Additional Coverage:
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Is this the year for Shane Lowry? The Irishman, who now calls South Florida home, has once again positioned himself for a shot at the Cognizant Classic title at PGA National, sharing the lead after a spectacular bogey-free 8-under 63 on Saturday.
Lowry, who has a history of strong finishes and near-misses at this tournament, now sits at 13 under, tied with Austin Smotherman, who battled to a 69. Saturday’s tee times were moved up in anticipation of bad weather, a move that seemed to favor Lowry’s charge.
“You want to be near the leaders, keep an eye on them and see what they’re doing,” Lowry remarked. “If the conditions are like this tomorrow, there are low scores out there, so someone could come from the pack.
It’s not necessarily easy to lead around this golf course. There’s a lot of very difficult shots.
But I’m up there where I want to be. I’ve had a few chances to win this tournament, and hopefully I can convert it tomorrow.”
Indeed, Lowry’s connection to this event runs deep. In 2022, when it was still the Honda Classic, he famously finished second after a torrential downpour on the final hole derailed his lead, leaving him soaked as Sepp Straka claimed victory. He followed that with a T5 finish a year later, held the solo lead going into the final round of the Cognizant in 2024 before finishing T4, and tied for 11th last year.
“There wasn’t much wind out there, so there’s certain things that aligned today to make it play easy enough, wind direction being one of them,” Lowry explained of his impressive Saturday round. “But you still need to go out there and hit the shots.
The greens are firm. It can get away from you if you’re not hitting the ball well.
I felt like I did everything pretty good today.”
Smotherman, who had held the lead after the first two rounds, faced some challenges on Saturday but managed to maintain his share of the top spot. Consecutive bogeys on the 6th and 7th threatened his momentum, but a strong birdie-birdie finish provided a much-needed boost as he chases his first PGA Tour victory.
Just one shot back at 12 under are Nico Echavarria (66) and Taylor Moore (67). Jimmy Stanger, making a remarkable return to the tour after two years sidelined by serious elbow issues, is alone in fifth at 11 under after a 65. Stanger’s emotional comeback has him in contention for the first time since April 2024.
“It just feels good to be back,” Stanger shared. “It feels good to be playing a weekend.
It’s been a couple years. It’s good to be healthy.
It’s just a cherry on top to be in contention here this week.”
Saturday, often dubbed “Moving Day” on tour, certainly lived up to its name. Lowry’s 63 was matched by Patton Kizzire, who soared 45 spots into a tie for ninth at 8 under. Keith Mitchell and Beau Hossler also made significant climbs with 64s, joining Kizzire five shots behind the co-leaders.