THE 149TH OPEN

July 17, 2021

Shane Lowry

Mixed Zone

Q. Can you talk to us about your third round here at the 149th Open?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I'm kind of -- I have mixed emotions, to be honest, because I played great. I left a lot of shots out there. 1-under was probably the worst score I could have shot, which was very disappointing on a day like today because I felt like I could have shot 3-, 4-, 5-under out there today, and I would have been right in the tournament.

I'm disappointed, but I'm kind of proud of myself how I battled back and how I finished. I holed three nice putts on 16, 17, 18. But other than that kind of -- I missed four putts, I'd say, inside four or five feet today, which you can't do on days like today, which is disappointing.

But my game overall was really good -- well, my long game tee to green, I was as good as I've been all year today, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Q. Just wondering, the golf course seems to be playing just a little bit tougher maybe than yesterday. Some of those pin positions coming in particularly difficult? Obviously you spoke about a few missed putts but some of them are on little knobs and in very tricky spots.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, they are. You know, they are, but like see, I hit the ball in play off the tee so I felt like I had chances. I think if you hit the ball good off the tee like the leaders, I think you're going to go away from the field.

Personally that's how I feel. The wind is dropping down like it did yesterday evening, and it's a beautiful evening out there.

Now look, you still have to hit great golf shots and you still have to hole putts, but I feel like the leaders are probably going to pick up a couple on the way in. But who knows. At the end of the day it's The Open Championship and there's a lot of pressure out there and it's tough enough.

Yeah, there was tough pins today, but if you hit good shots you could get at them and you can obviously hole putts if you hit good putts, if you don't hit good putts you won't hole putts like I did.

Q. Great putt on the last. 5-under, I know you're a good few back, but you've shot low at the Open before, you know that a good round on the final day, anything can happen.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, you know, I'm not sure I can win from here, but I can shoot -- the way I'm playing, I can shoot 6-under. If 10, 11-under is the winning score, yes, I can obviously win, but I'm not sure. I think the winning score is probably going to be better than that. But who knows.

I don't know, to be honest. Look, I'm very happy with how I played today. I'm very happy with how I handled myself when I got behind the black ball. It was very frustrating out there all day today. Standing on 15 tee 1-over par playing the golf I was was quite frustrating.

To finish how I did and quite, like I said, proud of myself, and the way I battled and even just to hole those three putts at the end gives me a little bit of confidence going forward. And yeah, go into tomorrow now and try and shoot as low a score as I can and try and have the best week I can.