Harrington: Shane has a point to prove this week

Shane Lowry of Ireland reacts to his par save on the No. 16 green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 12, 2025.

Pádraig Harrington believes Shane Lowry has a point to prove in this week’s PGA Championship and will have the “bit between” his teeth as he bids to bounce back from being pipped at the post in the Truist Championship.

Lowry was devastated to bogey the 16th and then three putt the last to lose out to Austria’s Sepp Straka by two shots at Philadelphia Cricket Club.

But after watching Lowry rise to a career high of 10th in the world this week, Harrington fancies him to bounce back this week’s Major test in Charlotte..

“It gives him more chance of winning this week, by not winning last week,” Harrington said at Quail Hollow, where torrential rain lashed the course yesterday. “You know, it's hard to win off the back of a the high but yes, now he's got bit between his teeth and something to prove this week.

“I think he'd take the win last week and take his chances this week. But seeing  we can't go back on that , you've got to be positive and just go.

“He’ll have the bit between his teeth this week. He's playing very well. His iron  play is really good. So I think this could be a good golf course for him.”

Lowry has gone more than two and a half years without an individual win but Harrington, who famously had 22 runner-up finishes on tour in a six-year stretch before his first Major win , sees nothing but positives for the Offaly man.

“You want to be up there,” the Dubliner said of Lowry’s remarkable consistency . “That’s first and foremost. And if you keep putting yourself up there, you're going to get criticised, but you're going to get more wins by doing it.

“So he's doing everything right. You could have a situation where he falls into a win, and then he gets three or four wins. This is just the nature of golf.

“You can push it and push it all you like but as much as Shane can be disappointed, Sepp Straka did everything right. He didn't falter at all.

“On another day Shane could have strolled in there and Seth didn't do the job. So look, golf is  strange that way. You can get wins, but the player themselves has to see what's behind it, not judge it based on, you know, the metric of... Winning is important.

“But his head was in the right place yesterday, and he hit the right shots, so that's all he wants. Winning is fickle.”