Name it the luck of the Irish.
Simply hours after Rory McIlroy slam-dunked a hole-in-one on the fifteenth gap at Spyglass Hill, Shane Lowry made an ace on the seventh gap at Pebble Seashore, one of the vital well-known par-3s on the planet.
“It got here out pretty simply left of the opening, which is the place you could pitch it if you wish to get it actual shut,” Lowry mentioned.
“Yeah, large bounce, it was excellent. It simply spun and spun proper into the opening. It was fairly cool.”
To rejoice, Lowry and McIlroy purchased a couple of dozen beers and pizza for these within the media heart. Because the adage goes, when you make a hole-in-one, you must purchase everybody a drink to rejoice. The Irishmen delivered after which some, doing so with a contact of sophistication for these masking the occasion at Pebble Seashore.
Lowry and McIlroy didn’t take part although.
“College evening, so sadly not for me,” Lowry mentioned.
“If there’s a couple of individuals there at dinner, I’m positive. Hopefully Rory’s there as properly, I get to separate the invoice with him.”
Lowry’s ace on Thursday places him in rarefied air. He has now made a hole-in-one on the sixteenth gap at Augusta Nationwide, the seventeenth gap at TPC Sawgrass, and now the seventh gap at Pebble Seashore.
“I’ve been very fortunate with all those,” Lowry added.
“Right here and Augusta and Sawgrass. Yeah, I don’t know what to say, I assume it’s simply luck of the Irish or one thing, I don’t know. I do know I’m fairly good at occasions, however you understand, a little bit of luck once in a while is useful, too.”
McIlroy and Lowry every shot 6-under 66s in the course of the first spherical of the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am and sit two strokes behind chief Russell Henley after day one. However Lowry feels that his shot was higher, contemplating the importance of the seventh gap.
“Yeah. Slam dunked it, didn’t he?” Lowry mentioned when requested about McIlroy’s ace.
“Yeah, mine is certainly higher.”
It’s onerous to argue a method or one other, however McIlroy’s ace instantly drew comparisons to the 2023 PGA Championship, when Michael Block dunked in a hole-in-one on the fifteenth gap at Oak Hill. Satirically sufficient, McIlroy performed with Block throughout that remaining spherical in Rochester.
“It’s such an elevated tee that the ball’s within the air and you understand it’s on-line however you don’t know whether or not to say go or sit or spin or launch or no matter,” McIlroy mentioned of his tee shot on 15.
“It’s kind of bizarre, you’re taking a look at it and also you’re kind of watching the place it’d land on the inexperienced and the factor simply disappears. Truthfully, it was fortunate, I don’t see many balls these days go straight within the gap and keep within the gap. Fairly lucky as a result of it might have come out and went again within the water or do something. It was a very good swing and a very good wedge shot.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. Comply with him on X @jack_milko.
