Even though they are really good friends, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy still enjoy competing against each otheron the course. They went head-to-head at Pebble Beach last year, where McIlroy came out on top. Lowry had the opportunity to get some payback at Dubai Creek Resort. But he failed to win the event in the end. And he was quite disappointed about it.

Lowry told Evin Priest of Golf Digest, “This is going to hurt, like, for a day or two. I haven’t won in a few years, and it’s hard to get over the line. I know this is not like the biggest tournament in the world, you still get [a chance] to beat Rory McIlroy down the stretch, and I almost did that.”

Just like McIlroy, Lowry also finished the tournament at T3 with an 8-under par. They were two strokes away from capturing his first win in the Dubai Invitational. However, Lowry had started the last 18 holes with a one-stroke advantage against McIlroy. He would have hoped to finish above him rather than tied with him.

And he nearly had it in the bag. However, an unfortunate error on the 18th hole pushed him down to the third spot. Had he not made that mistake, Lowry could won the tournament.

He was tied with Nacho Elvira when he played the last hole of the event. A par would have been enough to push the tournament into the playoffs. A birdie would have helped him win the entire $2.75 million event. Instead, the Irishman shot a double bogey on the 18th to knock himself out of contention.

Speaking about the last hole, Lowry said, “That was a disaster, wasn’t it? What can you do? You have to learn from it and move on, lads. This game is … I don’t know. It’s the start of my 18th season on tour, and I’ll never figure it out.”

“I tried my best,” he added. Lowry also admitted, “I did everything I could and hit the wrong club in the last, and that cost me a playoff. I hit a shocking shot. It’s not good enough. I gave it to Nacho at the end. It’s a bit of a disaster.”

The 18th hole blunder certainly saved Elvira from going into a round of nerve-wracking playoffs at Dubai Creek Resort. That also cost Lowry his fifth European title win. And while McIlroy looked at the positives from the event, his friend didn’t enjoy how it ended.

But that’s not the only reason Shane Lowry was so frustrated. It has been a while since the 38-year-old has had any victories at all.

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Shane Lowry was disappointed for not ending his winless run 

While McIlroy has been consistently winning titles over the last few years, Lowry has struggled to get results in his favor. Yes, he did win in 2024, but that too was a team event with the Grand Slam champion in the Zurich Classic. Apart from that, the last time he captured a singles win was in the 2022 BMW PGA Championship.

On the other hand, McIlroy has beaten Lowry in the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 38-year-old hasn’t been a serious contender in any other events as well.

A win in Dubai would have been a great way to get back in rhythm. Especially considering that it was his first appearance of the year. That would have given him the perfect start to the 2026 season. Moreover, Lowry would have also gotten one over McIlroy. A lot of missed opportunities in the end.