Lowry and McIlroy chasing as McKibbin banks another $566,875
Shane Lowry could only look on the bright side after he carded a four-over 76 to see his hopes of winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational fade at Bay Hill.
Leading by two shots on eight-under at halfway, the Offaly man (37) never got going after a bogey-bogey start.
While he fought back with birdies at the sixth and seventh, he was never comfortable off the tee or with his irons.
Double bogeys at the 11th and 13th left him hoping for better things today after he ended the round six shots behind leader Collin Morikawa on four-under.
Lowry said as much to playing partner Wyndham Clark, who also shot 76, as they trudged up the 18th.
The 2019 Open champion is tied for seventh place with Rory McIlroy a shot further back after he bogeyed the 17th and 18th and shot 73 to slip to tied 10th.
The Irish duo found Bay Hill’s thick rough and firm greens stern test, but Morikawa carded a five-under 67 to lead by a shot from Russell Henley (67) and by two shots from Canadian Corey Conners (69) on 10-under.
The Californian is seeking his first win for 18 months, and he believes he’s hitting the ball better than he was in 2021 when he claimed his second major win in The Open at Sandwich.
“It's been a while since I've hit my irons like this; it honestly has,” Morikawa said.
“Just start lines, amount of cut, we're looking all the way back to 2021, essentially.”
As Lowry and McIlroy could attest, Bay Hill will expose weaknesses in a player’s game.
Lowry is struggling to find a replacement for his favourite driver, which he felt cost him in the Cognizant Classic, while McIlroy’s failure to find fairways has also been costly over the first three days.
“It's a course that if you're not playing great, it's going to show,” Morikawa said. “It's just one of those that you can't fake it.”
At the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open, Max Kennedy made an eagle and three birdies in a two-under 70 to go into the final day tied for 54th on eight-under.
He’s ten shots behind Australia’s Karl Vilips, who shot 66 to lead by a shot from South African amateur Kieron Van Wyk.
Van Wyk (23), a senior at the College of Charleston, posted a 66 as he bids to become the second amateur winner in two years on the PGA TOUR.
Last year, Nick Dunlap won The American Express at La Quinta to become the first amateur champion since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
“Just keep on doing what I’ve been doing the last three days and hopefully it pays off by the end of tomorrow,” Van Wyk said.
In China, Leona Maguire tied for 33rd, 19 shots behind Japan’s Rio Takeda in the Blue Bay LPGA.
Maguire closed with a 71 in Hainan Island to finish on two-over as Takeda raced home in 31 and shot an eight-under 64 to win by six shots from Australia’s Minjee Lee.
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia enjoyed a double victory at LIV Golf Hong Kong.
The Spaniard’s seven under 63 gave him a three-shot win in the individual event from Dean Burmester on 18-under.
His Fireballs team also won the team title.
Tom McKibbin added another $566,875 to his bank balance when he shot 66 to finish in a four-way tie for sixth place, seven shots behind Garcia, on 11-under.
Graeme McDowell tied for 12th on nine-under after a 68.
On the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington goes into the final round of the Cologuard Championship just three shots behind leader Greg Chalmers.
He shot a five-under 66 at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson to share fifth place on eight-under.
