Shane Lowry holds a two-shot lead at the halfway point of the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. That is surprising news only if you’re aware of the trials and tribulations Lowry has gone through with drivers this week.
Ahead of the opening round at Bay Hill, Lowry was “tinkering a little bit with drivers” after being unhappy with his big stick during his last tournament. But that’s an understatement when you hear the details from the horse’s mouth.
“I think there’s something wrong with the driver I was using last week for a few days,” Lowry told reporters after the first round. “I used something different on Sunday and I used something different again today. So I don’t have a hundred percent trust in that yet, but I did hit some really nice drives there towards the end, apart from 18. I’m pretty happy with what I have in the bag.”
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The changes didn’t shake his game. The 2019 Open champion went out and fired a three-under 69 on Thursday in treacherous conditions to get into contention. Incredibly, when asked which driver he ended up using, Lowry didn’t know.
“What model? It’s another Srixon one. I have no idea,” Lowry said Thursday. “I had about 15 drivers on the range on Tuesday here, so no idea which one I ended up with.”
Then on Friday, Lowry got even better. He shot a 67 to reach eight under and take the lead.
After Round 2, Lowry confirmed that he used the same driver on Friday that he’d used on Thursday, and he again explained the extensive testing he’d undergone this week.
“I think my driver gave up on me last week, the one that I’ve been using. Yeah, I didn’t drive it great around PGA National and figured there was something wrong with my driver,” Lowry shared. “I’ve been testing a few this week. I used a different one on Sunday last week, and then tested a few on Tuesday. I found one that I really like, but it just takes a lot of trust on the course. When you get to a golf course like this there’s a handful of really, really tough tee shots that you really need a great level of commitment and trust, and I’ll try to do that for the weekend.”
He continued, “It’s getting there, it felt a little better, but not as comfortable as I normally am. It’s normally one of the best clubs in my bag. But I feel like when I do get it in play I can be pretty dangerous.”
Considering he’s already built a lead despite having low confidence in his driver, should he gain that confidence he’s looking for, the rest of the field better watch out.
Lowry tees off for the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday at 1:50 p.m. alongside Wyndham Clark.
