For the second year in a row, Shane Lowry entered the Masters only to fall short on Sunday and watch his best friend Rory McIlroy slip away from the green jacket.
But unlike last year, when Lowry celebrated McIlroy’s victory in style, the “down and out” Lowry couldn’t get the party going after this year’s final round. He revealed this news to the two-time Masters champion via text message, as he revealed on the Golf Channel on Thursday.
Why Shane Lowry didn’t party with Rory McIlroy on Masters Sunday
Going into the final round of the 2026 Masters, Lowry was nine under and two shots behind co-leaders McIlroy and Cameron Young.
But in a poor showing at last year’s Masters, Lowry struggled on Sunday at Augusta National, shooting an 80 to finish at one under and T30.
It was one shot better than last year. In Sunday’s event at the 2025 Masters, Lowry shot a final-round 81 to finish T42.
Although he was able to lower his pride and celebrate McIlroy’s first victory at Augusta, this year the wounds are more painful, as he explained to the Golf Channel on Thursday at the RBC Heritage.
“Obviously, you know the stories of last year. I called at his house with a case of wine and all that,” Lowry began.
Lowry stopped by the Augusta clubhouse to give McIlroy a hug following his victory. But feeling “down” after his second Sunday fall, he later sent a message to McIlroy telling him not to expect him at the festivities.
“I texted him Sunday night, and I said, ‘I’m really happy for you, but I don’t have anything in me tonight to celebrate,'” Lowry said.
Instead, he stayed home to think again about what could have been.
“I was feeling down and a little depressed, so I just stayed home with my team, but I’ll see him in a few weeks in Florida.”
“I felt like I played really good golf last week and I didn’t get anything,” Lowry continued. “It’s always hard to do that when you’re preparing for a tournament like this and do as well as I did for a few days. But I’m trying to do as well as I can.”
The Masters meltdown wasn’t Lowry’s first this year. He was three shots behind on Sunday at the 2026 Cognizant Classic, then doubled up on 16 and 17 to hand victory to Nico Echavarria.
“This game gave me a lot of punches in the gut this year,” Lowry said Thursday. “It’s testing me a little bit, but, you know, I won’t stop working hard, I won’t give up, and I’ll give my best as long as I play this game.”
Although he admitted that “Thursday came quickly this week” after a “tough couple of days,” Lowry carded a one-under 70 in the opening round of the RBC Heritage.
“I feel like it was always going to be a tough enough round to get my kind of mojo back, and I felt like I played well today,” Lowry said.
So Lowry is plowing ahead with the hope that if he keeps knocking on the door, he will finally end his PGA Tour winless streak, dating back to his emotional victory at the 2019 Open Championship.
