of nice birdie putts on 10 and 11.
“I then holed a great one on 12 to keep me going and then birdied 13 before hitting a nice little 4-iron to six-foot left of the flag for eagle at the 15th”.
However, Lowry looked on in despair when his par putt at the par three, 16th failed to drop in coming to rest just an inch from the cup for a bogey.
Lowry quickly regrouped hitting his 135-yard second shot to 10-foot at the uphill par four, 17th but only to be left disappointed at the last when he took three shots to get down from 32-feet short of the green.
A check of Lowry’s stats reveals his consistency over three days off the tee and into the greens managing to hit 31 of 42 fairways, 45 of 54 greens but averaging 30.6 putts per round.
“Looking back, I missed two six-footers for par on 16 and 18, and I have not been putting well and haven’t been holding my fair share of putts this week”, he said.
“Listen, I will take that score today and I am in with a shout tomorrow”.
Padraig Harrington season ended due to a third round cut of the top-70 and ties after a disappointing six-over 76 for a level par tally.
And also ending his first full season on a similar note was Seamus Power who was out in the second group of the day and moving to five-under for the event through eight holes.
However. the affable Power struggled over his inward nine recording four bogeys and a 15th hole double bogey in his score of 74 for a share of 83rd place at one-over.
Power went into the Wyndham placed 123rd on the FedEx Cup standings but ends the year forfeiting his hard-earned Tour card in dropping seven places to 130th.
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