Lowry finds his sweet spot in west Clare
Shane Lowry
Little has gone right for Shane Lowry this year, but he may just have found his sweet spot in West Clare, where he combined the artistic side of his brain with 17 years of experience and thrust himself into the mix at the Amgen Irish Open.
A four-year winless streak as an individual, coupled with some self-inflicted wounds this season, has taken its toll on the 2009 champion.
But he showed in the course of a marathon six-hour 10-minute slog around Trump International Golf Links that he’s ready to reap the rewards of his hard work.
On a day when LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann showed that he’s a world-class player, carding a five-under 65 to set the pace in 30 mph westerly gusts, Lowry was tucked in just behind him, tied for second in the clubhouse with South Africa’s Shaun Norris when play was suspended due to darkness with 21 players yet to finish.
“Just a lot of maturity, a lot of work,” Lowry said of what’s gotten him to this point. “You know, I don't think I've ever done as much to try and improve myself, and I feel like I'm doing a lot of things right, on and off the course. And you know, I'm very hopeful that that pays off at some stage.”
At one stage, Lowry worked out that he hit just two full shots in the space of an hour due to delays and he allowed himself to play by feel.
“It was easy to get out there and try and play by the numbers. You feel like the wind is playing 30 yards or 25 yards. At the end of the day, I said to Dermot if it's not a five or it's not a seven, it's a six, and just try and hit the best shot you can
“I felt like I did a good job of just staying in my own lane and being myself, and yeah, it was good.”
Tournament Director Miguel Vidaor, one of the Tour’s most experienced and respected officials, explained that the slow play was a “perfect storm” of unfortunate events in a championship where a one-tee start enforced by the position of the par-three ninth, 2 km from the clubhouse as the crow flies— left officials no room for manoeuvre.
“It's wind, it's links, it's long grass, oscillating balls, rulings, ball searches, you name it, one after the other, and there's no space out on the golf course,” Vidaor said.
The Spaniard is expecting lighter 8-15 mph winds and fewer problems in round two, and Lowry will be hoping to take advantage after building on a fast start, scorewise rather than chronometrically, in round one.
“It's nice to shoot a good score, and it's nice to not feel like you're going out chasing something tomorrow,” Lowry said.
“I think the conditions are supposed to be a little bit better tomorrow. It's still going to be not that easy, but hopefully, I can go out there and shoot a score and give myself a late tee time on Saturday.”
Tom McKibbin showed Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald he’s a player to be watched as he carded a 68 that left him joint seventh.
“I got to play with him a couple years ago, and to do it again here today and in Ireland was pretty special,” McKibbin said. “To get to play with him and hopefully show him the way I can play was nice.”
Rory McIlroy was also happy to shoot in the red, making three birdies against a double bogey six at the 13th (a converted par-five) where he left his ambitious 153-yard bunker shot in the sand
Padraig Harrington was tied 45th with Liam Nolan (13 holes) after a one-over 71 but Cormac Sharvin, Max Kennedy and Seamus Power shot 73s as Mark Power and Thomas Higgins signed for 74s.
