Irish eyes are smiling: Lowry leads Open by 4

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Shane Lowry shot a tournament-best 63 on Saturday and has a four-shot lead going into the final 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.…