Morikawa and Schauffele end third day of US PGA at top as Lowry equals record

It just took something special to shift the conversation around this American PGA Championship away from Scottie Scheffler and his brush with law enforcement in Louisville. The world number 1 was unraveled here on day three, which was entirely understandable given the tension that came with four charges, including one for assaulting a police officer.

Shane Lowry took on the task of creating a fresh and uplifting storyline. The Irishman stood on Valhalla’s 18th green over a 10-foot putt that could have made history. Had he found the bottom of the cup with his birdie attempt, he would have posted the first 61 in major history.

For about the first time all day, Lowry’s ball refused to cooperate. The 2019 Open champion had to settle for just the fifth 62 in one of golf’s four premier events. Lowry’s reaction when his ball missed the cup, so narrowly to the left, showed he knew full well what was within his reach.

“It’s probably the most disappointed anyone can ever shoot at 62,” he said. “I knew what was at stake. When you go out in 29, you think, ‘Wow, I’m having a nice day here.’ You have 10, which is a pretty attainable par five. I think when I holed the putt on 14, I thought, ‘Here we go, yeah, this is a good opportunity.’

“But 15 is difficult and 16 is a difficult hole. I felt like I played them really well. Obviously until birdie 17, then I knew I just really wanted to get a good tee shot on the last one. I pushed it a little bit and put it down and I hit a great wedge shot and obviously just missed the putt. Yes, it has been on my mind since I was fourteen.” A Lowry smile followed. “I’ve actually shot sixty already. I had a putt for a 59. And I didn’t make it.”

Until the end, Lowry’s putting display was stunning. The 13th witnessed his big moment, when he converted for birdie from 30 feet. There were also heroics on the 10th, where the world number 43 did astonishingly well to save par after a shot into a bunker rolled back into the hole it had created while pitching.

The bigger picture shows that, at 13 under par, he is in the hunt for a second major title. “I’ve had the feeling all season that if I could warm up my putter, I could be dangerous,” he said. “I kept saying it. Here I go out tomorrow in one of the last groups, with a chance at this tournament. It’s a great position to be in.” Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele’s 15 under par lead Sahith Theegala by one with 18 Kentucky holes to play.

Justin Rose, whose 64 looked ordinary in Lowry’s company, knew exactly what was happening to his playing partner. “I told my caddy, ‘He needs two birdies in the last four holes here.’ So then he obviously made a great birdie at 17 and unfortunately missed the fairway at 18. But I knew exactly what I was looking at, let’s put it that way.” The 2013 US Open winner is just one behind Lowry’s 54-hole score.

Scheffler’s dismal start on day three luckily only related to his golf. He made a double bogey on the 2nd before sending more shots over the next two holes.

The Masters champion rallied somewhat after that, but by the time he bogeyed the 14th he was plus three for the day. Too many top players are now between the Texan and the top of the rankings. Barring something miraculous – Valhalla is quite accessible in this state – Scheffler is playing for a spot.

Rory McIlroy cut a sorry figure after his 68. The world number 2 and winner of his past two PGA Tour events found himself within easy reach of the lead after producing four straight birdies from the 7th. He missed subsequent chances, which looked even more precious when the Northern Irishman had shots at the 14th and 16th.

“There was a stretch of six or seven holes there where the putter cooled on me,” McIlroy said. “Depending on what happens tomorrow, when I look back on the tournament, I may regret that stretch where I couldn’t hole any putts. I putted very well on Thursday and the last few days the putter has let me down a bit.”