Shane Lowry was just centimeters away from winning the 2026 Dubai Invitational. The golfer was in the lead of the tournament with one shot until the final hole, where even a par would have won it for him. Unfortunately, Lowry first shot the ball into the bunker, and from there, things went horribly wrong for him.

The 6 time DP World Tour winner blasted the ball a little too hard while trying to get it out of the bunker, and it ended up in a nearby body of water. This hole became a nightmare for him as he made a double bogey, losing the lead and finally finishing tied for third place. Lowry recently shared an X post about this performance and how it has left him sore.

Shane Lowry’s 18th season since turning professional will begin in 2026, as he mentioned in this X post. The golfer also added that he is excited for the next tournament and hopes to recover from his soreness. The X-post read:

“18th season on Tour and golf never gets easier. Sore one to take yesterday, but another opportunity this week. ☘️”

Lowry finished tied for third place at the 2026 Dubai Invitational with a total score of 8 under par. Due to the double bogey, his final round, which might have been four under par, turned out to be merely two under par. Out of the $2.75 million purse, the Irish golfer earned only $130,625 for his performance.

The golfer also addressed this after the tournament, stating that there was another reason for his disappointment after losing the win.

Shane Lowry tells how he looked forward to beating Rory McIlroy

Shane Lowry noted that the stinging loss on Hole 18 and losing his first win of the season will be on his mind for the next 2-3 days. He also stated that this loss will be especially painful for him because he does not have the opportunity to beat Rory McIlroy every week. Lowry also described the performance as a fiasco, alleging that he simply handed the win away.

According to Fox Sports, Lowry stated,

“What can you do? You have to learn from it and move on, lads. This game is … I don’t know. It’s the start of my 18th season on tour, and I’ll never figure it out. This is going to hurt, like, for a day or two. I haven’t won in a few years, and it’s hard to get over the line.”

He later went on to add,

“I know this is not like the biggest tournament in the world, you still get [a chance] to beat Rory McIlroy down the stretch, and I almost did that. I gave it to Nacho at the end. It’s a bit of a disaster.”

The next tournament Lowry will compete in is the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which begins on January 22 at the Emirates Golf Club.