After 54 holes, an Irish golfer was in the perfect position to challenge Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young for the title. All he needed to do was continue performing the way he had been over the last three days. However, he lost control of his game on Sunday and finished far lower than he had expected.

Starting the third round at T4, Shane Lowry was sitting two strokes behind the leaders. Had he finished at T3, then Lowry would have earned $1.08 million alongside Russell Henley, Justin Rose, and more. Instead, he ended up with a paycheck of $146,250. That’s a $933,750 loss for the former Open Championship winner.

And looking at how the final leaderboard shaped up, a 3-under 69 could’ve been enough to win the 2026 Masters Tournament. But from the very first hole, things just didn’t click.

He started with a bogey on the par-4 Tea Olive. A birdie on the par-5 Pink Dogwood helped him get back to his original score. But he scored another bogey on the par-3 Flowering Crab Apple. Lowry followed that up with a double bogey on Magnolia, all of which occurred on just his front 9.

The back 9 didn’t offer much relief either. He managed two birdies, but they were outweighed by three bogeys and two double bogeys. By the end of it, Lowry had signed for an 8-over 80, a brutal round that saw him tumble 26 spots, from T4 to T30 by Sunday evening.

Interestingly, it wasn’t only Lowry who had a bad round on Sunday. Haotong Li also dropped from T7 to T38 within 18 holes. The Chinese pro scored five birdies, five bogeys, a triple bogey, and a quintuple bogey to go 8-over 80 in the final round.

Lowry isn’t backing down, though, because while players like Justin Rose have excited the RBC Heritage, the Irishman is standing strong.

Shane Lowry Eyes Another Chance at Winning a Jacket

The Heritage Plaid jacket at the RBC Heritage is what happens when golf relaxes a little after the intensity of the Masters Tournament. It has been around since 1969, stitched in Scottish tartan and tied to the game’s roots, but winning it is anything but casual. Harbour Town does not care how far you hit it. It asks you to think, to shape shots, and to get your numbers exactly right.

For Shane Lowry, the timing feels about right. Augusta slipped away, but not without a reminder of what he can do. A hole-in-one on the sixth on Saturday, arms up, crowd buzzing. “Maybe I’m just that good,” he joked, before admitting, “I just couldn’t believe it.” That ace helped him post a 68 and get to nine under, right in the mix.

Add in four rounds in the 60s in Houston and a T18 here at nine under last year, and it is clear his game is not far off. This is less about a reset and more about finishing the job.