If the lowest and most dejected thing in fortune has no fear, then us Irish sports fans should look upon the rest of the sporting weekend undeterred. Granted, the two major sporting defeats of the weekend awoke the demons of horrors past -E**o 2**2 and New Zealand in 2013 - but if we have hit rock bottom, things can only improve from here on.
A nation's glorious and necessary respite currently rests on the shoulders of one Shane Lowry, who currently leads the US Open by four shots, heading into the fourth and final road at Oakmont. The course is one of the most difficult on the PGA Tour, and Lowry has only gone and set a 54-hole course record:
Lowest 54 hole score in a #USOpen at Oakmont:
203 by Lowry 2016
206 by Els 1994 pic.twitter.com/kBkxXJW8S1— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 19, 2016
Not that Lowry will countenance it, but the chasing pack also offer him some encouragement: Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood - four and five shots back respectively - are notorious chokers, while Andrew Landry (in a tie for second) is currently ranked at 624th in the world.
Owing to inclement weather, Lowry finished his third-rouind this morning, shootingn a 65 which he called the best of his career.
The most encouraging sign of all, however, is this interview with Sky Sports, in which Lowry comes across as superbly assured, along with admitting he is making birdies without meaning to:
While we realise that fans of all sports will be tuning in to support Shane, this Balls reader may have gone slightly too far...
Shane Lowrys on fire, your golf course is terrified!!!
— Brian Alcock (@B_Alcock) June 19, 2016
Wherever did he get the idea from....
Shane Lowry is on 🔥
Another birdie at the #USOpen takes him four clear...
Live: https://t.co/zCjq341o38 pic.twitter.com/A4F1G1ULPp— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 19, 2016
Lowry tees off at 8.30pm tonight.
