"Tomorrow we'll see what everyone is made of" - Lowry hoping for back-nine chance
Shane Lowry of Ireland on the No. 6 green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Shane Lowry was delighted to make a hole-in-one but just as pleased to give himself a chance to win the Masters on Sunday.
The Offaly man (39) birdied the second, then aced the 180-yard sixth with a seven iron to become the first man to make two holes-in-one at Augusta National in the game's opening Major.
He went on to card an impressive four-under 68 that left him alone in fourth on nine-under, just two strokes behind Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young.
"That's wild, isn't it?" Lowry said of his fifth career ace on the PGA TOUR, his second this season, and the latest in a collection of special hole-outs at iconic par-threes. "Made one a couple of weeks ago in Houston.
"You don't ever expect to make a hole-in-one. I just couldn't believe it. Obviously, you're out there, and you're in the hunt at the Masters, and you're making a hole-in-one, it's pretty cool.
"The walk down the sixth hole with everyone around 16 and the 6th was very special. I'll remember that for a while. Yeah, it was obviously amazing."
As for his chances of winning, he knows it's all about stepping up to the plate on Sunday.
"I thought if Rory could shoot a 68 today, he might run away with the tournament. Yeah, it obviously wasn't going to be an easy day for Rory to shoot a score, and he's one-over over playing the last three, but we all know it's all about tomorrow.
"You know what I mean? Obviously, it matters today, but when we get to tomorrow, that's when, you know, we'll see what everyone is made of."
As one of the best iron players in the world, it was no surprise to see him add to his previous holes-in-one in the US.
He made the first of them on the 16th at Augusta in 2016, followed by repeat performances on the 'island green' 17th at TPC Sawgrass in the 2022 Players Championship.
Another followed at iconic seventh at Pebble Beach last year before he made yet another at the 170-yard second at Memorial Park in last month's Houston Open, remarking at the time that his cut seven-iron was just the shot required to play Augusta's sixth.
"Maybe I'm just good," he joked when asked about his penchant for making aces on signature holes. "Iron play is a strength of my game. I don't know.”
The hole-in-one certainly did not put him off his game, though he went through a rollercoaster patch by going birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey at the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th before making birdie at the 14th.
Even though he found water at the 15th when trying to miss in the right bunker, he got up and down for par, then made a good six-footer for par at the 16th before finishing with two fours.
"Yeah, you know, it gives you obviously a huge kind of boost," he said of the sixth. "You go from 6-under to 8-under, and then all of a sudden you're only four back. It's getting real now.
"I felt like I did a great job of calming myself down afterwards. Myself and Neil have talked during the week about the only shot that matters is the next one.
"I hit a great tee shot on seven, and I was very happy and proud of that one, because it's easy to get a bit flustered in areas like that.
My dad just said that to me walking up the 18th. Yeah, it's pretty cool. All you get is two bits of crystal. You don't get much else (laughing)."
With the likes of Sam Burns, Jason Day, Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler and Haotong Li all within striking distance, it promises to be a thrilling Sunday.
"I saw Scottie was making a run, as probably everyone expected," Lowry said. "He's going to have a chance tomorrow as well. It's a pretty good leaderboard, so it's going to be pretty hard to win this tournament tomorrow, but I'll give it my best."
