Incredulous, overwhelmed and dejected. That’s how Shane Lowry introduced himself to the journalists minutes after enduring a painful match end on the Cognizant Traditional at Palm Seashores. When he was already touching victory together with his fingertips, when he had already imagined his four-year-old red-haired daughter operating throughout the inexperienced to have fun, when he was satisfied that he may lastly declare his first particular person victory in a daily PGA Tour occasion, two horrible pictures condemned him to second place with consecutive double bogeys on holes 16 and 17.
Lowry couldn’t imagine what was taking place to him and he confessed as a lot to his caddie after the second double bogey. “I mentioned to Darren: ‘How can I really feel like this now, after I went by what I went by final September in… and dealt with it properly?’ He was referring, in fact, to the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, when he grew to become the hero of Europe by sinking the decisive putt that secured the away victory for Luke Donald‘s crew.
The amiable Irish golfer is neither the primary nor the final to lose a match on the ultimate holes as a result of his personal errors, but yesterday he skilled one thing he had by no means felt earlier than. “Clearly I’m extraordinarily disenchanted. I had the match in my fingers and I threw it away. What extra can I say? That’s twice this 12 months, so I’m getting good at this (referring to the Dubai Invitational the place he completed with a double bogey on the 18th). What can I say? I performed unimaginable all day after which one dangerous shot on the sixteenth utterly threw me off for the final three holes. It’s by no means occurred to me earlier than. It felt unusual. I couldn’t really feel the clubface on the final three holes after the tee shot on the sixteenth. It was unusual. What can I say? It’s very disappointing. That is going to be laborious to digest. Dubai was powerful firstly of the 12 months, however that is going to be fairly laborious,” he admitted.
Credit score to Lowry for his braveness and composure in dealing with the media after the debacle. Not many would do it, and fewer in these instances. Hats off to the Irishman. He provided no excuses. He was requested: “We noticed you stepping away from the shot on 16 due to somebody’s shadow, did it have an effect on you in any respect when establishing?” To which he responded firmly: “No, none of that.”
The 2019 Open Championship winner admitted that the toughest half was that he had already thought in regards to the victory and the way the celebration can be. “The toughest half right this moment is that I’ve by no means received in entrance of my four-year-old daughter. She was there ready for me. Right now I wished it only for her. I don’t care about the rest. I wished it with all my may. Seeing her little crimson head operating in direction of me on the 18th inexperienced would have been probably the most particular factor on the earth. I assumed I had it. I assumed I used to be going to win. I didn’t get forward of myself, however I felt very snug on the market. I attempted to get lots out of my 3-iron on the sixteenth. I did the one factor I actually couldn’t do.” And he clarified: “The earlier three days I had hit that very same 3-iron and put it down the green with out issues.”
The Bear Entice bites the chief 💦
Nursing a 3 shot lead, Shane Lowry’s tee shot on 16 finds the water @The_Cognizant.
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/GlNGyQHd9i
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 1, 2026
A sand save for double bogey drops Shane Lowry right into a tie for the lead with two holes to play @The_Cognizant.
📺 NBC https://t.co/8e9CGmM07F pic.twitter.com/bRVqw3P5ou
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 1, 2026
Relating to the shot on 17, Lowry considerably acknowledged that seeing Nico Echavarría’s birdie, which tied him for the lead, affected him. “Actually, on 16 I made an unimaginable restoration from the sand to make six and keep one up. However then I am going as much as 17 and see Nico sink that putt for birdie and tie for the lead. I had the proper quantity for me and it was excellent. The wind was barely towards. That’s my bread and butter: slightly contact with the 7-iron. However you already know, golf typically does unusual issues to you and right this moment it definitely did to me.”
The Bear Entice strikes once more 💦
Shane Lowry’s tee shot at 17 finds the water, and a second straight double drops him two again of the lead.
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/AaMrN82Uy7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 1, 2026
Shane already suffered a tricky blow in Dubai. Maybe that is worse as a result of it’s the second in two months. Even so, he’s clear about the one treatment to maneuver ahead. “There’s no different approach, is there? I’ve a tee time subsequent Thursday at Bay Hill and I’ve no selection however to maneuver on.”
