Shane Lowry has parted company with caddie Brian “Bo” Martin, who has been with the Irish golfer since 2018.
The caddie was there with the Offaly man when he won the British Open at Royal Portrush in 2019. He also helped Lowry at his most recent victory, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last year.
However, Lowry has struggled in recent weeks to kick off his 2023 campaign, most recently missing the cut at the Dubai Desert Classic. The split was “amicable” and was a result of Lowry lacking “spark”, according to a report in the Irish Independent.
Martin caught the headlines for his contributions during the 2019 British Open. He was known for keeping Lowry on level ground during that rollercoaster week.
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After that major win, Lowry said: “Bo has been incredible the last year. He’s brought a new lease of life to me. He is so thrilled. He was unbelievable today. He kept on my back all day, kept talking to me, he kept in my ear. I kept on telling him how nervous I was, how scared I was, how much I didn’t want to mess it up.
After winning at Portrush, Lowry said: “We just said let’s enjoy it, play some golf, have some craic along the way and make a few quid.”
However, tensions began to show at the Masters last year. On the par five 13th on Saturday, with Lowry in contention, a poorly judged lay-up yardage led to Lowry overhitting the green and ending up with a six. “What a f****** s*** yardage that was. Well done, well done Bo. Only 30 yards out. Well done,” Lowry said.
In the aftermath of his win at Wentworth last year, however, Lowry praised the contributions of Martin.
Martin, from Northern Ireland, played golf in Ardglass and had previously caddied for Irish golfers such as Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie. It is Lowry’s second high-profile split from an Irish caddie, having moved on from Dermot Byrne in 2018.
The move to Martin was a fruitful one, as Lowry finished sixth in Portugal in his first week with Martin, and he contended in Spain a few weeks later, finishing second. Early the following year he won the Abu Dhabi Championship.
When Martin took over, Lowry was ranked 86th in the world. The Irishman is now ranked 22nd in the world rankings and is currently in the automatic qualification places for the Ryder Cup. Lowry will take a week break before teeing up again at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour.
