Shane Lowry finished his third round in fine style but still missed the 54-hole cut at The American Express in California.
The Offaly native carded a third-round 70 at La Quinta on Saturday, having started the tournament with successive 67s, and is on 12 under overall, in a tie for 68th.
Playing the Pete Dye Stadium course, Lowry had endured a mixed round with birdies on 14 and two followed up by setbacks on five and six, the latter a triple bogey on the par-3.
But he enjoyed an outstanding conclusion to his round, with a birdie-birdie-eagle run across his final three holes.
However, with scores incredibly low overall, Lowry's -12 tally was one stroke outside the cut line.
An impressive birdie-birdie-eagle finish by @ShaneLowryGolf 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Jmkxzn9nka
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 20, 2024
At the top of the leaderboard, American amateur Nick Dunlap leads the way on 27 under after a 12-under 60 on the La Quinta Country Club course as he aims for a fairytale finish.
The University of Alabama student shot 10 birdies and an eagle in a third round 60 – equalling the lowest round by an amateur in a tour event – on the La Quinta course to follow his second round 61 as he moved into pole position.
Phil Mickelson was the last amateur to win on the PGA Tour in 1991
Dunlap is three shots clear of Sam Burns, who had held the overnight lead after a career low round of 61 on Friday.
Burns, a PGA Tour pro since 2017, carded a 65 to remain in contention ahead of Sunday's tournament climax.
Two-time major winner Justin Thomas is one shot further back on 23 under after a 61 of his own.
Playing as a sponsor’s invite, Dunlap is the first amateur to make the cut at the event and while he will not collect the $1.5million (€1.37m) prize money, a win would secure his PGA Tour card for two years.
Additional reporting: PA
