Shane Lowry endures frustrating finish at Canadian Open

June 9, 2025

Shane Lowry will need to eradicate familiar issues at the third major of the year following a late blip at the RBC Canadian Open.

Won by New Zealander Ryan Fox, the Offaly man briefly hit the top of the leaderboard after a stunning start to the day.

Three consecutive birdies followed an eagle on the first, which moved him from four shots off the lead to the summit on 15-under.

However, a bogey on the ninth threatened to dismantle his challenge with Fox and American Sam Burns duelling at the top of the leaderboard.

Lowry picked up another birdie on 15 but followed it up with back-to-back bogeys that saw him finish his tournament on 13-under.

Fox and Burns were forced to go into a play-off after a pair of birdies on the 18th left them tied on 18-under.

They headed back to the 18th tee, and it took four attempts in total before a winner could be determined after each golfer made a trio of pars.

Then Fox turned up the heat on the par five and nestled his approach shot to six feet of the hole. He subsequently missed his eagle putt, but the birdie was enough to seal victory.

“That shot I hit on 18 … probably the best shot I’ve ever hit.”@RyanFoxGolfer sealed the deal with this shot on the fourth playoff hole @RBCCanadianOpen. pic.twitter.com/Nmx4kojXRt

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 8, 2025

Familiar issues for Shane Lowry at the Canadian Open

While Lowry’s game may not be too far off, there are still one or two issues that are preventing him from taking his game to another level.

It was only a couple of weeks ago when he lamented the fact that he was starting rounds strongly but fading at the end.

He told the Irish Examiner: “It’s just been bloody frustrating to not finish many weeks off very well.

“Even when I think about my golf this year, my good weeks have been disappointments.”

It was a similar tale in Canada, and Lowry will also question the quality of his putting ahead of the US Open.

While he sits second on the PGA Tour for strokes gained on his approach to the green, he ranks 103rd on the putting surface.

Bigger concerns for Rory McIlroy

Just a few days after admitting he has been struggling for motivation following his Grand Slam win at Augusta, McIlroy flopped in Canada.

The 36-year-old missed the cut after finishing nine over par after two rounds. He sat 149th in the leaderboard in a 153-man field.

However, it was his driver that plagued him once again. McIlroy was trying out a new 44-inch driver after his previous one was controversially deemed non-conforming at the PGA Championship.

“Of course it concerns me,” he said after his round.

“You don’t want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. I felt like I came here, obviously with a new driver, thinking that was going to be good and solve some problems off the tee, but it didn’t.”