On Thursday, Xander Schauffele took control of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship by tying a major championship record for the lowest 18-hole score with a round of 62.
Exactly 36 holes later, Shane Lowry had a chance to claim the record for himself. The Irishman entered Saturday’s third round at four-under par and well behind the contenders. Then he reeled off nine birdies in 17 holes, including six on the front nine alone.
By the time he got to the 18th green, Lowry had a 12-foot putt for a final birdie that would give him the all-time record for the lowest round at a major with a 61.
Lowry took his time, found his line and — pushed it just left. It was the most heartbreaking round of 62 you’ll ever see as it really looked like the 37-year-old was about to make history. Lowry could only look on in disbelief as the ball settled four inches from the cup.
Shane Lowry came this close to the first 61 at a major championship pic.twitter.com/nrdKwqIxMD
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) May 18, 2024
Shane Lowry knew he was chasing history on the final holes of his sensational round of 62.
He joined @Amanda_Balionis following his remarkable performance at Valhalla. pic.twitter.com/udcjXaPvtw
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2024
Lowry admitted afterwards on the CBS broadcast that he was a little bit disappointed, but it’s hard to be too upset at moving to 13-under par on the tournament and in a tie for second place heading into Sunday.
Shane Lowry is a man of the people 🙌
After firing a career-low 62 on Saturday, @ShaneLowryGolf gave his ball away to one lucky young fan 😊 pic.twitter.com/cDqfgju6rb
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 18, 2024
