Lowry counting down to Christmas after silly season mistakes lead to 74 in Albany

Shane Lowry tees off on the 17th hole during the first round at the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Robert Beck/USGA)

SHANE LOWRY can't wait for his Christmas break after his lack of course knowledge cost him dear and he opened with a 74 that left him five shots off the pace on his debut in the Hero World Challenge.

The world number 20 followed a bogey at the seventh with a double-bogey six following a poor tee shot at the 10th to slip to three-over in Tiger Woods' event at Albany.

While he fought back to level par with birdies at the 11th, 14th and 15th, another bad tee shot cost him a double-bogey six at the 16th.

The 2019 Open champion found himself tied 15th in the 20-man field, five strokes behind new Korean star Tom Kim (20), Austrian Sepp Straka, Collin Morikawa and defending champion Viktor Hovland who carded three-under 69s to lead by a shot Sam Burns in the Bahamas.

"I am now so looking forward to taking time off after this week, believe you me," Lowry said with a grin.

“I was thinking, and particularly after finding the water on 10 and taking a double, what am I doing playing golf in December.

“Today was pretty much what my game was like a few weeks ago in Dubai - a lot of good stuff but some stupid mistakes. It was December golf, end of the year golf out there."

Lowry didn't get to play the hole from the seventh to the 18th in practice due to weather delays and it proved costly.

"Neil and I did drive around holes seven, eight and nine this morning but it's not the same without a club in your hand," he said.

"So, I am putting my score, and the two bad drives I hit, down to I didn't really know where I was going."

It was a far better day for Holywood teenager Tom McKibbin, who notched his fifth career hole-in-one en route to a five-under 67 in the DP World Tour's Investec South African Open in Johannesburg.

The Newtownabbey rookie (19) holed a five-iron at the uphill, 224-yard 11th at Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate.

He went on to birdie the par-five 13th before hitting his tee shot inside three feet at the par-three 17th to end the day tied for seventh, just three shots behind South Africa's Thriston Lawrence, who equalled his course record with an eight-under 64 for a one-stroke lead over England's Ross Fisher and Swede Jens Fahrbring.

"It was just a perfect five-iron and my caddie Chris said, just go right at it," McKibbin reported. "So I went right at it and it didn't really leave the flag. Obviously, you can't really see it as it's uphill. But I just heard everyone cheering and we knew it was in, so that was pretty cool."

Fellow rookie Gary Hurley (29) was pleased to continue his hot form by making four birdies in a bogey in a 69 that leaves him tied 25th as Kinsale's John Murphy shot a two-over 74 to lie 126th.