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04/11/26 06:57:00
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04/11 18:55 CDT Shane Lowry makes Masters history: His second hole-in-one at
Augusta National earns him crystal bowl
Shane Lowry makes Masters history: His second hole-in-one at Augusta National
earns him crystal bowl
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) --- Shane Lowry became the first player with two career
holes-in-one at the Masters on Saturday.
More importantly, his ace at the par-3 sixth put him in contention for his
first green jacket.
Playing with Tommy Fleetwood and trying to chase down good buddy Rory McIlroy,
Lowry hit a 7-iron from 190 yards and watched the ball hop three times before
disappearing into the cup. He reared back and shook his arms in celebration,
almost exactly like he did a decade ago, when Lowry aced the par-3 16th during
the final round of the Masters.
"You don't ever expect to make a hole-in-one. I just couldn't believe it," he
said. "Obviously, you know, you're out here, and you're in the hunt at the
Masters, and you're making a hole-in-one --- it's pretty cool."
Even cooler: Lowry ended up shooting 68, leaving him 9 under for the tournament
and two back of McIlroy and Cameron Young.
"We all know it's all about tomorrow. You know what I mean?" asked Lowry, whose
only major victory came at the 2019 British Open. "Obviously it matters, today,
but when we get to tomorrow, that's when, you know, we'll see what everyone is
made of."
Perhaps more incredible than his second ace in the Masters was the fact that it
was Lowry's second ace in as many events. He had a hole-in-one on the second
hole at Memorial Park during the Houston Open, using the same 7-iron he used on
Saturday.
As for the Masters, it was the first hole-in-one since Stewart Cink's on the
16th in 2022. And it was just the seventh ace to happen on the difficult,
downhill sixth hole; Corey Conners had the last one during the 2021 tournament.
Anyone who makes a hole-in-one during the Masters is rewarded with a crystal
bowl. Now, Lowry's the first with two of them.
He has a rapidly growing list of aces at some of golf's iconic venues, too.
Along with his two at Augusta National, and his recent one in Houston, the
Irishman has aced the 17th at TPC Sawgrass --- the famed island green --- and
the seventh at Pebble Beach.
"Maybe I'm just good. I don't know," Lowry said, laughing. "I don't know."
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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