'I'd love to be two or three shots better' - Lowry needs career round to claim second Open

Shane Lowry of Ireland putts on the 18th green during Day Three of the The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 18, 2026 in Southport, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

Shane Lowry is one of a host of players looking to card “the round of their lives” and chase down Sam Burns for The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

One under through the turn, the 2019 champion recovered from bogeys at the 10th and 12th with birdies at the 13th and 14th to shoot a battling 69 that leaves him tied for 11th on four-under.

He’s six shots behind Burns, who shot a five-under 65 to lead by two shots on 10-under from Korea’s Si Woo Kim (67), and Kiwi Ryan Fox, who became the third player this week to tie the men’s major championship scoring record with a blistering 62.

“Dermot [his caddie, Byrne] said to me there when I finished, we're going to need one of our best days, but at least we have a chance,”  said Lowry.

“I'd love to be two or three shots better; don't get me wrong. I wanted to go out there and shoot five-under today; that's what I had in my head.

“I played the front nine well this week. If I can do that tomorrow and hole a few putts as well, I feel like I can get myself there or thereabouts going into the back nine.”

He added: “In an Open Championship on a course like this where you see low scores, high scores, not that you can't be too far back, but I feel like anyone inside the top 20 will surely feel like if they have the round of their lives they feel like they can win The Open tomorrow.”

As for Bryson DeChambeau’s two-stroke penalty on Friday, he said: “Looks to me like he improved his lie, and that's the Rules of Golf… It's unfortunate for him, but that's the way it is.

“I see he's doing okay today. It was obviously going to be very tough for him to go out and play today after that happening.”

Rory McIlroy needed to shoot at least a 67 in his mind to have any chance going into the final round, but signed for a “scrappy” 69, which leaves him eight behind on two-under.

He pointed to poor putting speed as the main culprit for this position, admitting: “When your speed's not right, it's obviously hard to hole putts."

Still, he’s not writing off his chances completely and reckons he can get to double digits under par, which means shooting no worse than 62, he might have a sniff.

”Never say never,” he said. “If I go out tomorrow and get to double digits, you never know, but yeah, I certainly am not going out tomorrow thinking like I've got a great chance to win.”