{"id":599320,"date":"2026-04-12T15:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/599320\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T15:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:09:09","slug":"shane-lowrys-historic-masters-ace-puts-him-in-green-jacket-contention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/599320\/","title":{"rendered":"Shane Lowry’s historic Masters ace puts him in green-jacket contention"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some time now, Shane Lowry has had a thing with making holes-in-one. But the ace he made on Saturday of this 2026 Masters<\/a> was his most important one for two reasons. One, it made Masters history. Two, it vaulted Lowry into contention to win his first green jacket<\/a> and second major title.<\/p>\n

The incredible, history-making dunk shot came on Augusta National\u2019s<\/a> difficult par-3 6th hole in Saturday\u2019s third round, and it left a grinning Lowry making quips with reporters and dreaming of Masters glory.<\/p>\n

Shane Lowry makes history with second Masters hole-in-one, eyes win<\/p>\n

As his Saturday Masters tee time approached, Lowry was tied for 5th with 36 holes to go. One problem: the leader, Rory McIlroy<\/a>, was seven shots ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Still, with lots of golf left to be played and endless opportunities for scoring swings on Augusta\u2019s treacherous greens, Lowry still had an outside shot at slipping on the green jacket in a few days.<\/p>\n


\n \"Two <\/a><\/p>\n

Who\u2019s going to win the 2026 Masters? Our writers make their picks<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n GOLF Editors <\/a><\/p>\n

He made an early birdie at the 2nd to move to six under. McIlroy, on the other hand, was stuck in neutral to start the day. Quickly, the gap between Lowry and McIlroy had been reduced to six.<\/p>\n

Then came the 6th.<\/p>\n

Lowry set up on the tee with a 7-iron in his hand and stared down the gettable pin location. He sent his ball on a straight line at the flag.<\/p>\n

As it landed on the green, someone at Augusta could be overheard on the broadcast saying, \u201cRight at it baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowry\u2019s ball then traced toward the hole and dropped in the cup, with the CBS TV booth remarking, \u201cRight at it, how about right in!\u201d<\/p>\n

Shane Lowry only makes aces on the biggest stages.<\/p>\n

6th hole at Augusta National (JUST NOW)
16th hole at Augusta National
7th hole at Pebble Beach
17th hole at TPC Sawgrass<\/p>\n

EPIC. pic.twitter.com\/gBBGaWF32Z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Lowry launched into a celebration on the tee box, filled with double fist-pumps, hugs and high-fives. There was much to celebrate.<\/p>\n

With the hole-in-one at 6, Lowry became the first player in Masters history to make two holes-in-one. His first came 10 years ago at the par-3 16th hole during the 2016 Masters. (Lowry also made a hole-in-one a few weeks ago at the 2026 Texas Children\u2019s Houston Open, using the exact same 7-iron he used on Saturday.)<\/p>\n

A reporter asked him about his historic accomplishment after the round.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad just said that to me walking up the 18th. Yeah, yeah, it\u2019s pretty cool. All you get is two bits of crystal. You don\u2019t get much else,\u201d Lowry said laughing.<\/p>\n

He, of course, was kidding. Because Lowry\u2019s Saturday ace did earn him something else: a chance to win his first Masters.<\/p>\n

Thanks to his ace, Lowry jumped from six under to eight under, putting him only four shots off McIlroy\u2019s lead at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s wild, isn\u2019t it? Made one a couple of weeks ago in Houston. You don\u2019t ever expect to make a hole-in-one. I just couldn\u2019t believe it. Obviously, you know, you\u2019re out there, and you\u2019re in the hunt at the Masters and you\u2019re making hole-in-one, it\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d Lowry reflected after the round. \u201cThe walk down the 6th hole with everyone around 16 and the 6th was very special. I\u2019ll remember that for a while. Yeah, it was obviously amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowry\u2019s affinity for holes-in-one is not limited to his two Masters aces, or his ace at the Texas Children\u2019s Houston Open earlier this year. He\u2019s also made holes-in-one in competition at Pebble Beach\u2019s iconic par-3 7th hole<\/a> (in 2025) and TPC Sawgrass\u2019 legendary island-green 17th<\/a> (during the 2022 Players Championship).<\/p>\n

Why is he so good at making aces? The 2019 Open champion is as mystified as the rest of us, as he revealed Saturday night along with a quip.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m just good,\u201d Lowry said laughing. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know. Like, sort of\u2026 plays a strength of my game, and yeah, I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \"scottie <\/a><\/p>\n

Scottie Scheffler blitzed Augusta National. And then a reporter\u2019s question<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Alan Bastable <\/a><\/p>\n

He also acknowledged the extra adrenaline rush provided by his ace at the 6th on Saturday, given that it launched him into contention.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you know, it gives you obviously a huge kind of boost,\u201d he said. \u201cYou go from six under to eight under, and then all of a sudden you\u2019re only four back. It\u2019s getting real now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowry was proud of how he reacted to the big moment, staying within himself to close out a four-under 68 that leaves him just three shots back of co-leaders<\/a> McIlroy and Cameron Young<\/a> heading into Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I did a great job of calming myself down afterwards. Myself and Neil have talked about during the week about the only shot that matters is the next one. I hit a great tee shot on 7, and I was very happy and proud of that one, because it\u2019s easy to get a bit flustered in areas like that. Your adrenaline is pumping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting seven back of McIlroy before Round 3, Lowry watched some early coverage Saturday morning and noticed the course appeared more \u201cgettable\u201d than the previous few days.<\/p>\n

That left him worried that McIlroy could truly run away with things on Saturday.<\/p>\n


\n \"Rory <\/a><\/p>\n

How\u2019d Rory McIlroy\u2019s six-shot lead vanish? It\u2019s complicated<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Dylan Dethier <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought if Rory could shoot a 68 today he might run away with the tournament. The course, they made it a bit more gettable today. I noticed on TV this morning the greens were softer than they were yesterday,\u201d Lowry said Saturday night.<\/p>\n

But Lowry also knew that playing with big leads at Augusta National is no easy task<\/a>, and that anything could happen, as he revealed Saturday after his round.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the thing is, it\u2019s not easy to go out and go after it when you\u2019re at the top of the leaderboard. Not that it\u2019s easy to do it. But when you\u2019re down the field and you\u2019re just having a go at it, it makes it a little bit easier and you can play a bit more freely. When you are out there in the hunt you need to be a little bit more protective of what you are doing,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

The pressure certainly seemed to get to McIlroy on Saturday. He struggled to a one-over 73<\/a> as Lowry and the rest of the contenders went low.<\/p>\n

But Lowry knew one thing before his round that didn\u2019t change when he was finished. The only thing that really matters is Sunday\u2019s final round<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it obviously wasn\u2019t going to be an easy day for Rory to shoot a score\u2026 but we all know it\u2019s all about tomorrow. You know what I mean?\u201d Lowry said. \u201cObviously it matters, today, but when we get to tomorrow, that\u2019s when, you know, we\u2019ll see what everyone is made of.\u201d<\/p>\n