Shane Lowry shot an even-par third round to stay at five under after the Irishman made the cut yesterday, and he lamented the brutal U.S. Open conditions at Pinehurst
Shane Lowry described the U.S. Open as ‘mental torture’ after carding an even-par third round a Pinehurst No. 2 on Saturday.
Lowry started the day with a three-putt bogey on the first but found his form swiftly after with birdies at the par-three sixth and the par-four seventh. A bogey on the eighth halted the 2019 Open champion’s momentum.
But Lowry would not be denied. He recovered and returned to the clubhouse with a very respectable even score that the 37-year-old is certainly proud of given the difficult challenge the iconic North Carolina course poses.
“It’s torture out there, honestly it’s absolute mental torture,” Lowry said. “That’s the best level par I’ve ever shot in my life. Every single shot you have, even when you hit a good shot the putts you have, it’s brutally difficult.
“You’re standing in the middle of the fairway on par fours with an eight iron in hand and you’re like ‘Right, where will I miss this’ instead of thinking, ‘Where will I hit it?’ It’s not much craic out there to be honest.”
While Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg held a one-shot lead at five-under at the turn, Lowry – who is 10 shots back – expects the field to struggle amid the difficult conditions at the U.S. Open. The Irishman admitted he was pleased with his performance heading into the final round.
