Golf can be as frustrating as it can be enjoyable. Shane Lowry has experienced the worst of it not that long ago. He fumbled hard at the PGA National Champion Course to lose the 2026 Cognizant Classic. Just a week later, the Irishman is back to producing magic at Bay Hill Club.

The PGA Tour shared a clip of Lowry hitting a bunker shot on the par-3 11th hole. He was sitting 35 feet away from the cup and was 1-over par for the day by then.

Lowry needed a miracle to pull off a birdie from the sand save. And that’s exactly what he produced, hitting an excellent wedge that landed perfectly on the green before rolling into the cup.

Looking at the Irish pro’s amazing bunker shot, the crowd cheered for him. But as the camera panned back to him, you could still hear Lowry say “I hate this game” into the mic after dropping an F-bomb. That’s how frustrating golf has been for him.

Even the caption on the reel read, “Golf is the best game 🎢.”

It’s not just golf, in general, that has been very frustrating for him. But the Arnold Palmer Invitational hasn’t been too kind to him as well. In his seven appearances in the tournament, Lowry has only made the cut thrice.

Fortunately, the last couple of attempts he has had in the event have seen him deliver promising performances. In 2024, Lowry grabbed a T3, despite being 6 strokes behind Scottie Scheffler. And he was solo 7th in 2025, 5 strokes behind his close friend, Rory McIlroy.

Looking to build on his T2 finish in the 2026 Cognizant Classic, Lowry would be looking to compete once again at Bay Hill. And he will be eager to finish at the top of the table this time around.

Shane Lowry will be looking to turn his fortune around at Bay Hill this week

After the end of the first 18 holes, Shane Lowry is sitting tied at 59th place with 2-over par. He certainly hasn’t had the best start to the event. But he still has a lot of time to recover and turn things around in 54 holes.

The Irishman is 11 strokes away from Daniel Berger at the top of the leaderboard. It won’t be an easy mountain to climb. But considering the performance he delivered last week, Lowry is certainly capable of doing it.

He had already stated that he wants to win a title in front of his daughter, Ivy, once. Securing the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational won’t be a bad way to do it. Especially after his eldest daughter, Iris, motivated him by stating how his second place was a good finish as well. That gave him some perspective and pulled him out of a negative mindset. Hopefully, Lowry can use it to his advantage and win this week.