Shane Lowry: I wanted to hole every putt just to hear that roar

Open leader Shane Lowry has said that he had one of the best days of his life on Saturday after shooting a stunning round of 63 at the Open championship in Portrush.

The Offaly native entered the third day of the Open tied for first place at -8 under, after shooting back-to-back round scores of 67, before completing his third round with a remarkable round of 63 including five birdies on the back nine. He leads the course at -16 under and he said he just wanted to keep holing his putts to hear the roar from a raucous Portrush crowd.

"It's incredible," Lowry told Sky Sports. "Honestly, every time I get a putt I just want to hole it because I just want to hear that roar. I just want to hear that roar again. I said to Bo [Martin] walking off the 17th tee that the next half an hour... we might not experience anything like this ever again so let's just enjoy it."

Lowry boasts a four shot lead over second placed Tommy Fleetwood and it's a familiar situation for the 32-year-old who also held a four stroke lead at the 2016 US Open before losing out to eventual winner Dustin Johnson. Lowry knew questions regarding that US Open would follow his round and he said that he hopes he's better equipped to deal with the pressure this time around.

"It all happened nicely today. I don't really know what to say. It was just one of the most incredible days of my life. "I finished out on the 18th and said to Bo at least I won't have to answer any questions about Oakmont. I hope I'm going to deal with it better. I know it's going to be difficult. I know it's going to be hard but I think I'm ready for it. I hope I'm ready for it."