FLOWTOWN, Pennsylvania – Cep Straca aims to become the second event winner of the PGA Tour season. Shane Lowry is seeking his first personal title since 2019.
Straka shot a 4-under 66, while Lowry scored 67 on amazing conditions on Saturday, sharing the lead heading into the final round on the Wissahickon course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
The pairing of the two in the final round of the Truist Championship couldn’t stack any more different things. While Straca is ready for the stress that comes with the final pairing in the final round, Rory is pleased with the pressure in the final round, where he works to finish a long, unwinning run.
“All you can do is try and focus on what you have control over. That’s your target and try to hit your number and swing well,” says Straka, the winner of the American Express in January, joins three-time winner Rory McIlroy on the victory Sunday. “You’ll feel bad while you’re trying to do it, but that’s part of it. Things like that make it fun when you can pull it apart.”
Meanwhile, we are confident that Raleigh has been in the position to win individual titles for the first time since the 2019 British Open.
“Knock on the door. You’ll eventually get through it. Last season, this season, I feel like I did it well. It’s frustrating at times,” said Laurie, who worked with McIlroy to win a team event in New Orleans last year. “I’m going to go out and do my best. If tomorrow is good, that’s great.”
Two shots to start the day, Straca offset his only bogey with five birdies (two in the final four holes) and made a clutch par putt from 16½ feet on the 18th.
Ireland’s 38-year-old Laurie moved to the lead tie by matching Straca’s birdies at 489 yards downwind, par 4, 17th place, and paired with the 32-year-old Austrian on Sunday in the sixth final round of the PGA Tour season signing event.
Keith Mitchell, the leader after 18 and 36 holes, worked in one round. He was under 11 with Justin Thomas. He was responsible for the leaderboard despite his two par-5 bogeys of 67.
Defending champion McIlroy moved early before ruining the three-building run with consecutive bogeys. He had one birdie and a peaceful nine, and was under the age of 69, tied with Nick Taylor (67), Sam Burns (67), Sun James (67), and Tony Fina (67).
Players addressed a third variation of the play conditions. A day after 64 players beat the par and rained on the 7,100-yard layout, the greens were hard to score fast after scoring at 12 mph (gusts of wind up to 27 mph) on Saturday.
“It’s great to see how things come in today,” Laurie said. “The golf course is really well up.
“Today it was really tough to put those winds, especially the holes, to put them.”
Straka agreed.
“At Teebox, we strive to develop strategies on new golf holes every day and find the best way to play it,” he said.
Straca has proven to be the most stable of leaders. He began a round five stroke and moved to the tie for the lead on a bogeyless front nine, including two birdies. He closed the round with five birdies and a bogey.
Laurie first moved to the tie, playing partner Mitchell along with Birdie, and the duo swapped the lead on the front nine, turning at 13 under, and was stuck in Straca, which was the hole ahead. Raleigh took the lead with a 17-foot birdie putt for 459 yards, par 4, 10th, but was forced to settle for a tie after a strong Straca finish.
After robbing the RBC legacy, Thomas birded three of the front nine final four holes, and moved into competition with a succession of birds on his back, seeking a second victory in many starts.
Mitchell tried his best to keep his lead, but bogeys of Nos 3, 4, 8, 10 and 14 were back. He stabilized himself and closed with four pars.
McIlroy struggled all the time, hitting only three of his 14 fairways. He has nine 1-under nine successful backs and will begin the final round five strokes behind the leader to win in his first individual event since completing a career grand slam at the Masters last month.
