QBE Shootout: Lowry, McDowell blow into share of lead on Irish kind of day in Naples

On a  blustery day straight out of their homeland, Shane Lowry and Graeme McDowell flew to the top of the QBE Shootout leaderboard Saturday.

The pair -- Lowry is from Ireland and McDowell from Northern Ireland -- shot an 8-under-par 64 in the modified alternate shot format at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort and are tied for the lead with first-round leader Steve Stricker and Sean O'Hair.

"Normally we have a $20 bet for every time someone says that to us on a day like today," McDowell said. "'You must love this, you're from Ireland.' No, no we don't like it either.

"I think we're both good wind players. That is one thing. I mean, we don't like playing in the cold and rain either. I think wind golf is something we're both quite good at. We both feel comfortable flighting it down and flighting it around. No doubt it did look a bit more like Ireland out there than Florida today, but we had fun."

Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele survived a double bogey and are third at 16 under, two back, and Tony Finau and LPGA Tour star Lexi Thompson birdied the last five holes to get to 15 under and sit in fourth on a day with gusty, 20 mph winds and periods of rain and mid-60-degree temperatures.

The 12 two-person teams will play better ball in Sunday's final round.

Lowry and McDowell, who have played in a pair of World Cups, took the team concept seriously, dressing alike.

"I think we were getting ripped on the (Golf Channel) broadcast apparently for it and I don't understand why," McDowell said. "I mean I think we're trying to get into the spirit of the competition. I played with (Ian Poulter) here in (2008) and we did unis then and I've did it every year since. I figured a lot of teams used to do it, but apparently they're not digging it on us. Whatever."

QBE Shootout: Steve Stricker, Sean O'Hair grab first-round lead

Many teams would've liked to matched their start, though. They went eagle-birdie, and added birdies on Nos. 7, 8, 10, 13 and 15.

"I think the start was key, starting 3-3," McDowell said. "I think we both knew the wind was going to get up and conditions were going to be difficult in this format."

Stricker and O'Hair struggled to a 3-under 69 -- 12 shots worse than Friday's 57 in the scramble, but are still tied at the top. They had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11, but O'Hair chipped in for a birdie in a strikingly similar shot that Stricker holed on No. 18 in Friday's first round, and that started a three-birdie surge that got them back in the lead.

"We were kind of struggling there at that point and kind of got some momentum going and Steve made a fantastic putt on the net hole it keep it going and then birdied No. 15 so I think that was a huge momentum swing for us," O'Hair said. "We saw how good the guys in front of us were playing."

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But they caught a bad break on the par-5 17th when Stricker hit a poor second shot and it ended up in a greenside bunker up against the face. O'Hair pitched it out backwards, Stricker chipped on the green, and O'Hair missed the par putt.

"Really just a perfect yardage to hit a good solid 6-iron and let it hit into the hill and let it trickle over the top," Stricker said. "Caught it a little bit heavy, and yeah, so that was disappointing. We threw a couple of shots away right there.

"We should have been putting for an eagle on there and we're scrambling to make a par and then bogey."

But they are still tied for the lead.

QBE Shootout

When: Through Sunday

Where: Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort

Sunday's format: Better ball

Info: qbeshootout.com, 254-9770

QBE Shootout

at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort

Sunday's final-round tee times

Format: Better ball

9:35 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar/Harris English (63-72/135), Zach Johnson/Charley Hoffman (65-70/135)

9:50 a.m. -- Bubba Watson/Brandt Snedeker (59-72/131), Kyle Stanley/Russell Henley (63-69/132)

10:05 a.m. -- Kevin Kisner/Kevin Chappell (61-70/131), Gary Woodland/Daniel Berger (61-70/131)

10:20 a.m. -- Pat Perez/Brian Harman (62-68/130), Billy Horschel/Jason Dufner (61-69/130)

10:35 a.m. -- Brendan Steele/Keegan Bradley (58-70/128), Lexi Thompson/Tony Finau (63-66/129)

10:50 a.m. -- Shane Lowry/Graeme McDowell (62-64/126), Steve Stricker/Sean O'Hair (57-69/126)