‘Golf wasn’t my friend’: How Shane Lowry overcame doubt to win The Open

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jon Rahm felt like every shot would be good and most of them were Saturday as he posted an 8-under 64 and built a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood at THE PLAYERS Championship. Five shots behind going into the third round, Rahm shot 30 on the back nine at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course and surged into the lead when McIlroy and Fleetwood couldn’t keep pace. His only bogey was on the sixth hole, and even that landed next to the pin until running over the back. “Didn’t miss many shots out there,” Rahm said. “Really, really confident with my irons. Every time I stepped up, I felt like I was going to hit a good shot.” There were too many to single out for the 24-year-old Spaniard, who was at 15-under 201. McIlroy and Fleetwood struggled from the start and both eventually recovered, McIlroy sooner than Fleetwood. McIlroy muffed a chip and had to scramble for bogey on the opening hole, hit a chip over the green on the par-5 second hole and turned potential birdie into bogey, and that was as bad as it got. He still was under par at the turn by running off three birdies, including a 4-iron to a foot on the hardest par 3 on the course at No. 8. But after a two-putt birdie on the par-5 11th, McIlroy’s chances dried up. Even on the par-5 16th, he tried a low runner out of the pine trees and it came out so hot that it ran through the green and into the water. Even so, he was bogey-free over the last 16 holes and shot 70. And he can at least avoid questions about winning from the final group, something McIlroy hasn’t done in his last nine occasions dating to the start of 2018. “I just need to hit fairways and greens. If I can do that, and take the opportunities I give myself, hopefully I can turn tomorrow into the best Sunday of the year so far,” McIlroy said. Fleetwood missed a 30-inch putt on the opening hole and took double bogey, and he fell three shots behind through seven holes. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 8 after McIlroy tapped in for his birdie, and then picked up four birdies where they were available for his 70. “It was just a grind,” he said. “I’m glad I showed the strength mentally more than anything. Under par is always a good score around here no matter how you play.” Jason Day had a 68 and was three shots behind. Tiger Woods was five shots better on the par-3 17th — a quadruple bogey on Friday, a 2-foot birdie putt on Saturday — but still started so slowly that even a late run of birdies was only good for a 72. Five players were within five shots of Rahm, the deficit the Spaniard made up on Saturday. That group included Brandt Snedeker (65) and Keegan Bradley (68), and Dustin Johnson, who played the par 5s at even and still shot a 69. Rahm, who already has six worldwide victories in just short of three years as a pro, was still lagging behind when he made the turn, and then quickly moved to the top. After a short birdie on the 10th, he hit 4-iron from 243 yards to 3 feet on a front left pin at the par-5 11th for an eagle. He hit the right shot on the par-3 13th, with the pin below a ridge near the water, into 3 feet for another birdie. By the end of the day, his 64 was about as high as it could have been. He two-putted from just inside 15 feet for a birdie on the 16th, and he had another birdie chance from about that range on the 18th that would have tied the course record. No matter. He was in the lead, facing a Sunday pairing with Fleetwood as he goes for the most important win of his young career. It figures to be a mental test as much as anything he does with his irons. The Stadium Course can take as quickly as it gives, and the forecast was for much stronger wind — compared with very little on Saturday — and cooler weather. Rahm is fiery, and his emotions at times can get in his way. He has worked hard to control his temper and still let his passion carry him to great shots. “It was a year of personal growth rather than golf game,” Rahm said. “It’s been a work in progress of many years to get to this point, and it’s hard to do when you’re playing highly competitive golf. … This is what I called earlier a midterm of hopefully a very good final project.”

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Here are nine tidbits from the final round of the Genesis Open that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Walk of Fame Bubba Watson played the back nine three-under-par 33 to post 12-under-par 272 to win the Genesis Open by two shots over Kevin Na and Tony Finau at The Riviera Country Club. The left-handed, 39-year old picks up his third win at the Genesis Open (2014, 2016 and 2018) and joins legends MacDonald Smith (4), Lloyd Mangrum (4) and Ben Hogan (3) as the most decorated winners at this event since its inception in 1926. Watson picks up his 10th win on TOUR but first since his second triumph here in 2016. Watson, who said after the round he contemplated retirement multiple times over the last year, played fantastically again on a course he loves. He’s 42-under-par in his three wins with 11 of the 12 rounds in red figures (the 12th round is even par for a stroke average of 70.03). His “worst” finish in seven weekends in Pacific Palisades is T17. He was excellent in all phases of the game and throughout all of the clubs in his bag. He checked in T21 or better in all of the strokes-gained categories with tee-to-green his best of the bunch (2nd). He only made eight bogeys on the week (6th-best total) and circled 20 birdies (2nd most) and one eagle. Moving forward, Watson said he would re-evaluate his professional goals once he picked up win No. 10. After winning just over $1.2 million last season, gamers who invested in him have already been rewarded. Weekly players will need to circle the Masters and the Travelers for later in the season. Sorry if you were on board earlier at Farmers Insurance Open and Waste Management Phoenix Open when he didn’t fire on courses he’s played well. Gamers’ Choices — PGA TOUR Fantasy Game presented by SERVPRO Everything always looks sooooooo good on Wednesday night! This list would have been even worse if not for big Sunday rounds from Mickelson and Spieth. Pro gamers will remind all of us there’s a reason they count all 72 holes. Gamers’ Choices — PGA TOUR One & Done presented by SERVPRO It was a big week for those who chose not to fade Johnson. He’ll be on the radar in two weeks as he defends at the WGC-Mexico Championship and will also defend at WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. The Mickelson backers will lament T6 but they shouldn’t! Read more on Mickelson below. Close Encounters Diamond Bar, California, native Kevin Na continued a streak of all-or-Nada at Riviera. He’s 21-under-par the last two years and has cashed for T4 in 2017 and T2 this year. He missed the cut in three of the four years prior. … Tony Finau joined Na and Cameron Smith (T6) for collecting the least amount of bogeys on the week with six. Finau collects his third top 10 of the season with all of those paydays coming in California. He was second at the Safeway Open and T6 at Torrey Pines. Noted. Not Stalling Out Scott Stallings posted the co-lowest round last Sunday at Pebble Beach and rode that momentum this week at Riviera. He posted a trio of 68’s to end the week and pick up his best finish on TOUR (T4) since last July. He improved on his T23 in Phoenix and solo seventh last week. He’s in the field at The Honda Classic. Full-Phil-ling Expectations Mickelson (T6) continued his excellent play on with his third-consecutive top-10 finish for the first time since 2009. This lefty now has four top-10 finishes in six weekends this season. Like Finau, three have been in California but he also added T5 at TPC Scottsdale. He was pleased with his play but is taking next week off before heading back to more kikuyu grass in Mexico City in two weeks. He said he’s pleased with his putting and driving but needs a break mentally and physically. It was interesting to hear him say that he feels he needs to win before Augusta, as he doesn’t want to go there with that streak hanging over him. Sneaking in the Back Door Gamers invested in Adam Hadwin this week went through the entire gamut of emotions. Hadwin matched his Saturday 66 with another one on Sunday, the lowest of the final round, to move him up 14 more places and into the top 10 (T6). That’s four years in a row T34 or better here. … Spieth also repaid the faith of those on board this week as each round improved (71-70-69-67) over the four days. His 67 on Sunday was the second-best round and vaulted him up 11 spots into the top 10. Sunday Silence After a noisy Saturday with 64, Dustin Johnson couldn’t pull a “Bubba Watson” with 64-64 to steal the event on Sunday. The world’s No. 1 player added two more doubles to his card and any dreams of a comeback were doused. … Rory McIlroy’s 68 on Sunday moved him up 22 spots to T20. He only made 12 birdies on the week (T50) and that wasn’t going to be enough to factor. I’m not sure I’ll be starting him on Poa annua any time soon after these last two weeks. Study Hall Kiradech Aphibarnrat won the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth last week and he’s in the field at The Honda Classic. … Joost Luiten won the inaugural NBO Oman Open on the European Tour. … Joe Durant won the Chubb Classic in Naples by four shots on the PGA TOUR Champions. … Patrick Rodgers finished in the top 30 for the second week in a row (T26). … Graeme McDowell faded from T3 to T26 with 77 but he’s been in the mix at PGA National recently. … Alex Noren added T16 this week to P2 at Torrey Pines to reinforce he plays difficult courses well. He’s also in the field at The Honda Classic. … Martin Laird’s T9 was his third-consecutive check of T11 or better at the Genesis Open.

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