Lowry Buys His Own Putter (And Actually Parts With Cash)

It's not very often that a tour pro has to part with any cash for their equipment but Shane Lowry parted with $229 for a new wand after his first round of the CJ Cup.

The former Open champion tweeted that he had 'accidentally' broken his putter on the 9th hole at Congaree GC which then meant that he had to drive an hour to a PGA Tour Superstore to find a new Odyssey White Hot OG 2-ball.

Generally speaking a player at a PGA Tour event would be able to get their hands on a replacement but with next week's event in Bermuda the tour trucks had already left South Carolina.

Lowry actually played his back nine in two under, with just 14 putts, for a three-under opening 68 but the putter obviously needed replacing, hence the round trip in the $10.5m event.

We all know Lowry is one of the good guys and he was true to form by paying for the putter, he included his receipt on Twitter as proof, rather than offering a free bit of publicity for his new putter.

Usually when the Tour pros have an equipment need they just pop into the lavish, high-tech trucks that litter the driving ranges at the big events.

As for how he 'accidentally' broke the putter in the first place, he replied 'long story but was an accident'.

Lowry's putting has improved in recent times, in 2020 and 2021 he was 163rd and 140th for Strokes Gained: Putting but he has noticeably turned that around – in 2022 he was 63rd. Let's hope the new purchase does him a few favours in the coming weeks.

Accidentally broke my putter on the 9th hole today…Hour drive to get a replacement. Thanks to the staff at the PGA Tour Superstore in Bluffton for their help. ☘️ pic.twitter.com/9hpfhDtg1J

— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) October 20, 2022