Ireland’s Shane Lowry was flying high in a ‘chopper’ after equaling the Carnoustie course re cord with an eight under par 64 on day three of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

However Lowry was left ruing setting a new course record after recording the only bogey in his round at his last hole when he missed a 30-foot par putt.

Nonetheless, the reigning Portugal Masters champion found his way into a six way share of second place on 18-under par and just one behind American Peter Uihlein who brilliantly holed his second shot for eagle at the final hole of the Old Course in a score of 65 to move to clear of the field on 20-under par.

Lowry, who returned from Carnoustie to St Andrews in a chopper, said: “There’s no other golf course you would want to play under those conditions. The weather was perfect, I played with my brother and we made the cut for the team event, and my dad is caddying for me – I don’t know if it gets any better. It’s almost impossible not to enjoy it.”

Ten minutes after matching the Carnoustie course record and Shane Lowry is jogging up the steps at the back of the Old Course at St. Andrews. (Photo – www.golfbytourmiss.com)

He later revealed it is  only the second time Lowry has been up in a chopper.

“It just feels like only five minutes ago that I tapped-in on the ninth at Carnoustie and here I am standing at the back of the Old Course at St. Andrews,” he smiled.

“It’s great that the tournament has made available a helicopter for the trip to Carnoustie but then I had to drive over this morning as the fog meant we couldn’t fly over to Carnoustie.

“However it was not till I got into the scorer’s hut and I asked Richard Green what was the course record and he said 64.   So it would have been nice to hole to hat par putt on my 18th.

“But then I would have snapped your hand off if you would have handed me 68 setting off at Carnoustie so to shoot eight under I am pretty happy.

“I knew the leaders would push ahead here at St. Andrews so to be just two off the lead, and back level-pegging with everyone, has me now in with a real shout.”