Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Shane Lowry became the first player in Masters history with multiple aces in his career, blasting his second hole-in-one at Augusta National on Saturday a decade after making his first. The 39-year-old Irishman aced the par-three sixth hole in the third round of the Masters, hitting a 7-iron 190 yards.
“It was obviously amazing,” Lowry said. “The walk down the sixth hole was very special. I’ll remember that for a while.” It was the first Masters ace since 2022 and the 35th in Masters history. The 2019 British Open champion fired a four-under par 68 to stand fourth on nine-under 207, only two adrift of co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young entering Sunday’s final round.
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“When we get to tomorrow, that’s when we’ll see what everyone is made of,” Lowry said. “It’s a pretty good leaderboard, so it’s going to be pretty hard to win this tournament tomorrow, but I’ll give it my best.” Lowry, who sank the putt that allowed Europe to retain the Ryder Cup last year at Bethpage, had his first Masters ace in the final round of 2016 at the par-three 16th hole.
“It’s pretty cool,” Lowry said of the Masters multi-ace milestone. “All you get is two bits of crystal. You don’t get much else.” While it might help him win a second major title, Lowry’s latest stunner single shot is the latest in a long line of aces for the Irishman, who hit one two weeks ago at the PGA Houston Open. Lowry aced the famous 17th-hole island green at TPC Sawgrass in the 2022 Players Championship. He also made a hole-in-one at the seventh hole in the 2024 PGA Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“Maybe I’m just good,” Lowry said. “I don’t know.” The latest ace gave Lowry a lift during a wild afternoon at Augusta National that left 11 players within five strokes of the lead.
“It gives you obviously a huge kind of boost,” Lowry said. “You go from six-under to eight-under, and then all of a sudden you’re only four back. It’s getting real.”
“I felt like I did a great job of calming myself down afterwards,” added Lowry, who pumped his fists in celebration and hugged playing partner Tommy Fleetwood. “I hit a great tee shot on seven, and I was very happy and proud of that one, because it’s easy to get a bit flustered in areas like that. Your adrenaline is pumping.”
Lowry’s best Masters finish was a share of third in 2022.
© 2024 AFP
