'Speaking to people over the last few days, it’s like someone had passed away' - Lowry ready to move on
Shane Lowry reflects on his final round at the Cognizant Classic
Shane Lowry was blown away by messages from well-wishers after his Cognizant Classic disaster and admitted a comment from his eldest daughter really cheered him up.
Reflecting on the back-to-back double bogeys that denied him his first individual win since 2022, the Offaly man told Sirius XM Sports that his daughter Iris helped put his disappointment in perspective.
“It was my daughter's (ninth) birthday yesterday, and I took her to Starbucks on the way to school,” Lowry explained
"Speaking to people over the last few days it's like someone had passed away. When they see me they're afraid to talk to me."
— SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) March 4, 2026
Shane Lowry reflects on his Cognizant Classic finish with @chantel_mccabe
🔊https://t.co/Djnk3jsbyS | @SiriusXMSports pic.twitter.com/wCwHL4xiX3
“And we were sitting there, and a friend of mine came over to the car, and honestly, speaking to people over the last few days, it’s like someone had passed away.
“When they see me, they're like, afraid to talk to me, and I'm like, ‘No, I'm fine’, or whatever.
“And my daughter just turned around, and she goes, ‘Dad, why is everyone acting so sad that you finished second? Like, second’s, good.’
“So, yeah, a little bit of perspective there. She's like, ‘It's not like you finished last.’
“Obviously, I would have hoped to finish first, and I probably should have. So be it. We move on.”
Lowry said on Sunday he wanted to win for the first time in front of his youngest daughter, Ivy.
But he received wide praise for speaking to the media after blowing a three-shot lead and revealed he’d suffered a sleepless Sunday night before messages from his inner circle had their effect.
He also explained he received enough encouragement from one Irish sportsperson in particular that he feels ready to put his neck on the line again in this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
“Yeah, it's been tough,” Lowry admitted. “I'm not gonna lie. On Sunday night, I didn't sleep at all, really. You go through all the scenarios in your head and the regrets you have, but you know, I'm very fortunate. I've got a great support network around me
“I had some amazing people reach out to me over the 24 hours after that.
“I got one particular phone call from an Irish sportsperson who I really admire, and he was very, very kind to me.
“I'm friendly with him, and I know him pretty well. But yeah, to hear other people have been in that situation, to hear their thoughts on it and I think learn from it is the biggest thing.
“And, you know, obviously it's very disappointing. It's so hard to win out here on the PGA Tour.
“I had a tournament in my hands, and I let it go.
“You know, I'm going to have regrets in the days after that, but that's why we put ourselves out here on the PGA tour.
“We're playing the best tour in the world on the toughest golf courses. And I put myself out there, and unfortunately, I didn't deliver.
“Hopefully, I can keep putting myself there. I think that's all I can do, if I keep putting myself there and try to focus on the positives from last week
“I think I played for a lot of the tournament last week, some of the best golf of my whole career. And I felt so in control out there. And then it was, you know, one bad swing took it all away from me.
“But it is what it is. And we move on, onwards and upwards.”
