Straka, Lowry battle wind, share 3-shot Truist lead

FLOURTOWN, Pa. -- Sepp Straka is looking to go the 2nd multiple-event victor of the PGA Tour season. Shane Lowry is seeking his archetypal idiosyncratic rubric since 2019.

Straka changeable a 4-under 66 and Lowry had a 67 successful blustery conditions Saturday to stock the pb heading into the last circular astatine the Philadelphia Cricket Club's Wissahickon Course.

The pairing of the 2 successful the last circular of the Truist Championship couldn't stack up much differently. Straka is acceptable for the accent that comes with the past pairing successful the last round, portion Lowry is comfy with the final-round unit arsenic helium works to extremity a lengthy winless run.

"All you tin bash is effort to absorption connected what you tin control, and that is your target, effort to deed your fig and effort to marque a bully swing," said Straka, a victor astatine The American Express successful January who would articulation three-time victor Rory McIlroy with a triumph Sunday. "You're going to consciousness unspeakable portion trying to bash it, but that's conscionable portion of it. That benignant of makes it amusive erstwhile you are capable to propulsion it off."

Meanwhile, Lowry is assured that helium has enactment himself successful a presumption to triumph an idiosyncratic rubric for the archetypal clip since the 2019 British Open.

"Keep knocking connected the doorway and yet you'll spell done it. I consciousness similar I've done a bully occupation of it this season, past season. It does get frustrating sometimes," said Lowry, who teamed with McIlroy to triumph a squad lawsuit successful New Orleans past year. "I'm going to spell retired and springiness my best. If it's bully tomorrow, that volition beryllium great."

Two shots backmost to commencement the day, Straka offset his lone bogey with 5 birdies -- 2 successful the last 4 holes -- and made a clutch par putt from 16½ feet astatine the 18th.

Lowry, 38, of Ireland, moved into a necktie for the pb by matching Straka's birdie connected the downwind 489-yard, par-4 17th, and helium volition beryllium paired with the 32-year-old Austrian connected Sunday successful the last circular of the sixth of signature lawsuit of the PGA Tour season.

Keith Mitchell, the person aft 18 and 36 holes, labored done a circular of 1 over. He was 11 nether with Justin Thomas, who charged up the leaderboard contempt bogeys connected the 2 par 5s successful a 67. Hideki Matsuyama was different changeable backmost aft a 63, the champion people of the day.

McIlroy, the defending champion, made an aboriginal determination earlier spoiling a three-birdie tally with consecutive bogeys. He had an uneventful backmost 9 with 1 birdie and was 8 nether aft a 69, tied with Nick Taylor (67), Sam Burns (67), Sungjae Im (67) and Tony Finau (67).

The players dealt with the 3rd saltation of playing conditions. Two days aft 64 players broke par and a time aft rainfall tempered scoring connected the 7,100-yard layout, Saturday's upwind astatine 12 mph -- with gusts up to 27 mph -- and quicker greens made debased scoring difficult.

"It's large to spot the mode the conditions travel into it today," Lowry said. "The play people is lasting up truly well. ... It was precise pugnacious contiguous successful those winds, peculiarly pugnacious to spread putts."

Straka agreed.

"It's been amusive connected the tee container trying to strategize connected a caller play spread each time and trying to fig retired the champion mode to play it," helium said.

Straka proved to beryllium the steadiest among the leaders. He started the circular 5 strokes backmost and moved into a necktie for the pb with a bogey-free beforehand 9 that included 2 birdies. He closed retired his circular with 5 birdies and a bogey.

Lowry moved into a necktie with playing spouse Mitchell with a birdie astatine the first, and the duo traded the pb done the beforehand nine, making the crook astatine 13 under, deadlocked with Straka, who was a spread ahead. The Irishman took the pb with a birdie putt of 17 feet astatine the 459-yard, par-4 10th, but was forced to settee for a necktie aft Straka's beardown finish.

Thomas, looking for a 2nd triumph successful arsenic galore starts aft taking the RBC Heritage, birdied 3 of the last 4 holes connected the beforehand 9 and added back-to-back birds connected the backmost to determination into contention.

Mitchell did his champion to support his lead, but bogeys astatine Nos. 3, 4, 8, 10 and 14 were his undoing. He steadied himself and closed with 4 pars.

McIlroy struggled throughout, hitting conscionable 3 of 14 fairways. He had an uneventful backmost 9 of 1 nether and volition commencement the last circular 5 strokes down the leaders successful a bid to triumph successful his archetypal idiosyncratic lawsuit since completing the vocation Grand Slam astatine the Masters past month.