Gavin Cooney reports from Augusta National Golf Club

SHANE LOWRY CUT a frustrated figure after he squandered what he felt was a chance to compete in the final round of the Masters, closing with a bogey on 14 and a double-bogey on 15 for a final-round 73. 

That final round of one-over meant Lowry fell to a tie for 16th place, though was eyeing the leaderboard when he birdied the 11th hole and sat six shots off leader and ultimate winner Jon Rahm with two par-fives still to play. 

Lowry finished the tournament on two-under: Rahm won it on 12-under. 

“It’s obviously a little sore right now”, said Lowry after his round, at which stage Rahm and Koepka were still out on the course. “Yeah, I’m disappointed, obviously. I put a lot into this this week, and when I birdied 11, I thought, you never know here, and yeah, great putt on 12 and then 14 and 15 just killed me.

“It’s extremely disappointing. When you’re out there and you feel like you’ve – I know Jon is 12-under now, but at the time I was out there, I was feeling it. Like it had to go over it on 15. I felt like if I made eagle there, and you go back to thinking of lads like Charl Schwartzel birdieing the last four to win and you feel like maybe you can do something
special. I tried and I failed. I’ll definitely try again.” 

Lowry made a sparkling start, almost holing out for eagle on the first hole but going back-to-back birdies across one and two. His momentum then stalled with a three-putt bogey on the third green, and while he scrambled a par on the par-three fourth, he carded another bogey on five. 

Birdies on 9 and 11 stirred faint hopes of something special, but all was extinguished on the par-five 15th. His second shot felt fatefully short of the green and the ball rolled painfully into the water. Deflated, he took a seven. 

“Perfect start, birdie-birdie, third hole, I had a half decent look and I just hit the putt too hard through the break. Actually hit a decent second putt there, and then obviously made a up-and-down on four, and then five – it’s just hard out there. Then I made a great two-putt on six, great two-putt on seven, hit a good putt on eight and I missed, birdied nine. I was doing the right things. I hit a good putt on 10. Like I was hitting good, aggressive putts today, which I haven’t been doing for a while.

“It’s so hard to come off a round like that and come and talk to you guys. I’ll have to go away and think about it. But to be honest, it’s how I feel like my season has been going. Been a lot of good stuff there and not very good finishes. It’s just hard enough, hard to take.

“Four-under the first day should have been better, level the second day should have been better, one-over yesterday should have been better. It’s kind of like I was very close to doing something very special this week, and that’s the hardest thing to take. That’s the hardest part for me. If I’d have went out and shot four-under today to finish 18, I’d probably be standing here chuffed with myself. But the hardest part for me to take is I was very close. It might not look like that with the result or the finish, but I felt like it.”

“I’ll be a year older next year”, added Lowry when he was asked about his growing comfort around Augusta National. “I mean, like I’ve only probably got another six or seven at my peak or at max. You never know. I’m just disappointed. I love these weeks so much that I hate having to wait another year for this to come around.” 

Seamus Power, meanwhile, endured a trying final round, carding a five-over 77 to slide to a tie for 46th place on plus-seven. 

Having bogeyed the first hole, Power then bogeyed four straight-holes before staunching the pain with a birdie on nine. Another bogey followed on 12 and then a double on the par-five 13th. He then birdied three-straight holes, and bogeyed 18. 

Seamus Power. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“Worn out”, was Power’s reaction to a wild week. Across 72 holes, he hit one eagle, 15 birdies, 18 bogeys, three double-bogeys or worse, and 35 pars. 

“Yeah, I actually hit it well early, and I got a couple of bad breaks. Got it back, and then made a couple of mistakes and just took the wind out of my sails there.

“It’s tough out there today. It really is. There were some shots that were just you get a little gust of wind that you just don’t expect. Even on the second, a lovely little wedge shot in there, and the thing flies, like airmails the green like it was almost straight down and it couldn’t be straight down. A couple of those. It was one of those days that you needed to have your best and I didn’t. That’s what happened out there today.”