It’s been a frustrating few weeks for Shane Lowry. He was well in contention at The Masters, until two bogeys to conclude his third round gave him work to do before he slumped to T42 after a final round of 81.
Then, at last week’s signature event on the PGA Tour, the Truist Championship, he was even closer to glory before another two late bogeys ruined his chances of victory at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Sadly, for the Irishman, his fortunes weren’t improving during the second round of the PGA Championship.
After a two-over 73 in the first round, Lowry knew he had work to do to make the cut on Friday at Quail Hollow, but, after starting from the first tee, his chances weren’t helped by a dreadful piece of luck at the par-4 eighth.
At one-under for the day, the 38-year-old was giving himself a fighting chance of making it to the weekend, and he could barely have played a better tee shot at the 353-yard hole, sending his drive to the right side of the fairway and just 57 yards from the hole.
To his dismay, though, it had stopped in an existing pitch mark and, because it wasn’t his own, he was not entitled to free relief, even though his ball was embedded in the mark.
Shane Lowry not given relief for an embedded ball.The result:pic.twitter.com/racmmGkcCvMay 16, 2025
Given that kind of luck, what came next was, in hindsight, predictable, as Lowry dug his ball out of the pitch mark with his second shot, but saw it head straight into a bunker just 82 feet further along.
He knew immediately his contact had not been what he would like, and took his frustrations out on the offending pitch mark before going on to make bogey and delivering a gesture towards his ball before heading to the ninth.
Lowry proceeded to make par on the next three holes as he recovered his composure, but thanks to that appalling slice of luck on the eighth, he did so one shot beneath the projected cut line. He then birdied the 12th to bring renewed hope he could make it to the weekend.
