The two Irishmen are poised heading into the final round.
Shane Lowry and John Murphy both recorded excellent third rounds of 67 to move into joint second at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, at St Andrew’s.
The Irish golfers have both performed extremely well over the first three days of the €4.2 million championship [the winner gets €700,000] and are not far off standalone leader Danny Willett.
Both Lowry and Murphy gobbled up overnight leader Tyrrell Hatton’s four-shot advantage. Hatton, who played with Lowry in last week’s Ryder Cup, carded a third round of 71 but others around him went lower. Willett, a former Masters champion, started the day at -8 and his 66 round has him three clear on -14.
Murphy, who impressed on the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team, earlier this year, turned professional over the summer and is set for a sizeable pay-day if he can maintain his form on Sunday.
The 22-year-old from Kinsale, in Cork, would have been glued to Hatton and Lowry in The Ryder Cup. His golfing hero, growing up, was Padraig Harrington, who captained Team Europe. Such was Murphy’s devotion to Harrington that he once went to a fancy dress party as the three-time Major winner.
John Murphy from Cork turned professional earlier this year. (Credit: Getty Images)While Lowry has eased into contention with two rounds of 67, following an opening 71, Murphy has shot three rounds in the 60s. And while Lowry went out in 31, today, for his front nine, Murphy’s birdies were spread out over the afternoon. For the second time in two rounds, he birdied the 18th to finish on a high.
Lowry said his Ryder Cup experience ranks as the best week of his golfing career, but it could stretch to a fortnight to remember if he could claim his sixth tournament win as a professional. He told reporters at St Andrew’s:
“Anybody that’s involved in golf or into golf and has been here knows that this place is probably one of the most special places in the world, if not the most special place. So to be able to lift the trophy on that green will be incredible.”
Elsewhere on the leaderboard, Richard Bland’s impressive season continues after moving into joint second with a round of 64.
Tommy Fleetwood, who was also involved in the Ryder Cup, is six shots back at -8. Alex Noren, who missed out on a Captain’s Pick selection, is also on that tally.
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