Shane Lowry’s best finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational came a year ago in the third round when he shot an 8-over 80 and finished 67th.
In his other four appearances at Bay Hill, the Irish missed the cut each time.
Still, Lowry, who received a sponsor exemption this week, shot an outstanding 6-under 66 and has been the sole leader since the opening day.
“Golf is a fun game,” Lowry said.
“I had a hard time [Bay Hill] For many years. I came here because it’s a nice place. Obviously it’s a great tournament, a huge tournament and I’m very happy today. Maybe I need to hit a score like this to have the confidence to play my way here. ”
Lowry’s 66 came about thanks to a historic run between the 10th and 12th holes.
After shooting a 1-under 35 on the front nine, Lowry turned to the backside, which was much easier than the first nine holes.
He kept his approach to 10-4 feet and got the birdie.
On the next hole, the difficult par-4 11th, Lowry hit a 35-foot ball to improve to 3 under for the day.
Then, on the par-5 12th, the Irishman hit his second shot 18 feet from 277 yards. He rolled that putt for an Eagle three and made history in the process.
Lowry became the first player Make three threes in a row According to the PGA Tour, on the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes;
Lowry is the first player on record (1983-present) to hit three consecutive threes on No. 10 and No. 12 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational sponsored by Mastercard. https://t.co/ZRRwLDCl3U
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 7, 2024
But the County Offaly man wasn’t done yet.
he poured it birdie at 20 feet At No. 13, he quickly rose to 6 under.
Just like that, Lowry sat at the top of the leaderboard.
“It’s crazy. When you’re playing outside and you can make runs like that, it feels really easy,” Lowry said of the historic four-hole record.
“Look, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an afternoon as easy as today. Obviously, we had a little bit of rain on Tuesday night. We got a little bit of a crop last night, so that helped us out a little bit. Here. is usually one of the hardest golf courses we play and I’m sure it will get harder and very difficult over the weekend, but obviously 66 is a very good start.
Lowry also said the symptoms were “benign.”
The wind died down at Bay Hill on Thursday, creating ideal field scoring conditions. Normally his average score is playing above par, but in the first round he shot a 71.5, 0.5 stroke under par.
But the Irish know the situation will become more difficult as the week progresses. Temperatures in the low 80s and winds of about 20 miles per hour will roast Bay Hill and give it a U.S. Open-like atmosphere.
“I don’t take going out for granted.” [Friday]” said Laurie.
“I’m still trying to go out there and hit the first fairway, aim for the first green, hole the first putt. Golf is both simple and difficult at the same time. I’m not trying to get ahead of myself. No.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
