Since making his professional debut in 2009, Shane Lowry has established himself as one of Europe's best talents. Although the vast majority of his career wins occurred during his time in the European Tour, Lowry has tended to come to life at major tournaments, including this year's British Open.
The Irishman placed sixth in this year's PGA Championship, just a few weeks after outlasting Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer in a playoff to take home the Zurich Classic of New Orleans title. An unremarkable showing at the U.S. Open followed. But at Royal Troon, the verdant oasis located on Scotland's south coast that is hosting this year's Open Championships, Lowry has been a cut above. He recorded a glimmering -2 score in Round 2, bringing his score for the tourney to a field-leading -7, two strokes better than his closest competition.
Will Lowry be able to hold on? There's plenty of time left for others to make a comeback, including Daniel Brown (-5) and Justin Rose (-4), who sit in second place and third place, respectively.
Lowry has been here before, however. He's five years removed from his first (and to date, only) major title, one that came in circumstances eerily similar to the ones that exist at Royal Troon this time around.
Here's a look back at Lowry's major history including his past performances at the British Open.
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Has Shane Lowry won a major
Lowry has one major title to his name, conquering all foes en route to a six-stroke win at the 2019 British Open.
He hasn't been able to pick up a second major trophy just yet, but his performances in the other three major tournaments seem to indicate better days could be on the way. Lowry finished tied for second in the 2016 U.S. Open, tied for third in the Masters in 2022, and tied for fourth at the PGA Championship in 2021.
All told, Lowry has eight top-10 finishes in 45 major appearances across the four tournaments.
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When was the last time Shane Lowry won a major?
Lowry's first and only major win came at the 2019 British Open, held at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
Lowry shined beneath the rolling Inishowen hills, breaking the course record (since it was remodeled) with an 8-under 63 to take sole possession of first place in Round 3. Lowry's first three rounds were historic — he carded a 197 across his first 54 holes, the best hole-scoring performance through 54 in Open Championship history.
A 1-over 72 was all Lowry needed in the final round to hoist the Claret Jug. Lowry's six-stroke margin of victory over Tommy Fleetwood represented the largest winning margin in a major in two years.
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Here is a breakdown of Lowry's rounds at the 2019 British Open.
| Round | Score (to par) | Overall score (to par) |
| 1 | 67 (-4) | 67 (-4) |
| 2 | 67 (-4) | 134 (-8) |
| 3 | 63 (-8) | 197 (-3) |
| 4 | 72 (+1) | 269 (-15) |
Has Shane Lowry won the British Open?
Lowry has won the British Open, taking home the Claret Jug following his impressive 2019 showcase. By in large, he's been solid, if unspectacular in the competition. Outside of his showing in 2019, Lowry has only placed in the top 10 in the British Open on one other occasion (2014). In 2023, he suffered the scorn of the cut line, seeing his British Open dreams vanish after the second round with a putrid 7-over 149 through the course's first 36 holes.
Assuming Lowry keeps his hot streak going, he's on pace to secure his best performance at The Open since his win in 2019. With five strokes separating him and fourth place, he's in good stead to nab at least a top-10 finish when the dust settles.
Shane Lowry British Open history
Lowry is participating in his 12th British Open in 2024. He's made the cut in six of his prior 11 appearances in the tournament and has two top-10 and four top-25 displays to his name.
Here is a comprehensive look at his British Open results up to date.
| Year | Finish |
| 2010 | T-37th |
| 2011 | — |
| 2012 | — |
| 2013 | T-32nd |
| 2014 | T-9th |
| 2015 | CUT |
| 2016 | CUT |
| 2017 | CUT |
| 2018 | CUT |
| 2019 | 1st |
| 2020 | —* |
| 2021 | T-12th |
| 2022 | T-21st |
| 2023 | CUT |
| 2024 | — |
Lowry is the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 British Open entering into Day 3 of play. Barring an unforeseen collapse, he should place in the top 10 after the final day of competition.
If he can outlast his adversaries and lift the Claret Jug once more, Lowry would become the 28th player to win the event multiple times during his career. Notably, he'd join fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington on that list. Harrington won back-to-back British Opens in 2007 (Carnoustie) and 2008 (Royal Birkdale).
