Forward After another series of hikes on the slopes of Augusta, Shane Lowry recently had an idea: Is it over the hill?
His internal monologue did not express it so bluntly, but he has gone through the existential dilemma of all golfers waiting for the next victory. The one where they wonder if their best has already passed.
The trigger for Lowry was his 37th birthday. That fell on April 2nd and our chat was a couple of weeks before, just as she was appearing.
“I spoke about this with my coach this morning,” he told Mail Sport. —You certainly start to question yourself. I mean, 37 is not a great birthday. I know he’s not old. But you don’t know if the best is behind or in front, right?
‘You always have to believe that it’s in front of you, because that drives you, but it gets in your head. You know what, though, I think she’s ahead of me. And the last little patch has contributed to that.’
Shane Lowry admitted he had wondered if he was past his prime after recently turning 37.
The Irishman has enjoyed an improvement in form of late after rising to 33rd in the world, from a low of 57 in February.
The patch he’s referring to would be his third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and a fourth the week before at the Cognizant Classic. His tie for 19th at the Players Championship was also respectable, so he heads into the Masters this week with a good wind at his back.
But living up to the fairy tales isn’t easy, which in Lowry’s case means following up his magnificent home Open victory five years ago in Portrush.
There are far worse shadows to live in than the great shadows cast by oneself and Lowry happily admits to possessing a sporting wish list that is close to being complete.
However, its rankings in recent seasons illustrate the difficulties of writing that second act.
It is currently ranked 33rd in the world, down from a high of 16 in 2020, but above the five-year low of 57 it briefly held in February.
There hasn’t been a dramatic decline since 2019, but the highlights (winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship and last year’s Ryder Cup in the face of skepticism surrounding his selection) seemed too isolated.
Lowry shares the assessment, but only to a point.
“I’ve always been pretty optimistic about my game, regardless of my results, because I know more than anyone that good and bad golf is just around the corner,” he says.
‘The only thing you can do is get up every day and do your best and I’ve certainly realized that over the last few years.
Lowry revealed he learned a lot playing alongside Tiger Woods at Augusta in 2020
“It’s hard to be better than winning the Open, but you have these expectations and they can do things to you, so you need to take a step back.” Yes, 2019 was my best season, but it’s not like I haven’t come close to it: I had great results on the PGA Tour, won the PGA at Wentworth and we won the Ryder Cup.
‘There are certain things on my bucket list that I’ve checked off. But like I said, the last few weeks have given me a little more confidence that my best golf is yet to come.”
The rest of that wish list makes for ambitious reading.
‘There’s a green jacket, that’s for sure. An Olympic medal would be nice too and maybe a Ryder Cup away from home. What beautiful and easy things!
‘To be honest, if I finished right now I would have to be very happy with what I have, right?
‘Look, I would love to win another major. But I always say that no matter what, I have one and it’s more than what other people have.’
With one more looming, the Masters has become a promising hunting ground for Lowry, despite his slow starts there. After missing the cut in three of his first four appearances at Augusta between 2015 and 2019, the Irishman has not been outside the top 25 since and was third in 2022.
He seems to have discovered some of the secrets of the course and did so by taking advantage of some free lessons from Tiger Woods.
“Since Covid, in 2020, I feel that my performances there have been very good,” he says. ‘I feel like I’ve played some great golf there.
‘My first few years were a bit difficult, but I can’t say this enough: the familiarity is huge there. I was very lucky in 2020 because I played three out of four rounds with Tiger.
‘I watched him closely and learned a lot from how he runs the course, just certain shots on certain holes.
‘Just like the 5th hole, I would never hit it far enough to get into the bunker on the left. The 11th, you will never go near that water if you are fit.
“Sometimes you can go out on that field and see good scores, and you get a little aggressive, which is when it gets to you.” He knows very well who needs to be left alone.
As always lately, the tournament will be accompanied by the LIV narrative. Lowry has been an outspoken voice during the saga, although it seems reasonable to think that he could be a beneficiary of a confrontation that has reduced the rebel presence in the majors.
18 LIV golfers participated in the 2023 Masters. This year there will be 13 because their path to the four great golf events has been greatly reduced by the absence of points for the world ranking in the dissident circuit.
Lowry neither sympathizes with the LIV contingent nor sees easier gains.
Lowry was a 60-1 underdog when he earned the biggest win of his career to date at the 2019 Open Championship.
He says: “Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Rahm… when I see those guys on a starting list, I don’t get the slightest feeling that it’s any easier to win a major now!
‘Yes, there are guys who won’t be there due to the ranking success of going to LIV, but that’s a decision they made. Rankings are a touchy subject: are they losing a bit of credibility? Maybe.
‘But everyone got offers to go to LIV and everyone knew that if you went, you would go down the charts. I think if you haven’t made peace with it, you shouldn’t have gone.
It’s a strong thought coming from a forceful guy. With a little luck, he still has a few left to reach the pinnacle of golf.