A Fresh Start with a Familiar Face: Shane Lowry Changes Caddies

Shane Lowry is going through what is arguably the most difficult phase of his recent career. After missing the cut at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, the Irish Open champion has pulled the plug: Caddie Darren Reynolds has to hand over the bag. For the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, Lowry is reuniting with a longtime partner—Dermot Byrne, who was by his side for the first ten years of his professional career.

A Season to Forget

The numbers speak for themselves. In 14 starts on the 2026 PGA Tour, Lowry has managed just two top-10 finishes, along with five top-25 finishes—and already four missed cuts. By comparison, he didn’t miss any more cuts in the entire 2020–21 season. His position in the world rankings reflects this downturn: he has slipped from No. 26 at the start of the year to No. 45.

The spring was particularly painful. At the Cognizant Classic, Lowry was still in the lead with four holes left to play—and ultimately let the tournament slip away. The next setback came at the subsequent U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. “My golf just isn’t clicking right now. I’m not enjoying it. I didn’t have any fun this week,” Lowry said after his early exit. Words that hint at the depth of his frustration.

A Familiar Face in Uncertain Times

Who is Dermot Byrne, and why was he the one chosen? The answer lies in their shared history: Byrne caddied for Lowry from his professional debut through 2018—a span of about a decade during which the Irishman made his way to the top of the world rankings. Their shared highlight was the victory at the 2015 WGC Invitational at Firestone. Most recently, Byrne had been caddieing for Leona Maguire until their working relationship ended in 2024.

There are also pragmatic reasons why Byrne is stepping in for Lowry again: After the U.S. Open, there was little time to hire a new caddie. Byrne was available, Byrne knew his man—and Byrne was ready. Their partnership has been confirmed for the Travelers Championship for now. What happens after that remains to be seen. “We’ll see how it goes. To be honest, I have no idea,” Lowry said when asked.

From Stand-in to Regular Caddie—and Back to Square One

To understand what this change means, it’s worth taking a look at Lowry’s caddie history—because it reveals a lot about the 39-year-old’s character.

After parting ways with Byrne in 2018—a move Lowry later publicly described as a mistake—he brought Brian “Bo” Martin on board. With Martin, he experienced the biggest moment of his career to date: victory at the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. But this partnership also came to an end; in 2023, they parted ways, not without some bitterness, as Lowry later hinted.

His successor, Reynolds, was originally a stopgap solution. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Martin was unavailable, Reynolds stepped in at the last minute. It wasn’t easy for Lowry to approach him in the first place: “I’ve known Darren for years. He had just started working with Alex Levy on the European Tour. That was actually the reason I almost didn’t want to ask him—I knew he’d just started a new job and didn’t want to lure him away, only for it not to work out with us. But honestly, I had very few options,” Lowry explained to Golf.com. Reynolds started on a trial basis—and stayed.

A partnership with highs, lows, and an unforgettable moment

What followed were some of the best years of Lowry’s recent career. Together, he and Reynolds won the 2024 Zurich Classic—alongside Rory McIlroy, arguably the most popular Irishman in world golf. Reynolds commented on the triumph on Instagram, saying: “Some Sundays are just better. What a week—I love this team.” A set that perfectly captured the energy of this partnership.

But the emotional highlight was something else entirely. At the 2025 Ryder Cup, which saw Team Europe triumph once again, Lowry delivered one of the week’s most defining moments—and Reynolds was right there with him. “I said to Darren on the way to the 18th, ‘I’ve got a chance right here to do the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,’” Lowry later recalled.

With these moments under his belt, the end of the partnership is all the more remarkable. But the results in 2026 took their toll: four missed cuts, no wins, no momentum. Reynolds is now history—as the third and, so far, last full-time caddie in Lowry’s professional career.

A Fresh Start with Question Marks

It remains to be seen whether the return to Byrne is more than just a last-ditch effort. Lowry himself is deliberately leaving the future open. It wouldn’t be the first time that a caddie change has marked a turning point—for better or for worse. In 2018, the split from Byrne caused some short-term turmoil, but in the long run, it also led to the Open triumph. Whether history will repeat itself remains to be seen in the second half of the season.

One thing is certain: Lowry needs answers—on the course. And perhaps he’ll find them when he once again has someone by his side who already knows him before the questions are even asked.