FLOURTOWN, Pa. — Sepp Straka is trying to grow to be the second multiple-event winner of the PGA Tour season. Shane Lowry is looking for his first particular person title since 2019.
Straka shot a 4-under 66 and Lowry had a 67 in blustery situations Saturday to share the lead heading into the ultimate spherical at The Philadelphia Cricket Membership’s Wissahickon Course.
The pairing of the 2 within the last spherical of the Truist Championship couldn’t stack up extra in a different way. Straka is prepared for the stress that comes with the final pairing within the last spherical, whereas Lowry is comfy with the final-round strain as he works to finish a prolonged winless run.
“All you are able to do is attempt to give attention to what you’ll be able to management, and that’s your goal, attempt to hit your quantity, and attempt to make an excellent swing,” stated Straka, a winner at The American Categorical in January who would be a part of three-time winner Rory McIlroy with a victory Sunday. “You’re going to really feel horrible whereas making an attempt to do it, however that’s simply a part of it. That sort of makes it enjoyable when you’ll be able to pull it off.”
In the meantime, Lowry is assured that he has put himself able to win a person title for the primary time because the 2019 Open.
“Maintain knocking on the door, and ultimately you’ll undergo it. I really feel like I’ve carried out an excellent job of it this season, final season. It does get irritating typically,” stated Lowry, who teamed with McIlroy to win a staff occasion in New Orleans final yr. “I’m going to exit and provides my finest. If it’s good tomorrow, that will probably be nice.”
Straka began the spherical two strokes behind and offset his solely bogey with 5 birdies — two within the last 4 holes — and made a clutch par putt from 16 1/2 toes on the 18th.
Lowry moved right into a tie for the lead by matching Straka’s birdie on the downwind 489-yard, par-4 seventeenth and will probably be paired with the 32-year-old Austrian on Sunday within the last spherical of the sixth of signature occasion of the PGA Tour season.
Keith Mitchell, the chief after 18 and 36 holes, labored by way of a spherical of 1 over. He was 11 beneath with Justin Thomas, who charged up the leaderboard regardless of bogeys on the 2 par 5s in a 67. Hideki Matsuyama was one other stroke again after a 63, one of the best rating of the day.
McIlroy, the defending champion, made an early transfer earlier than spoiling a three-birdie run with consecutive bogeys. He had an uneventful again 9 with one birdie and was 8 beneath after a 69, tied with Nick Taylor (67), Sam Burns (67), Sungjae Im (67) and Tony Finau (67).
The gamers handled the third variation of enjoying situations. Two days after 64 gamers broke par, and a day after rain tempered scoring on the 7,100-yard format, wind at 12 mph — with gusts to 27 mph — and faster greens made low scoring troublesome.
“It’s nice to see the best way the situations come into it at the moment,” Lowry stated. “The golf course is standing up very well. … It was very robust at the moment in these winds, notably robust to gap putts.”
Straka agreed.
“It’s been enjoyable on the tee field making an attempt to strategize on a brand new golf gap daily and making an attempt to determine the easiest way to play it,” he stated.
Straka proved to be the steadiest among the many leaders. He began the spherical 5 strokes again and moved right into a tie for the lead with a bogey-free entrance 9 that included two birdies. He closed out his spherical with 5 birdies and a bogey.
Lowry moved right into a tie with enjoying companion Mitchell with a birdie on the first, and the duo traded the lead by way of the entrance 9, making the flip at 13 beneath, deadlocked with Straka, who was a gap forward. The Irishman took the lead with a birdie putt of 17 toes on the 459-yard, par-4 tenth, however was pressured to accept a tie after Straka’s robust end.
Thomas, searching for a second win in as many begins after taking the RBC Heritage, birdied three of the ultimate 4 holes on the entrance 9 and added back-to-back birds on the again to maneuver into rivalry.
Mitchell did his finest to keep up his lead, however bogeys at Nos. 3, 4, 8, 10 and 14 had been his undoing. He steadied himself and closed with 4 pars.
McIlroy struggled all through, hitting simply three of 14 fairways. He had an uneventful again 9 of 1 beneath and can begin the ultimate spherical 5 strokes behind the leaders in a bid to win in his first particular person occasion since finishing the profession Grand Slam on the Masters final month.
Philly Cricket making historical past
The Philadelphia Cricket Membership will make PGA Tour historical past within the last spherical.
The par-3 14th gap on the Wissahickon Course will play 95 yards Sunday. That makes the outlet the shortest par 3 performed on Tour — excluding majors — within the Shotlink period. The transfer is a nod to Philly Cricket’s authentic St. Martins Course, inbuilt 1895. Expanded to 18 properties in 1897, the course hosted the U.S. Open in 1907 and 1910.
On the U.S. Open in 2023, the fifteenth gap at Los Angeles Nation Membership performed 81 yards within the third spherical.
Out of the operating
Justin Rose, who gained the 2013 U.S. Open at close by Merion Golf Membership, withdrew from the Truist after two rounds on account of sickness. He was final within the 72-player discipline with a two-day complete of seven over. Additionally, Michael Kim, who would have been paired with Rose as the primary twosome out Saturday, withdrew on account of a again damage after 12 holes.
