Shane Lowry ready to take bull by the horns and see where it takes him at Augusta

Lowry knows the keys to doing well at the Masters: playing the difficult par-4s and the devious par-3 12th well and then making the most of the opportunities on the par-5s. He's also aware of the need for putts to fall. "I never felt like I fully holed my fair share of putts around here," he said, "I feel if I can do that I can do something.” 

Shane Lowry made a to Augusta for two 18-hole rounds last week. He played nine more holes Sunday evening, the back nine on Tuesday morning and will play the front again on Wednesday Pic: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

While the world obsesses about whether or not Rory McIlroy’s sterling form can finally allow him to complete his career slam this week at the Masters, another Irishman in the best pre-April form of his career might very well be ready to snag the green jacket himself.

Shane Lowry slipped back one spot from his career-best No. 12 in the Official World Golf Ranking as his arrives for his 10th appearance at Augusta National. And the newly turned 38-year-old Offaly man will carry a belief to the first tee on Thursday that he can win the Masters.

“I spent plenty of Masters tournaments coming in here not in form, not playing well, and this is the year where I feel like I’m playing okay, and there’s no point shying away from that,” said Lowry, whose best finish in 2025 was runner-up to McIlroy in a head-to-head final pairing at Pebble Beach. 

“I need to go out there and just sort of take the bull by the horns and be myself and see where it leaves me on Sunday.

“I’m in a good place. My game, mentally, physically, everything about it I’m feeling good. I’m excited for the week. I think my biggest thing this week is I need to lower my expectations a little bit and go out and play my game and see where it leaves me at the end of the week. Yes, I’ve been doing very well over the last while and I put myself in contention, but it doesn’t give me any given right to go and do it this week. So I think it’s just back to basics and just go after it Thursday morning and see what happens.” 

After missing the cut in three of his first four Masters starts from 2015-19, Lowry’s comfort and performance at Augusta National has been consistently strong in his five appearances since he won the Open Championship – T20, T21, T4, T9 and T36. His appreciation and reverence for the Masters has grown along with his maturing game at Augusta.

“I think every time you get the invite you feel kind of blessed to have the invite back here,” he said. 

“I love coming back here. From when my year starts in January you sort of, this is always in the back of your mind. You always have the second week in April in the back of your mind. I think even sitting at home last week, the build-up to it, I love it. I love thinking about it, I love the flight up here on Sunday and just coming here and getting out here Sunday afternoon.

“It’s just such a special place. It’s hard to describe what it’s like and what it means to golfers, but yeah, to come here and compete is one thing, to come here and try and to win one would be just something that it would be a dream come true.” 

Chasing dreams and keeping them from overwhelming a player is no easy task, as his mate McIlroy can attest. Lowry doesn’t seem the sweat the pressure that can accompany desire.

“I try not to think about it too much, I try to just be myself,” he said. “I come to tournaments like this and I probably get up for them, especially now like sort of later on in my career I get up for them easier than I do for a lot of other tournaments. I think it’s easier to get out and practice and get up early and go and do your work when you’ve got the Masters on the horizon and you want to go and compete here.

“Yeah, but all the majors, I just love them. I just love them, I love the competition, I love the carrot dangling there, what could be at the end of the week. I think that is, that’s the thing that keeps me going and keeps me getting up in the morning.” 

Lowry has a focused gameplan to be ready come Thursday. He made an advance trip to Augusta for two 18-hole rounds last week. He played nine more holes Sunday evening, the back nine on Tuesday morning and will play the front again on Wednesday before playing in the Par-3 Contest.

“You can have all the best plans in the world but you need to execute as well,” he said. “Feel like I’ve been around here long enough to know what to expect and that’s one of the key things out here is kind of you kind of have to expect the unexpected at times. You hit some great shots out here that don’t get rewarded. You very rarely hit bad shots that get lucky, so it’s like your game needs to be very good this week to do very well.” 

The keys, he believes, are playing the difficult par-4s (Nos. 1, 5 and 11) and the devious par-3 12th well and then make the most of the tricky but approachable par-5s. As one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour off the tee and among the best with an iron in his hands (he ranks fifth in strokes gained approach and sixth total), Lowry knows the key this week will be getting some putts to fall. He’s been much improved on the greens thus far this season.

“Look, I’ve never felt like I’ve had my – even that year 2022, 2023 the following year I played great and then last year I wasn’t great – I never felt like I fully holed my fair share of putts around here. I feel if I can do that I can do something.”