Lowry laments cold putter as Kirk ends eight-year drought with playoff win at Honda Classic
Shane Lowry during last year’s US Open. Picture: Robert Beck/USGA)
SHANE LOWRY was frozen out by a cold putter, but a first top-10 finish of the season in the Honda Classic sets him up nicely for two massive designated events over the next two weeks.
Four shots behind Chris Kirk heading out, Lowry never got anything going on the greens at PGA National's Champion Course, where a level par 70 left him in a five-way tie for fifth on nine-under-par, five shots outside a playoff that saw Chris Kirk beat rookie Eric Cole with a birdie at the first extra hole and end an eight-year drought.
Wearing a green and white ribbon in the Ferbane colours in memory of his uncle Jimmy Lowry, who died unexpectedly last Thursday aged 66, the 2019 Open champion was ranked first in the field for strokes gained from tee to green but 59th for strokes gained putting.
"I played lovely, and I just couldn't get it going," said Lowry, who picked up $288,120 ahead of appearances in the $20 million Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the $25 million Players Championship over the next two weeks.
"I started to get uncomfortable on the greens early on, and that was the way it was the whole day. Disappointing, but I had a lot of positives to take from this week.
"I have to look at the positives. Obviously I didn't get the job done today. I just never got it going. I hit the ball well enough to get into contention but just didn't hole the putts."
Lowry's putter was cold early in the week, but while he gradually found his range to give himself a chance last night, he could not capitalise on his best ball-striking round of the week.
Four behind overnight, he quickly found himself six shots adrift when he bogeyed the first and Kirk made birdie in the match behind.
The gap was back to four minutes later when Lowry chased as a 252-yard approach to 20 feet at the third and two-putted for birdie as Kirk bogeyed the second.
Kirk birdied the third to lead by two shots from Cole on 14-under and by five from Lowry. But while Lowry made a six-footer for par at the fifth, it turned out to be the longest putt he made all day.
The Clara man made only two birdies and they totalled just three and a half feet as he followed a tap in at the third with a two-and-a-half footer at the 10th, which he quickly handed back with a three-putt bogey at the 12th.
He was disappointed not to find his putting touch but buoyed by finishing tied 14th and fifth in his last two events, having followed a missed cut in Dubai and a split with caddie Brian "Bo" Martin, with another missed cut with new bagman Darren Reynolds in Phoenix.
"Some nice FedExCup points," said Lowry, who moved up from 130th to 89th in the FedEx Cup. "My golf game is in a place where I'm happy with it. I'm going into a nice stretch of -- a nice part of the season.
"After my week in Phoenix, I was a little bit lost, and you're standing there, and I was 180th or something in the FedExCup. You're like, I need to make some FedExCup points soon. I've had two nice weeks, and hopefully, I can build on this going forward now."
As for the tournament protagonists, both men turned in two-under 33, leaving Kirk two clear on 15-under.
But Cole birdied the 11th, then claimed the lead with a two-shot swing at the 13th.
Kirk drew level when Cole took two attempts to escape from sand at the par-three 15th, then made a 19-footer for birdie at the 16th to snatch the lead.
Both men parred the 17th before Kirk found water with his approach to the par-five 18th and couldn't make a 16-footer for par.
He shot 69 to Cole's 67 to leave them tied on 14-under, two shots clear of Tyler Duncan as Pádraig Harrington shot 72 to finish tied 60th one-over.
Returning to the 18th for the playoff, Kirk was forced to lay up and hit a 109-yard approach to 16 inches to set up what turned out to be the winning birdie as Cole found the back bunker in two and couldn't get up and down to extend the playoff.
Kirk, who has battled alcoholism, was almost speechless after his win.
”I can't yet,” he said when asked to describe the moment. “I just have so much to be thankful for. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful for my sobriety. I'm so grateful for my family. I'm so grateful for everyone that's supported me throughout the past three or four years especially. Thank you so much.
“My wife Tahnee, I have not been the easiest person to be married to always, and my boys, Sawyer, Foster, Wilder, love you guys so much. Can't wait to see you.”
He admitted he drew on two to-three finishes earlier this year in the Sony Tournament of Champions and the American Express.
“I definitely did,” Kirk said. “I mean, I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long. Coming down the stretch, I felt good.
“Obviously that putt on 16 was huge and was in a great position on 18, just made a bad swing at the wrong time. I was trying to stay aggressive and hit it in the middle of the green, but in hindsight probably would have been better to hit it over there left somewhere. But thank God it worked out.”
