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PALM BEACH GARDENS — A big smile came across Shane Lowry's face when he spotted one of golf's iconic figures after he finished his third round at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
Almost as big a smile when he completed his best round at PGA National, a 63, that gave him a share of the 54-hole lead with Austin Smotherman at 13-under.
"Good round," Jack Nicklaus said to Lowry. And the 18-time major champion and Hall of Famer should know seeing he redesigned the course in 2000.
"It was alright," Lowry said, sheepishly.
"Finish it off tomorrow," Nicklaus said.
Lowry closed his bogey free round with two birdies, including an 11-foot putt on No. 17, which happens to be the final hole of the Bear Trap, named to honor Nicklaus.
"When he holed that putt … I can guarantee you that the Bear's Club erupted," Nicklaus said. "Because they love him. Everybody loves him at the Bear's Club. He's a good guy. He's a really nice guy. He works hard at his game."
Lowry moved to Jupiter around 2018 to cut down on the travel from his home in Ireland. Eventually he became a member of the Bear's Club in Jupiter, which was founded and developed by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus.
That move has come with its perks.
"It's a bit surreal, to be honest," Lowry said. "I go into the locker room at the Bear's Club most days for my lunch, and Jack is in there a lot. He plays cards with the other members in the afternoons. I'm not good enough to be in that card game."
"I've sat down and talked to him, had lunch with him a few times, and just to be around people like that is incredible. He's done so much for this game and this whole area and community. I'm so fortunate to be able to be around people like that."
Lowry may not be among the card sharks at the Bear's Club, but he sure can play golf with the best of them. And there is a lot of competition, including his best friend and Ryder Cup teammate, Rory McIlroy.
But none of them have the record Lowry has at this event. Lowry has 19 consecutive rounds of par or better on the Champion Course, many of those coming when this was one of the most challenging on the PGA Tour.
The only thing missing is a trophy for his troubles.
"When I moved here at first, I hated Florida golf, the grain, Bermuda (grass)," Lowry said. "Everything about it was tricky for me. Just from living down here and spending time down here, I've become better at it."
Especially at PGA National.
The Champ has lost some of its punch in recent years for various reasons. Round 3 was one of those days with calm winds contributing to a lot of red on the scoreboard. The scoring average was 68.84, three shots lower than the first two rounds.
The final round will present more of a challenge. A cold front blew through the area late in the day, which will shift the winds. That means some of the more difficult holes, like the Bear Trap (Nos. 15, 16 and 17), will be much tricker.
"This golf course never plays too easy," Lowry said. "But if you take 15, 16, 17 … if the wind turns around it becomes automatically two or three shots harder.
"There's certain things that aligned today to make it play easy enough, wind direction being one of them."
Lowry has not finished any worst than 11th in the last four years, a stretch that includes three consecutive top 5s. He was second in 2022.
"I've had a few chances to win this tournament," said Lowry, whose goal was to be in one of the last two groups for the final round. He and Smotherman are the last group off.
"Hopefully I can convert it tomorrow."
Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Shane Lowry earns nod from Jack Nicklaus at Cognizant Classic