MIAMI (AFP) — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Shane Lowry solved windy conditions to share the lead in the third round of the US PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion, and Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, each fired a two-under par 70 to stand on nine-under 207 after 54 holes at Bay Hill in Orlando.

Reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark was third on 208 with fellow Americans Will Zalatoris and Russell Henley and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama next on 209.

Scheffler and Lowry were among six players who shared the 36-hole lead and they kept their patience during gusty conditions in roller-coaster rounds.

"I had a lot of patience around the course," Scheffler said.

"It's a tough place to play, especially when you get winds like this. It's tough to make putts. It's tough to get the ball close to the hole."

"Proud of how I finished and did a good job of staying patient."

Lowry charged late, answering a bogey at the par-3 14th with birdie putts from three feet at the par-5 16th and 32 feet at the par-3 17th.

"Holed a nice one on 17 but I didn't feel that comfortable with it all day. It was hard out there," Lowry said.

"You're leaving those 25-footers for birdie, you're just trying to get it dead, because those 4-footers on those greens are quite difficult, especially when it's windy."

"When you play in windy conditions, the hardest part of it is putting. Certainly it was today. I felt like I hit a lot of good putts. I felt like I burned the edge a lot."

"At the end, it was just great to hole that one on 17. I was pretty happy with that. I'm very happy with my day's work."

Scheffler answered a bogey at the par-3 second with a birdie at the par-5 fourth but made bogey at the fifth and ninth after missing the greens on his approach.