Shane Lowry was in an enviable position on Sunday afternoon, as he was tied for the lead with three holes to play at the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
It's a situation the Irishman has grown accustomed to on the PGA Tour, but each one in the last decade has ended in a similar heartbreak. Sunday afternoon was no different.
After making a birdie on the par-5 15th hole, Lowry pulled his tee shot left on the par-3 16th. But he was unable to get up and down from the rough, giving Sepp Straka the solo lead at 16-under.
After both made par on the challenging 17th hole, Lowry gave himself a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th with a chance to force a playoff. Unfortunately for the 38-year-old, he blew his effort six feet past the hole and then missed the comebacker to finish with a three-putt bogey, thus giving Straka an easy two-shot win.
Another Sunday afternoon in contention. Another painful drive home without a trophy.
Lowry hasn't won a solo event in the United States since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2015. And as hard as it may be to believe, that's still the only solo victory on his U.S. resume. The 2019 Open Championship winner does have two American wins in his career, but the second came alongside Rory McIlroy at the two-man Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2024.
Shane Lowry is a serial choker in the U.S.
Lowry has been close to securing another win on U.S. soil multiple times, but he always seems to fall apart down the stretch.
At the 2016 U.S. Open, Lowry shot a 65 in the third round to take a four-shot lead with 18 holes to play, only to shoot a 6-over 76 on Sunday to lose to Dustin Johnson by three strokes.
In 2022, Lowry was in control of the Honda Classic heading to the back nine on Sunday. After a birdie on the 11th hole, he went cold down the stretch and made seven straight pars to close out his round.
Straka, who just outdueled Lowry at the Truist Championship, made three birdies in his final five holes to snatch the trophy from his grasp.
More recently, Lowry finished runner-up behind McIlroy at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He also entered the final round of the 2025 Masters within striking distance of the leaders, but a 9-over 81 on Sunday dropped him back to a tie for 42nd.
Lowry has five runner-up finishes and 12 top-fives in the U.S. since his last solo win in 2015, but he hasn't managed to get one across the finish line. His finish at Philly Cricket Club was just another example of his inability to close out tournaments when it matters most.