Shane Lowry went into Saturday’s British Open three strokes behind and left the course three strokes back as the conditions at Royal Troon finally got the better of him.
He shot a 6-over 77 to drop to 1-under total and plummet to sole ninth place on the leaderboard. Billy Horschel shot a 2-under 69 to move to 4-under total and stay one stroke ahead of the leaderboard.
Lawrie started well on Saturday, but things began to fall apart once he reached the par-3 eighth hole, better known as the “Postage Stamp.”
“It was brutal, to be honest,” Lawrie said.
“The eighth hole was really tough for me. If I could get par, I could be three or four over and still be ahead of the tournament. I caught a wedge shot. I don’t know what to say. It was a really tough hole. I didn’t have much fun.”
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The 2019 British Open champion took a double bogey on the tiny 130-yard par-3 and never recovered.
Lawrie lost two more strokes on the 11th and 12th holes. He made par on the par-4 13th but lost two more strokes on the 14th and 15th. Lawrie had a shot to 21 feet for par on the 18th hole, but the ball was just short and he dropped another place.
He explained that he had to use his driver a lot on the back nine, which can be difficult on a links golf course.
“You stand on the tee of the 18th hole and you wonder if you’re going to make it to the fairway, if you’re really going to hit it, because it’s 230 yards away,” he says. “And remember that on the 17th hole, the driver went about 220 yards, so it’s not a very fun game of golf, for sure.”
Many players, like Dustin Johnson, described the back nine as some of the most difficult golf they’d ever played, and Lawrie seemed to agree as he vented his frustration after the round.
“It’s very difficult, but I’ll be honest with you, you’ll wonder why some tees weren’t proposed today,” Lawrie said.
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“I think Nos. 15 and 17 are 500 yards if you play them against the wind. Yeah, they keep trying to make the holes longer, but the best holes on this course are about 100 yards.”
The Irishman is three strokes back so still has a chance to win on Sunday, but he faces a much tougher task.
“I’ve got a job tomorrow and a chance to win this tournament,” he said.
“I’m definitely going to go into tomorrow thinking I can win the tournament, but right now it’s just difficult.”
Lawrie said he needed a few hours to gather his thoughts and get ready for the final day’s matches.
He will face Adam Scott in the final round at 8:45 a.m. ET.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
