New father of two Lowry hoping for double celebration at Tour HQ

New father of two Shane Lowry is hoping for a double celebration toast this Sunday night with confirmation of his European Ryder Cup selection.

Lowry is currently holding down ninth place and the final automatic qualifying spot in Padraig Harrington’s team with Harrington to announce his full 12-man line-up soon after the close of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

The Clara golfer will tee-up on the famed ‘Burma Road’ West Course for a 12^th straight year, showing his fondness for the course with a second-place finish behind Rory McIlroy in 2014 along with another three other top-10s. Another strong finish at Tour HQ would cement Lowry’s place in the side and see the Ryder Cup rookie heading off later this month to Wisconsin just a fortnight after Leona Maguire’s similar Solheim Cup rookie journey to Ohio.

Unlike Maguire, Lowry’s still got some work to do with as there’s three other potential rookies in Bernd Wiesberger, Victor Perez and Robert MacIntyre each looking to oust Lowry from his ninth place standing.

“I probably have a few people gunning for me this week but I’m in a great position,” said Lowry.

“I’ve worked very hard this year to get there. I’ve definitely spent the last five, six years trying to make a Ryder Cup Team. So, I feel like I’ve got a great opportunity this week and looking forward to going out and trying to do it.

“I feel like I’ve played some really good golf over the last while and my form is good, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I’m using old golf clichés but I can only look after myself and it’s one shot at a time and all that stuff, and try to shoot the best scores I can and have the best week I can.

“If there’s a week that I’m coming to try and perform, Wentworth is one of the places I like to play. So hopefully I can go out and perform well this week.”

Lowry is returning to competition after ending his PGA Tour season at the recent BMW Championship in Baltimore and it was a timely arrival home to Dublin with wife Wendy giving birth overnight on 1^st September to a new addition to the family with the birth of Ivy.

That’s now three women in Lowry’s family with first daughter Iris born four-years ago and who was in mum’s arms when dad was handed the gleaming Claret Jug in capturing the 2019 Open Championship.

“It wasn’t very good timing, was it,” Lowry said smiling. “It was the week of the Tour Championship. It’s been great. Obviously, it’s amazing. It’s far bigger than any golf tournament or any result you’ll ever have or anything you’ll ever do.

“It’s just been amazing and everyone is great at home, and I’m so grateful and thankful for all that. I actually still can’t believe I have two kids. It’s mad but it’s great.

“Clearly the main thing is both of them, Wendy and Ivy are happy and healthy though its tough leaving them this week and being here but I have a job to do.”

That job will see Lowry teeing-up alongside confirmed members of Harrington’s team in Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood which some punters may suggest means Lowry already looks to have secured his Whistling Straits selection whether he qualifies automatically or not.

“Myself and Pádraig have a very good friendship and a very good relationship and yes I have spoken to him a little bit over the last while,” said Lowry.

“But no, I’ve not spoken to him about partnerships or relationships or anything like that. I’m sure he’s waiting to finalise his team before he starts talking about that to my players. I’m sure he’s spoken to guys that are already on the team about stuff like that.

“What I like about Wentworth, it’s not just the — it’s actually not just the golf course or Wentworth itself. It’s just the whole area. I love coming, we’re fortunate we get to stay in such a lovely hotel like Coworth Park and you’re around Ascot and Sunningdale, and it’s a nice place to go and hang out and be, and it’s a lovely place to play golf.

“The crowds present here are amazing. The British golf crowds are the best in the world and they acknowledge a good shot and they know how to act on the golf course. It’s just nice being out here and playing a tournament like this, and I’ve loved it from day one. It’s always felt like a major to me. I just loved it from day one. Yeah, other than that, that’s it really.”

And if Lowry needed any further inspiration this week, there was official confirmation earlier on Wednesday that Royal Portrush will host the 2025 153^rd Open Championship. Ireland had waited 68-years from 1951 to 2019 to host golf’s oldest major when Lowry stormed to a six-shot success on the Co. Antrim and now nine-years later the club will again host The Open.

“It’s great it’s going back to Royal Portrush so quickly,” he said. “Obviously in my very biased opinion, it’s one of the best Opens I’ve ever played in. But no, without taking the win out of it and all that, I think anybody you talked to, the American players and the other players that played, they really enjoyed the venue and thought it was one of the great Opens that they played.

“It’s great to be going back there in 2025. Look forward to it. Don’t have to worry about being in it or not. I’ll be there. It’s great it’s coming back quickly, and exciting for the people in Portrush and Ireland that we are going back there.”

BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP – IRISH TEE TIMES