Lowry left frustrated despite birdie-birdie-eagle finish
Shane Lowry spectacularly finished birdie-birdie-eagle in The American Express but still ended up frustrated as he missed the 54-hole cut by one stroke at La Quinta.
Forced start his season in California as he looks to qualify for the big Signature Events, the Offaly man was two under for the day and 12 under for the tournament with just five holes to go.
He needed another birdie at the Pete Dye Stadium Course to dip inside the cut line but found water and bogeyed the par-five fifth (his 14th), then ran up a triple bogey six after another water ball at the 223-yard sixth.
He needed a birdie-eagle-eagle finish to make the cut and almost pulled it off, making an eight-footer at the seventh before following a two-putt birdie from 40 feet at the eighth with an unlikely eagle two at the 442-yard ninth.
The Clara man had just 133 yards for his second touchdown the ni th and watched it bounce left off the fringe and run 30 feet into the cup.
The 2019 Open champion could only put his hand over his face and then smile as he feared he would still come up one stroke shy on 12-under after a third-round 70.
At the top of the leaderboard, reigning US Amateur champion Nick Dunlap (20) carded a 12-under 60 at La Quinta - the lowest round by an amateur on the PGA Tour - to lead by three shots from Sam Burns on 27-under and by four from Justin Thomas.
“Didn’t think I was going to have to deal with a freaking college kid shooting 60 today,” Thomas said.
Dunlap, a University of Alabama sophomore, could become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open.
He would also be the second-youngest Tour winner in the last 90 years.
He is the first amateur to hold a 54-hole lead/co-lead in a TOUR event since Paul Dunne at the 2015 Open Championship.
“It's going to be hard," Dunlap said of the task ahead on Sunday. "It's going to be something that I haven't experienced yet, obviously, on the PGA TOUR.
“We've got a good game plan for that golf course, and just kind of go out there and do us and stay in the present.”
Meanwhile, Leona Maguire shot a third successive, level par 72 to go into the final round of the LPGA’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions 12 shots behind Lydia Ko.
The Co Cavan star is tied for 23rd in the 35-strong field at Lake Nona, where Ko shot a bogey-free 68 to lead by two strokes on 12-under from Alexa Plano, who shot 67.
