Shane Lowry has backed Rory McIlroy to get over his Augusta heartbreak and complete the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy missed the cut after a second round 77 as his wait for his elusive fifth major goes on.
The pre-tournament joint favourite was three shots outside the projected cut when he signed his card shortly before a 21-minute suspension in play due to the threat of lightning.
And although more bad weather made scoring difficult on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, McIlroy eventually missed the cut by two.
McIlroy, who had been backed by Tiger Woods earlier in the week to “definitely” win the Masters at some point in his career, had been on what proved to be the cut mark when he birdied the 13th and 15th, only to drop shots on two of the last three holes.
“To be honest I felt like he was going to have a good week this week,” Lowry said after completing his third round.
“I spent a lot of time with him over the last couple of weeks but that’s golf. A lot of times you don’t get what you deserve.
“It’s obviously been very tough for him. I’ll catch up with him next week. I’m sure he’ll get over it. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Lowry and McIlroy are both in the field for next week’s RBC Heritage event in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Read Next
Willie Mullins lands 113,999/1 Easter Sunday eight-timer ahead of Irish Grand National
Tiger Woods withdraws from 2023 Masters after completing just seven holes of third round
Irish Grand National horse selector: Pick who to side with in the big race
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
