Shane Lowry explains massive club change ahead of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
On Saturday, November 9, Shane Lowry fired a second straight 66 in the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to jump to T3 at 15-under. This marks the seventh consecutive time he has had a chance to finish inside the top 15. This week, he has experimented with new clubs, and they have yielded good results so far.
Since tying for 50th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, Lowry hasn’t finished worse than T13. By his own admission, his driving has contributed to his newfound consistency.
During the post-round interview on Saturday, Shane Lowry said he was driving well and that his iron play was also strong, though he acknowledged that he needed to work on his putting. He revealed that he was playing with different clubs at Yas Links this week.
"In saying that, I've 12 new clubs in the bag this week," he said. "I have a new driver and new set of irons. What's going on before me, I haven't really thought about. I've just been trying to get used to this, and it's going very well so far. Hopefully it keeps going that way."
Reflecting on his third round, the 37-year-old Irishman said that he got off to an average start in the first two days, but the Saturday round was better.
"I kind of kicked on on the front nine and then got a bit stale on the back nine," he continued. "I'm happy with my score. It doesn't seem like the leaders are going that far away, and you know, they are about to turn for home, 15 in is not playing that easy.
"So yeah, I think I'll be within touching distance going into tomorrow, and if I can fire a low one tomorrow, I can be there or thereabouts," he added.
When will Shane Lowry tee off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2024, Day 4?
Shane Lowry is grouped with Niklas Norgaard and Paul Waring for the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2024. The trio will take off on Sunday, November 10, at 11:20 am local time.
Shane Lowry is three strokes behind Waring ahead of the final round. He is tied with Tommy Fleetwood, Thorbjorn Olesen, and Sebastian Soderberg at 15-under. Norgaard shot a 3-under 69 and is just one shot behind the lead after 54 holes.
The final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship will begin at 7 a.m. local time, with Darius Van Driel, Justin Rose, and Calum Hill teeing off from the first hole.