Inspired Lowry takes four-shot lead into final day

- Published

Irish Open third-round leaderboard

-16 S Lowry (Ire); -12 J Skov Olesen (Den); -9 J Niemann (Chi); -7 D Rodrigues (Por), T McKibbin (NI)

Selected others: -6 P Reed (US), R Fisher (Eng), R Hojgaard (Den), A Sullivan (Eng); -4 A Fitzpatrick (Eng), R MacIntyre (Sco); -2 L Nolan (Ire); -1 J Rahm (Spa); +2 R McIlroy (NI)

Shane Lowry produced an inspired display on the greens to take a four-shot lead into the final round of the Irish Open and close in on his first individual win since 2022.

The Irishman started the third round three shots clear after shooting a scintillating course-record 62 on Friday at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, County Clare.

Despite being caught by Denmark's Jacob Skov Olesen, Lowry one-putted every green on the back nine in a five-under 65 to maintain control of the tournament.

"I'm normally the one watching other people do it, so why not me sometimes," Lowry said when asked about his joy on the greens.

"It's nice, I'm seeing my lines well and starting the ball where I want and they're going in and hopefully that stays that way for another 24 hours."

Olesen, chasing his first DP World Tour title, bogeyed the final hole to shoot a four-under 66, a score matched by Chile's Joaquin Niemann to move into third place on his own.

On a day when play was briefly halted amid US President Donald Trump's arrival at the course as part of a two-day visit to Ireland, defending champion Rory McIlroy (74) and two-time winner Jon Rahm (72) both slipped back to erase their hopes of lifting the trophy again.

Having started the round three clear, Lowry made two birdies in his opening four holes with his rhythm seemingly unaffected by a brief pause in play while he was on the third hole as Trump arrived after landing on Air Force One at Shannon Airport in County Clare.

While Lowry bogeyed the fifth, he rolled in an 11-foot putt for a birdie four on the eighth and never looked back.

The 2019 Open champion birdied 10, 13 and 15 and holed a series of crucial par putts to keep the chasing pack at bay.

Playing with Lowry, Olesen was unfazed for most of the round. The 27-year-old left-hander, who is 11th on the season-long Race to Dubai standings, birdied three and four before he drained a 31-foot putt for an eagle three at the eighth.

A birdie at nine followed, which allowed Olesen to stay in touch with Lowry until a nervy finish when he missed a nine-footer for birdie on 17 and a three-foot putt for par on the last.

Niemann, meanwhile, mixed six birdies with two bogeys to move third on his own, albeit seven shots adrift of Lowry. The 27-year-old is chasing his first DP World Tour win since 2023, but has collected nine LIV Tour victories over the past three seasons.

Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin chipped in for birdie on the 13th to move nine under but bogeyed two of his final four holes to sit alongside Portugal's Daniel Rodrigues, who matched Lowry's 65.

Rasmus Hojgaard, who pipped McIlroy to the title at Royal County Down in 2024, finished six under having reached 10 under with five birdies in his first 10 holes.

McIlroy's challenge fades as Trump arrives

It was a day to forget for McIlroy, however, as two double bogeys on the front nine quickly dashed the six-time major winner's hopes of a surge through the field.

McIlroy, who was looking for his ball on the third hole as Air Force One flew overhead, will attend a dinner with Trump on Saturday night.

"I guess that's not the experience we're used to in a way. I think it's Air Force One's maiden voyage, so that was pretty cool," McIlroy told reporters about the president's arrival.

"Cool to sort of see all that going on. I was trying to avoid making doubles at that point, so I was trying to concentrate on my own stuff as well."

McIlroy said he hopes his friend Lowry can keep it going as he chases a first title since the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Lowry squandered chances to win in Dubai and Florida earlier this year but says he is "feeling good" as he hunts his second Irish Open title, 17 years after a memorable triumph as a 22-year-old amateur.

"Yeah, look, it's a big day for me tomorrow," he said.

"I'm going to be leading my home tournament and it would mean the world to knock this one off.

"So I'm just going to have to put my head down, get back to work whenever my tee time is tomorrow, and give it a run."