What Happened to Bhatia as Straka and Lowry Lead at Truist?

Flourtown (USA), May 11 (NationPress) – Akshay Bhatia experienced a tumultuous day on the course, dropping from a top 5 position after two rounds to finish tied for 16th at the conclusion of the third round of the Truist Championship. In challenging weather conditions, Bhatia recorded a score of 71 following earlier rounds of 63 and 70, leaving him at 6-under overall and tied for 16th place with one round left to play.

Austrian Sepp Straka delivered an impressive performance with a 4-under 66, while Shane Lowry from Ireland shot a 67, both sharing the lead as they head into the final round. Straka began the third round two strokes back and managed to counteract his only bogey with five birdies, two of which came in the last four holes. He executed a crucial par putt from 16.5 feet on the 18th hole at the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course, finishing at 14 under.

Aaron Rai, with a score of 71, stands tied for 38th, while Sahith Theegala faced difficulties, ending the day at 70th with a score of 8-over 78.

Bhatia began strongly with two birdies in his first three holes but then encountered a bogey-birdie sequence on the fourth and fifth holes. He struggled with a trio of bogeys from the seventh to the ninth, concluding the front nine at one-over 36. On the back nine, he recorded birdies on the 12th, 14th, and 15th holes, but also bogeyed the 13th, 17th, and 18th.

Lowry caught up to Straka by matching his birdie on the downwind par-4 17th hole and will be paired with the 32-year-old Austrian in the final round of this sixth Signature Event of the PGA Tour season.

Keith Mitchell, who led after both the 18 and 36 holes, shot 1-over and is currently at 11 under along with Justin Thomas, who made a significant move up the leaderboard despite bogeys on both par 5s, finishing with a 67. Hideki Matsuyama is another stroke back after posting a remarkable 63, the best round of the day.

The defending champion, Rory McIlroy, started strong but faltered with consecutive bogeys after a three-birdie streak. He had a quiet back nine, finishing with one birdie, and is now 8-under after a 69, tied with Nick Taylor (67), Sam Burns (67), Sungjae Im (67), and Tony Finau (67).

Thomas, seeking his second consecutive win following the RBC Heritage, birdied three of the last four holes on the front nine and added two more on the back, putting him in contention.

McIlroy's day was challenging as he hit only three of 14 fairways. He finished with a bland back nine at 1 under and will enter the final round five strokes behind the leaders, aiming for victory in his first individual event since achieving the career Grand Slam at the Masters last month.