Shane Lowry improved on his opening round by a stroke to post a two-under 69 at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town on Friday to leave himself 11 shots off clubhouse leader Matt Fitzpatrick on the PGA Tour.
The Irish golfer said he felt too “down and dejected” to celebrate with winner Rory McIlroy after shooting an 80 in the final round of the Masters.
“I texted him on Sunday night, and I said, ‘Honestly, I’m so happy for you, but I don’t have it in me tonight to go over and celebrate’,” he told the Golf Channel after his opening round.
“This game has given me a lot of punches in the gut this year,” Lowry said. “It’s testing me a little bit, but, you know, I’m not going to stop working hard.
“I’m not going to give up, and I’m going to give my best for as long as I may be playing this game.”
On Friday, he had a steady round with three birdies and one bogey, but it paled in comparison to the brilliance of European Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick, who shot an eight-under-par 63 to reach 14-under-par for the tournament, which is a signature event with a $20 million purse.
The Englishman had eight birdies and no bogeys as he outscored playing partner and world number one Scottie Scheffler, who is in contention for the weekend after a four-under-par 67 left him seven under.
The in-form Fitzpatrick, who won the Valspar Championship, came to play the course on holidays when he was a kid and previously won the tournament in 2023.