Shane Lowry frustrated after up and down opening round

A double bogey on the par-5 15th left Lowry on 1-over as both the golfer and caddie Bo Martin shared the blame for the mishap

Shane Lowry, of Ireland, chips to the second hole during the first round at the Masters golf tournament on Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Shane Lowry’s wild Thursday ride left him frustrated after a 1-over opening round at the Masters that he said was the worst he could have done considering.

Lowry erased a slow start to his seventh Masters with an eagle-birdie combination on Nos. 13 and 14 to get into the red for the first time, only to give it back with a sloppy double bogey after laying up on the par-5 15th. He settled for a 1-over 73.

“I think I’m a bit disappointed to be honest considering the way I drove the golf ball today; that was not a great score,” Lowry said.

“Missed the fairway on the first and other than that I was pretty much down the middle of every fairway and a long way down there and couldn’t put myself in position to have a good score. My approach play was pretty awful to be honest.” 

Lowry was 2-over through 12 holes in the tricky winds at Augusta National on Thursday, with only bogeys on the third and 10th holes to show on the scorecard for his efforts. He very nearly became only the second player in Masters history to ace the par-3 fourth hole when his 4-iron hit the hole on the fly but bounced out of it and 4 feet away. He missed the putt for birdie.

“It literally slam-dunked in the hole and didn’t leave a mark,” said Lowry, who had an ace last month on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. “That was a good iron shot. My long-iron play was good.” 

But things turned around quickly on the second nine. He chipped in for eagle from just off the back of the par-five 13th green to earn a piece of Masters crystal and get back to even par.

On the next hole, his approach from the tree line on the right curled nicely to 11 feet and he buried the birdie putt to get to 1-under.

But No. 15 got away from Lowry after he was forced to lay up to 96 yards. His wedge to a back right pin only reached the front of the green and spun back down the bank and into the pond. He pitched up to 7 feet and missed the bogey putt to fall back to 1-over.

“I got myself back into the round lovely around Amen Corner and then I threw it away on 15,” he said, and both he and caddie Bo Martin shared a piece of the blame for it. “Fifteen was a disaster to be honest. Wrong club and a bad shot. It was Bo’s fault and my fault.

“It’s just disappointing to double a par-5. You know me, lads. I just want it so bad.” After that gaffe, Lowry couldn’t muster any decent birdie chances on the last three holes and had to scramble to save par on 18.

“It is what it is. I’m disappointed but I’ll pick myself up and go hit a few wedges and figure out what I’m doing and get at it tomorrow,” Lowry said. “I missed four greens with wedges, one with an 8-iron and one with a 7-iron I was in position A-1 on every hole aside from the first and only shot 1-over.”