Shane Lowry takes 54-hole lead at The Open Championship

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Shane Lowry has a tournament-best 63 and a four-shot lead going into the last round of The Open Championship. The Irishman broke out of a four-way tie late on the front nine with a birdie on No. 9, and then the putts started pouring in. He ran off three straight birdies late in the round and narrowly missed one final birdie that would have tied the major championship record. All that matters to Lowry is one round standing in the way of a claret jug at Royal Portrush. Tommy Fleetwood shot 66 and lost ground. He was four behind. This is the second time Lowry has had a 54-hole lead in a major. He was four shots ahead at Oakmont in the 2016 U.S. Open, which Dustin Johnson rallied to win.

Click here to read the full article…