Shane Lowry Splits With Long-Time Caddie Bo Martin
The pair, who won the 2019 Open Championship together, have split after four-and-a-half years
Shane Lowry is looking for a new caddie after splitting with long-time bag man Brian 'Bo' Martin, first reported by the Irish Independent.
The pair had apparently lost their ‘competitive spark’ according to sources, with the Irish Independent understanding that they had been considering splitting for several weeks, having lost their "spark" or "chemistry."
The split has been confirmed by Lowry's management team at Horizon Sports Management.
Lowry hasn't got off to the best of starts in 2023 after a disappointing Hero Cup, where he was the only player in the event to lose all four matches. He then recorded a T28 in Abu Dhabi before a missed cut in Dubai, which turned out be his and Martin's last week together.
Lowry and Martin first teamed up at the Portugal Masters in September 2018, going on to win their first title together just four months later at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, ending a three-and-a-half year winning drought for the Irishman.
Their crowning moment came later in the summer at Royal Portrush, where Lowry sealed his maiden Major title by six strokes from Tommy Fleetwood in front of home fans on the island of Ireland.
"Bo has been great for me over the last year," Lowry said at Portrush. "It’s like he's given me a new lease on life. He's so chilled. He's so relaxed. Maybe he isn't inside but he definitely comes across that way."
They had to wait over three years for their next win together, which came at the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth - but just four months later their relationship has come to an end.
Martin had previously worked with Gary Murphy, Peter Lawrie, Alex Levy and Lucas Bjerregaard.
Lowry currently ranks 22nd in the world and will be desperate to make his second Ryder Cup appearance later this year in Rome following his debut at Whistling Straits in 2021.
His next start should come at next week's elevated WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. The PGA Tour's top pros have to commit to all the elevated events, barring one, and the Irishman has already missed one at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
It remains to be seen who he has on the bag in Phoenix.
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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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