Shane Lowry’s ace a bright spot in poor final day for Irish

Offaly’s finest landed a hole in one on the 16th green to end his US Masters week in style

Shane Lowry aced the 16th in his final round at Augusta National. Photograph: AP
Shane Lowry aced the 16th in his final round at Augusta National. Photograph: AP

"It's hardly a car, is it?" wondered Shane Lowry as he queried what the prize would be for his hole-in-one on the 16th during his final round at Augusta.

No, no car, but the player was all smiles.

“I’ll stick that picture up in the house, it will be a nice memento to have,” said the Offalyman of his superb ace. And he’ll also get a nice large crystal bowl to take up a special place at home.

“I was hitting good shots most of the day, it was a fairly easy shot I felt. I just hit a perfect shot in right of the flag. Obviously, you need a bit of luck for it to go in the hole. It was a bit of luck I deserved. . . that will go in a frame.

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“It is nice, for stuff like that is nice to happen. It is just maybe the course or whatever giving me back a bit of the bad fortune I had over the past couple of days. I hit a great shot, hit some great shots this week. There’s a lot of positives to take from the week and that’s one of them.

“It will be nice to have that picture hanging in the house knowing I had a hole-in-one there in the final round of the Masters.”

Lowry's ace was the first at the 16th since Bo Van Pelt's in 2012. The hole has had the most holes-in-one of any on the course, with Lowry's the 16th in the tournament's history. And not long after Lowry, Davis Love 111 made it number 17 when he added an ace!

Pádraig Harrington will still have some bragging rights over the Offalyman, however. Harrington holed out with a six-iron at the 16th back in 2004.

Philip Reid

Philip Reid

Philip Reid is Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times