Patient Lowry chasing overdue win in Philadelphia

Shane Lowry admits he's been inspired by Rory McIlroy's persistence as he seeks his first solo win for more than two and a half years in the $20 million Truist Championship in Philadelphia.

The Offaly man (38) made five birdies in an impressive three-under 67 at a windy Philadelphia Cricket Club to share the lead with his 2023 Ryder Cup foursomes partner Sepp Straka on 14-under-par.

They lead by three strokes from Justin Thomas and Keith Mitchell with former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama only four behind and Rory McIlroy lurking in a five-man chasing group a shot further back.

But Lowry believes he now has the golfing maturity to claim just his third individual win on the PGA TOUR that would catapult him into the world's top 10 for the first time.

"I just think you need to be persistent," said the world number12, who leads the field for his iron play and shares the lead with Straka in terms of bogeys, having made just three so far.

"You need to keep putting yourself there, and eventually it will happen. You look at Rory at the Masters a few weeks ago. Keep knocking on the door, and eventually, you'll go through it.

"I feel like I've done a good job of it this season, last season. It does get frustrating sometimes, but yeah, I'm in the final group tomorrow."

Lowry has held the 54-hole lead or co-lead just three times on the PGA TOUR, but while he converted just one of them into victory —The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019— he feels good about his pairing with Straka, who putted superbly for his third round 66.

"This is a tough game, and it's a tough tour, and it's hard to win over here," said Lowry, whose tally of 18 birdies through 54 holes is the best of his PGA Tour career.

"You just have to keep putting yourself in position week after week and do your best.

"I'm going to go out tomorrow and give it my best. I'm playing with a good friend of mine, Sepp, my Ryder Cup partner and that's going to be good fun.

"The last time I played with Sepp was in the final group in Pebble with Rory and we watched him win.

"So hopefully, hopefully one of us can get the job done tomorrow."

While he won the Zurich Classic with McIlroy in New Orleans last year, Lowry's most recent individual win came in the 2022 BMW PGA at Wentworth.

Since then he's racked up six top-seven finishes in some of the game's biggest events and feels he's moved to another level since that 2023 Ryder Cup win.

"Since Ryder Cup in Rome, I feel like I've kicked on a little bit, and I've been quite mature," he said.

"I've worked hard, though. I've put a lot into it the last two years -- my whole career, but particularly the last two years. I've worked very hard.

"Starting to see some rewards is good. Obviously you want trophies, and that's going to be my number one goal tomorrow.

"If it happens tomorrow, it would be great. If it doesn't, I'll dust myself off and go to Quail Hollow and try my best there. Yeah, one thing's for sure, I'll give my best."

The old-school test presented by the Wissahickon Course seems to suit him, too.

While it's not long, trying to overpower it has not worked for McIlroy, who could only manage a 69 yesterday.

"I'm driving the ball pretty straight, not very far, but it's going in the fairway," Lowry said.

"I think once I get in the fairway, these greens are receptive and there are little pockets in the greens, so you need to be quite precise with your iron shots.

"I feel like I've done that pretty well this week. And if I can hold a few putts, you never know."

Lowry has played some magnificent golf over the past ten years and his third round 67 was some of the best.

He played aggresively from the tee and birdied the first two holes with beautifully judged long pitches from the rough.

He scrambled when he had to, making a 10-footer for his par-five at the fifth and bounced back well from a strategic mistake at the seventh, where he plunged into a bunker trying to attack a front pin.

He missed a few putts on glassy greens that were tough to judge in the wind but made up for any misses with some all-world shots.

He made his 132-yard short iron to eight feet at the ninth look routine but there was genius in his birdie at the 10th, where he had to cut up a 167-yard approach from under the steep face of a bunker and left it 17 feet from the stick.

He rolled in the putt to get to 14-under and while he’d short side himself and bogey the 12th, he always looked comfortable.

Using the backstop, he hit a nine iron to four feet at the 17th to draw level with Straka, then got up and down from greenside rough for par at the last to guarantee his place in the final group.

In the opposite field ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, Seamus Power birdied his last four holes to card a two-under 69 that left him tied 40th heading into the final round.

At four-under, he's nine strokes behind Carson Young, who shot 64 to lead by a shot from Harry Higgs on 13-under and by two from Mackenzie Hughes at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club.