Lowry on double hole in one delight with McIlroy: “I don't know what to say; I guess it's just luck of the Irish”
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry celebrate after their win in last year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Shane Lowry hailed it as “the luck of the Irish” as he completed a famous trinity of holes-in-one and matched pal Rory McIlroy by making an ace in round one of the AT&T Pro-Am.
On a day when McIlroy slam-dunked a sand wedge on the 119-yard 15th en route to a bogey-free 66 at Spyglass Hill, Lowry holed a 54-degree wedge at Pebble Beach’s iconic 113-yard seventh to match his Ryder Cup teammate on six under par with a 66 of his own.
The Irish duo ended the day tied for eighth place, just two shots behind Russell Henley, who shot an eight-under 64 at Spyglass Hill to head Jake Knapp, Justin Rose, Cam Davis, Viktor Hovland (all Pebble Beach) and Rasmus Hojgaard and Sepp Straka (all Spyglass Hill) by one stroke.
The big Offaly man, who aced the 16th at Augusta in 2016 and the 17th at TPC Sawgrass in 2022, could not hide his delight at completing a famous hole-in-one hat trick at the three most famous par-threes in the US.
“Yeah, it's pretty cool,” said Lowry, who planned to split the bar tab and join McIlroy for some quiet celebrations at The Lodge at Pebble Beach but not partake as “it’s a school night for me.”
Luck of the Irish! ☘️ pic.twitter.com/YGKmf48CMH
— AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (@attproam) January 30, 2025
“I think Pebble is one of the most amazing places in the world, and to do something like that and have those memories is pretty cool,” Lowry told Sky Sports.
Asked which of his three aces was better, he could not be drawn.
“Oh, God, that's like asking someone which one's their favourite child,” Lowry said with a grin. “…hopefully I can kick on now and have a good rest of the tournament, a good rest of the week.”
As for the shot itself, he said: “It is an easy shot, but you still need to play it correctly.
“It was 106, but then a couple (of yards downhill). I probably could have got a lob wedge there, but it was a 54-degree wedge). I tried to just flight one down and chase it up the green and get it up there somewhere close to the hole.
“It came out lovely just left of the hole, which is where you need to pitch it if you want to get it real close.
“Yeah, big bounce, it was perfect. It just spun and spun right into the hole. It was pretty cool.
“Look, when stuff like that happens, I've been very lucky with all the ones. There and Augusta and Sawgrass.
The golf shot of my dreams 😍 ☝🏻
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) January 30, 2025
pic.twitter.com/IHXwfeYs05
“I don't know what to say; I guess it's just luck of the Irish or something, I don't know.
“I know I'm pretty good at times, but a bit of luck every now and then is helpful, too.”
As for future hole-in-one ambitions, he said: “I was going to say 12 at Augusta, but I'm just happy with pars on that hole. Yeah, look, I don't know. Anytime any one goes in is a good time.”
Lowry got the wrong side of the draw and missed the cut in the Farmers Insurance Open, but he’s looking to push in this week and hoping for a good break with the weather at Spyglass Hill today before returning to Pebble Beach for the last two rounds in the 80-man, no-cut Signature Event
“It was good,” he said of a 66 featuring five birdies and a lone bogey at the sixth as well as his ace
“I had it going, and then I played the fifth and sixth really badly, bogeyed five and made a great par on six then to do that (at the seventh), and then I had a couple of chances coming in on eight and nine as well.
“So I felt like I played the round pretty well today. It was a beautiful day for Pebble. There wasn't much wind, the greens were holding, so it was very scorable and obviously, the scores are showing that.
“But as the week goes on, if there's not too much rain tomorrow, it could firm up a little bit and get tricky, so we'll see what happens.”
As world number one Scottie Scheffler returned to action after his hand injury and shot a five-under 67 at Spyglass Hill to share 15th, Seamus Power was joint 36th after making six birdies in a 69 at Pebble Beach.
Lowry’s goal this season is to perform in the majors and win the Ryder Cup.
“For me, it's about the four big ones and then the Ryder Cup,” he said. “It's about playing as good as I can on weeks like this, and build towards April to Augusta.
“Ultimately, if I'm standing on the 18th green at Bethpage at the end of the year with the Ryder Cup, I think I'll be pretty happy.”
As for McIlroy’s hole-in-one on the 15th at Spyglass Hill, he quipped: “Slam dunked it, didn’t he? Mine is definitely better.”
119 yards ➡️ IN!
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 30, 2025
For the second time in his career, @McIlroyRory has an ace on the PGA TOUR! pic.twitter.com/XywFx6oSek
McIlroy, though, was more than pleased to make up for some early three putts and see the hard work he has been doing on his short irons and mental game pay off.
“It was a nice yardage for just a three-quarter sand wedge,” the world number three said of his second hole-in-one in the US. "Yeah, hit a good one. Started online and think, because the hole's so elevated, it's in the air, and you don't know whether to say go or sit or whatever.
“Then it disappeared straight into the hole, which is really cool. First time I ever had a hole-in-one where it went straight in like that.”
He’s working hard on his short irons and his mental approach with Dr Bob Rotella when it comes to attacking the pin inside 150 yards, showing his new-found confidence by almost holing a 135-yard approach at his final hole.
"I know Rotella and I talk about this a lot,” McIlroy said. “If I drive the ball, well, I'm going to have about 50 shots a week from inside 150 yards. So we just talk about taking dead aim.
“If you're swinging, okay, the ball is not going to curve much from that distance. So we talk a lot about taking dead aim and making the most of those tee shots I hit that I get myself into that range.
“In the past, I haven't been as confident with the wedges from that distance, and I would play a little right or left of the pins and be a little more careful with my aim points.
“Whereas now, if I'm feeling confident with my wedge swings and where I'm at, it’s easier for me to take dead aim and try to hit it as close as possible.”
