Rory McIlroy knows about bouncing back from defeat better than most and he reminded Shane Lowry to forget about his Cognizant Classic heartbreak and that he can still have an excellent season.
Lowry blew a three-shot lead with three holes to play on Sunday at PGA National when he sent balls in the water on 16 and 17 for back to back double bogeys as he allowed Nico Echavarria to steal in and take the win which extended Lowry’s near four-year win drought by another week at least.
McIlroy has fond memories of the Cognizant Classic – formerly Honda Classic – he won in 2012 to become world number one for the first time but he also knows what it’s like to find a watery grave there. He found water on 16 to double bogey the 16th in 2014. He went on to win two majors and he reminded Lowry that there is no need for Sunday’s disaster to define his year.
“I played golf with him on Monday morning. He was fine. He was in good spirits,” said McIlroy. “I reminded him, I double bogeyed the 16th at PGA National in 2014 to lose the tournament. And I went on to win two majors that year.
“So I was trying to, yeah, like, look, it’s one event, it was two bad holes, two bad swings. It doesn’t mean that the rest of the year’s going to be bad. Again, I had a horrible finish there in 2014 and ended up going on to have one of the best years of my career. So I just reminded him of that.”
Lowry himself has been blown away by rallying messages after his defeat and he has won plenty of plaudits for his candid heart on the sleeve demeanour in his post-round press conference.
The Offaly man desperately wanted to have a winning moment in front of his four-year-old daughter Ivy – who was too young to remember his last win in Wentworth in 2022 – but it was his nine-year-old daughter Iris who helped him see perspective and get back on the saddle for this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
“It was my daughter’s (ninth) birthday yesterday, and I took her to Starbucks on the way to school,” Lowry explained to Sirius XM.
“And we were sitting there, and a friend of mine came over to the car, and honestly, speaking to people over the last few days, it’s like someone had passed away.
“When they see me, they’re like, afraid to talk to me, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m fine’, or whatever.
“And my daughter just turned around, and she goes, ‘Dad, why is everyone acting so sad that you finished second? Like, second’s, good.’
“So, yeah, a little bit of perspective there. She’s like, ‘It’s not like you finished last.’
“Obviously, I would have hoped to finish first, and I probably should have. So be it. We move on.”
Lowry also received an encouraging phone call from an unnamed Irish sportsperson who he admires.
“Yeah, it’s been tough,” Lowry admitted. “I’m not gonna lie. On Sunday night, I didn’t sleep at all, really. You go through all the scenarios in your head and the regrets you have, but you know, I’m very fortunate. I’ve got a great support network around me
“I had some amazing people reach out to me over the 24 hours after that.
“I got one particular phone call from an Irish sportsperson who I really admire, and he was very, very kind to me.
“I’m friendly with him, and I know him pretty well. But yeah, to hear other people have been in that situation, to hear their thoughts on it and I think learn from it is the biggest thing.
“And, you know, obviously it’s very disappointing. It’s so hard to win out here on the PGA Tour.
“I had a tournament in my hands, and I let it go.
“You know, I’m going to have regrets in the days after that, but that’s why we put ourselves out here on the PGA tour.
“We’re playing the best tour in the world on the toughest golf courses. And I put myself out there, and unfortunately, I didn’t deliver.
“Hopefully, I can keep putting myself there. I think that’s all I can do, if I keep putting myself there and try to focus on the positives from last week
“I think I played for a lot of the tournament last week, some of the best golf of my whole career. And I felt so in control out there. And then it was, you know, one bad swing took it all away from me.
“But it is what it is. And we move on, onwards and upwards.”
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