Lowry vows to try again after week to forget at Augusta

Shane Lowry took his Masters disappointment on the chin and vowed to come back next year and try again to become the first Irishman to win the Masters.

While he made an eagle and nine birdies over his four rounds, he was left to rue six three-putts and 19 bogeys in what he described as the toughest Masters weekend he’s ever experienced.

“Not very good,” he said of the week after closing with a 74 to finish tied 43rd in the clubhouse on eight-overpar. “It’s over now. I’m a little disappointed, obviously.

“I played all right golf throughout the week, but I made a lot of bogeys. There were no big mistakes, nothing disastrous, just a lot of bogeys.

“I just didn’t really hole my par putts when I needed to. When you do that early on around this course, you get behind the black ball, and it was just tough.”

Dressed in black, just like playing partner Phil ‘The Thrill’ Mickelson, he was determined to have fun.

“I love playing golf with Phil,” he said of the three-time champion, who also shot 74. “He hit some shots that I’m right there enjoying as a spectator more than anything else. When I saw the draw last night, I was excited to go out and play a Masters Sunday with him.

“He lived up to his name. He hit some unbelievable shots. He hit a shot from over in the trees on the eighth hole I think only he would go for, let alone pull off, but it was good fun.”

Tone

Four bogeys in a row from the fourth, where he three-putted from long range, set the tone early on, and after he birdied the ninth to turn in threeover, he played the back nine in oneunder-par by following a bogey at the 10th with birdies at the 14th and 15th. He hopes to put his experience to good use when he makes his 10th appearance at the age of 38 next year.

“I think it’s as tough a Masters that I’ve played the weekend on anyway,” he said. “Yeah, you learn a bit more. Come back next year and see if I can do it again.

“I’m getting to a stage now in my career that I’m going back to Major venues that I already know, so I feel like I’m getting old. Obviously Masters week, you put a lot of pressure on yourself, it means a lot. But they all mean a lot, to be honest.

“Disappointed not to give it a decent run this year. Yeah, hopefully I have a few more years left of giving it a run out here.

“It’s over now. I’m going to go back to the drawing board and see what I can do next week heading into (the RBC Heritage at) Hilton Head.”

As for his highlight, Lowry was more relieved than pleased that he went par-birdie-eagle-birdie at the 14th.

“I played it four-under this week, and I believe it played quite difficult,” he said. “Imagine if I didn’t play it in four-under. Seemed to have played that hole better than the par-fives.”