30 Minutes That Broke Lowry

 👋 Hey Golf Fans,

Today, we will do things a little differently. Instead of talking about the biggest winner of the week, we’ll talk about the pro who-could-have-been-a-winner but isn’t. Shane Lowry’s brutal collapse yesterday is perhaps the worst story to come out of a golf course this season. We’ll talk about what went wrong at Cognizant Classic, Billy breaking his club, back-to-back hole outs, the coldest walk-in putt, and winners across different tours.

Let’s get started…

Can you snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? Ask Shane Lowry. When he stood on the 16th tee at the Cognizant Classic, he had a win probability of 96.7%. Thirty minutes later, it shrank to... 0%. He lost. That’s just golf, you might say.

It probably definitely is. Yet it was hardly surprising that Lowry couldn’t hide his pain and remorse for letting down his four-year-old daughter, who has yet to see his dad win. The Irishman tried to put up a smile while talking about it. But can’t you tell a father’s pain lurking behind these words?

But really, how do we explain what happened in those 30 minutes?

Lowry, the Bethpage hero, was three shots clear of everyone else on the 14th. For two more holes, he maintained that gap. Then, fall from grace. On the 16th, his tee shot plunged into the water. He made a double. But he still could’ve turned the tables.

However, on the 17th, his tee shot found the water again. He made another double bogey while Nico Echavarria birdied. This was the first time he had made back-to-back double bogeys in his career. On the 18th, he could only manage a par, finishing two shots behind the winner, Nico Echavarria.

Interestingly, in the last 13 times Lowry has entered the final round in the top three around the world, he has just one win—the 2019 Open. Just last month, he chipped into the water on the final hole at the Dubai Invitational.

Lowry joked yesterday that he was getting good at throwing away his wins. We sure hope not.

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Martyr: Billy Horschel had a war of words with a heckler on Friday. His week got even messier. Yesterday, Horschel faced an impossible lie on the 14th. His ball landed in the rough with his path to the green blocked by a tree. Billy Ho took an almighty swing. His club rammed into the tree. He wasn’t injured, but his club… well, you can see for yourself the horrible fate it suffered.

Rare: Brooks Koepka (T9) and Ben Silverman (T40) were paired in all four rounds at the Cognizant Classic. Yesterday, both hit their tee shots on the 14th into the greenside bunker. Brooks fist-bumped Silverman, who holed out. Guess what Brooks did next? Yep, he holed out too. Check out one of the rarest back-to-back hole-outs.

Tradition: Unlike any other. No, not talking about the Masters. We’re talking about haka, the traditional Maori celebratory dance. But unlike any dance you’ll ever see. So watch how Daniel Hillier was honored after winning the New Zealand Open on his home soil. This will make your blood race through your veins and give you all the feels. In case you are interested, we highly recommend this haka performed by the All Blacks. Enjoy.

Weird: At the New Zealand Open, Kevin Na’s low, errant shot accidentally whacked his playing partner's ball. Even he couldn’t believe what he had done—notice how dumbfounded Na (T9) is (ignore the F-bomb).

Swagger: Kelsey Bennett gave us the coldest walk-in putt of the week at the Ford Women's NSW Open. On the par-5 13th, the Aussie was so confident in her line that she started walking even before the ball was halfway to the pin. Just how saucy is this?

Saturday’s Results: 84.42% of you said LIV Golf would not exist 10-15 years from now.

South African Open Championship: Casey Jarvis carded a 3-under 67, clinching his second consecutive DP World Tour title right after last week's Kenya Open win. Notice how proud his father was yesterday. The jackpot for the 22-year-old? Automatic entries to this year's Masters and The Open Championship. Check out the Masters flag presentation below.

HSBC Women’s World Championship: Hannah Green fired a final-round 3-under 69 to snag a one-shot win over Auston Kim (-5) for her seventh LPGA title, snapping a winless drought of nearly 500 days. Her husband, Jarryd Felton, stepped in as her caddie. Suffice it to say, the victory celebration was fitting.

119 Visa Argentina Open: Alistair Docherty punched his ticket to this year’s Open Championship by clinching his maiden Korn Ferry Tour title in style. He birdied the 72nd hole for a one-stroke win over Chris Korte (-9) and S.Y. Noh (-4), leaving tears (the happy kind) streaming down his face. Just a few years ago, a cash-strapped Docherty was struggling to keep his dreams alive. We spotlighted his inspiring journey in our newsletter before.

NZ Open: Daniel Hillier (-4) made history as the first Kiwi to claim the New Zealand Open in seven years. It was also special for a family reason, as you will see here. Funnily enough, Hillier’s victory handed an Open Championship spot to Lucas Herbert, who finished second.

Ford Women’s NSW Open: Agathe Laisne’s 6-under 65 on Sunday was enough to edge out April Angurasaranee (-5) and Soomin Oh (-5) by one shot. Here is the winning putt. On the LET Order of Merit, Laisne vaults into a tie for first with Hull.

Phil Mickelson Extends Mysterious Absence From LIV Events→

Scottie Scheffler Talks About the Sacrifices His Wife Made For Him →

The Reason Pros Were Wearing Yellow Ribbons at Cognizant Classic →

You saw what happened with Kevin Na. But imagine it's you on a chill, fun round, and your playing partner's errant shot smacks your ball just like Brandon Crick's errant shot smacked Carl Pettersson’s ball. Here is what you can do.

1. If you can retrieve the ball, replace it on its original spot. Then play on with no penalty. If you can't find the ball, use a new one and put it on that spot.

2. What if you're not sure where the ball rested before it moved? You can estimate the spot and drop it. If it’s on the putting green, simply place it at the estimated spot.

3. If you’re the guy who hit someone else’s ball, then you must play yours as it lies. Watch what happened when Ludvig Aberg’s ball hit Collin Morikawa’s.

If you’re unsure whether an outside influence lifted or moved your ball, here's what the Rules say. Before your next round, clarify the key rules we’ve listed below.

Golf’s Most Confusing Rules Explained

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