SHANE LOWRY’S HOPES of booking a FedEx Cup playoff berth are hanging by a thread after he shot a disappointing even-par 70 to remain at three under par at the Wyndham Championship.

The 2019 Open champion will likely require close to a top-20 finish if he is to extend his season but will enter Sunday’s final round in North Carolina outside the top 50, about five strokes short of where he needs to be.

Lowry opened his third round with four straight pars before registering a birdie on the par-5 fifth, in which he reached the green in two.

He coughed that back up on seven when he found the water, and by the 11th he found himself two over par for the day after further, back-to-back bogeys.

He birdied 13 after a picture-perfect approach to six feet, however, and an eagle two holes later moved him to one under for the day, four under for the tournament.

A bogey on 16, however, and two subsequent pars left him back where he started earlier in the day.

American duo Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover lead the way on 18 under par, one shot clear of their compatriot Russell Henley.