By Bernie McGuire in Dubai.
Shane Lowry is off the bench after Sunday’s shocker and back in play for this week’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic after spending Monday in the company of Premier League footballing stars – Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford.
Lowry joined the England pair, along with his Horizon Sports manager Brian Moran tackling The Els Club course in Dubai and with Lowry getting onto social media to say he and Moran had won the money.
The Clara golfer played a 9-hole practice round Tuesday on this week’s host Dubai course at the Emirates Club ahead of being out early by 8am local time in very hazy conditions, hopefully having buried the demons of last Sunday.
“Monday was great fun with Harry, Jordan, and Brian and it all came about as we went to Old Trafford back in December and Brian knows Harry’s agent really well and they looked after us for tickets and so on,” said Lowry.
“So, with the lads out here in Dubai on a winter break, it just worked out well on Monday to play at The Els Club. When you look at the photograph we took, I look like the shorty as they’re big guys.
“They’re also pretty decent golfers and it was a great day, particularly what happened on Sunday. It was just so disappointing to finish in the manner I did. The last thing I wanted to do, and not that I would have done it was to be sitting in my hotel room Monday sulking about what took place on Sunday.
“I have to tell you though it was hard having to swallow the outcome. It was my first tournament of the year and I really wasn’t with it on Sunday. Mentally, I wasn’t really as good as I should have been.
“It was a tough week and while Friday was brutal, then come Saturday I shot five-under so easy and was probably hoping for a just as easy a score on Sunday and I wasn’t really ready for like a level par.
“I have to say that I would not have thought teeing-up on Sunday that 11-under would win. It did, and I guess you live and learn.”
Lowry is teeing-up this week on the first grass course in the UAE for an eighth appearance with his resume at the event highlighted by a T11 finish in 2020.
“I’ve been here a few times though I have missed a few years when playing over in the U.S. playing on the West Coast but it’s nice and great to be back here in Dubai,” he said.
“As we know, they have reworked all 18 greens, so they’re bigger and because they are new greens they are a lot firmer, so I feel as though scoring is going to be tricky this week.
“You are going to need to be on the fairway to make birdie but I’m just looking forward to the week and drawing on the positives from last week, and there are a good few I can take into the week.
“Look, I had two bad holes last week that cost me badly, and other than that the game is pretty good for this early in the New Year.”
Lowry will join double Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic winner Rory McIlroy along with fellow Open Champion Padraig Harrington in the field that also features Clandeboye’s Jonathan Caldwell.
DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC TEE-TIMES (Irish time)
- 50am Jonathon Caldewell
- 4am – Rory McIlroy
- 10am Shane Lowry
- 40am Padraig Harrington
- Full scoring HERE
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