Justin Rose enjoyed watching Shane Lowry make Major Championship history on a day when the duo produced some scintillating golf to move into contention at the US PGA Championship.
Both Rose and Lowry already have a Major title to their name and will head into the final round at Valhalla Golf Club three and two shots off the lead respectively as they each look for a second.
The Englishman started the day a shot ahead of his Ryder Cup team-mate and that was still the case after seven holes as they produced matching scorecards: making four birdies in row from the second and adding another on the seventh.
While Lowry picked up a shot on the ninth, Rose made a bogey before both men recorded three birdies on the way in.
Lowry had a 12-footer on the last to become the first player in history to card a 61 in a Major but he had to settle for signing for just the fifth Major 62.
Rose was also in the group when Rickie Fowler made a 62 at last year's U.S. Open and Rose admits it is a thrill to see your playing partner going for a place in the history books.
"It was a great day, an exciting day," he said.
"Playing alongside Shane, it was a good day for the DP World Tour boys.
"Felt like we got off to the dream start. The start of this golf course is definitely demanding. You're hitting a lot of mid irons into the greens and to get a couple under early I felt was a real momentum-starter.
"We were both five under through seven and rolling and definitely quite aware that we're making some progress up the leaderboard.
"But there was definitely that urgency to feel like you wanted to stay on track and keep up the momentum today to try to give yourself a shot going into tomorrow.
-16 under combined today 🤯#PGAChamp https://t.co/wO4lBjjI7v
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) May 18, 2024
"Shane kept the hammer down, holed a couple of long putts around 13, 14 and kept his momentum going.
"I was watching him and thinking about the magical 61 number which he had a putt for on 18. As a competitor you don't want to fall too far behind anybody but at the same time it would be a cool thing to witness."
Ever since his 2013 U.S. Open victory at Merion, Rose has spoken of his desire to be a multiple Major Champion and the 43-year-old is hopeful of an "Indian Summer" in his career.
"I still believe in myself," he said after his third-round 64. "Still believe that I have these opportunities in me in Majors for sure.
"This year has been a very difficult year. I haven't seen much go my way in terms of tournament golf but seeing a ton go my way away from competitive golf. Practice sessions are awesome. I feel like I'm doing things with the golf ball that I have never done in my career in terms of speed and ball-striking, and some of the quality I think has really gone up."
