Historic Hole-in-One Leaves Masters Aghast as Rory McIlroy Falters and Australia’s Jason Day Rises

Shane Lowry has etched his name in Masters history as the first golfer to achieve two career holes-in-one at the iconic tournament. He made his latest ace on Sunday (AEST) during the third round at Augusta National, striking a remarkable shot from 190 yards with a 7-iron at the sixth hole, shortly after hitting the same feat at the 16th hole of the 2016 event. The ball bounced three times before settling in the cup, prompting a celebration reminiscent of his previous ace a decade earlier (watch the video above).

Teaming up with Tommy Fleetwood, Lowry added to his ace tally, having recently clocked in a hole-in-one at the second hole of Memorial Park during the Houston Open.

This hole-in-one at the Masters marked the first since Stewart Cink’s ace on the 16th hole in 2022, and is only the seventh ever made on the challenging sixth hole, with the previous coming from Corey Conners in 2021.

All players who sink a hole-in-one at the Masters receive a crystal bowl as a reward.

Lowry’s impressive list of aces includes not only his two at Augusta National and recent one in Houston, but also holes-in-one at the 17th hole of TPC Sawgrass—known for its island green—and the seventh at Pebble Beach.

After completing his round at -9, Lowry found himself in fourth position, trailing co-leaders Rory McIlroy (-11 after 17) and Cameron Young (-11).

McIlroy faced a challenging ‘moving day’, briefly losing the lead to Young, who shot an impressive 65. The Northern Irishman began the day with a commanding six-shot advantage.

Australia’s Jason Day also climbed the leaderboard, firing a 68 to sit tied for fifth at -8.

Day is tied with Englishman Justin Rose at that score, with just one round remaining. American Sam Burns is currently sitting in third place at -10 after playing 17 holes.

MORE TO COME…