Shane Lowry dampens chances of PGA Championship success

May 15, 2025

Shane Lowry wasn’t exactly bullish on his hopes of changing his fortunes at Quail Hollow ahead of the PGA Championship.

The Irishman failed to make the cut at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina before tying for 47th a year later.

Lowry heads into the second major of the year in decent form, having narrowly fallen short to Ryder Cup team-mate Sepp Straka at the Truist Championship last week.

He was tied for the lead on the 16th tee on the final day, but two bogeys in three holes sunk his chances of a first win on the PGA Tour since 2019. Lowry also has four top-12 finishes in his last six PGA Championship appearances.

However, he dampened expectations on his chances this year due to previous history. Reported by the Irish Examiner, he said: “I have no record around here at all. You know, I’ve not played well [here].

“There’s been a lot of rain. It makes it even longer. It’s going to be a good challenge. It suits a certain type of player.

“Look, I’ll be completely honest with you. I wish we were at a venue to suit my game a little bit better but I do feel like if I play my best golf, I can contend.

“I’ll give it a run see what happens. And you know, if it’s not this week, I’ll dust myself off and I get ready for Memorial, and it’s not that week, I’ll just keep going like I’ll always try hard and if I work harder then eventually, something good will happen.”

Lowry isn’t one of the longest hitters on tour, he ranks 144th on the PGA Tour for driving distance this season. However, he said he’s taken time to delve into the reasons for his record at Quail Hollow and believes he is in better shape.

“I’ve taken a little bit of a dive into the stats on why that is, and it’s nothing to do with my tee-to-green play,” he added.

“It’s more the rest of it. I feel like my game is probably in better shape, especially that part of it, than it’s ever been coming into this time of year. So I’ll try and look at the positives and work from there.”

Lowry refused to speak to the media after his disappointment in the Truist Championship and admits his late falter was difficult to deal with.

He said: “I should have won that tournament. And it’s hard to win out here. So when you give yourself chances like that, it stings, you know.

“I think I’ve realised that, look, pro golf is just full of ups and downs. Pro sports is just full of ups and downs. I think when you’re going well, you need to ride the wave as best you can, take advantage of it.”