Shane Lowry believes an Irish winner at this week’s Masters would be historic as he and Rory McIlroy prepare to tee it up on Thursday after both players enjoyed a sensational run of form this spring.
McIlroy won twice at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass while Lowry has two top-10s and a runner-up finish on the PGA Tour this season as he rose to a career-high 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, raising hopes that this could finally be the year an Irishman claims the green jacket.
“It would be huge. It really would be. I think it would be would be one of the biggest things that he’s ever happened in sport in our country. So, try not to think about stuff like that (laughing). I’m mentally strong enough now it will be gone by Thursday morning,” said Lowry shortly after it was announced that he would play the opening 36 holes of the 89th Masters alongside 2021 winner Hideki Matsuyama and current US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
“I think it would be one of the biggest things that has ever happened in sport in our country.”
McIlroy and Lowry have gone head to head on Sunday already this season as the former came out on top at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and it would be no surprise if they found themselves battling it out on the back nine this Sunday either.
Both players need the win for different reasons.
McIlroy is competing to finally complete the career grand slam with a maiden Masters victory while there is also the added pressure of his eleven year wait for a fifth major title since winning the 2014 PGA Championship.
Lowry on the other hand hasn’t churned out the wins his sensational play has warranted. Just two missed cuts since the 2023 Irish Open, yet he has not tasted an individual victory since the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
So victories this week in both respects are long overdue.
“I think obviously if it’s not me I hope it’s him,” Lowry said. “We’re both in good form, we’ve both prepared very well, I know that and we both will give it our best and that’s all we can do.”
He added: “Obviously there is a lot of pressure on him but I think he’s at a stage now where he’s certainly able to handle it.
“He’s won everything there is to win in golf. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was to give it a run this week.
“I think there’s a couple of players that if you finish ahead of them this week you’ll have a chance and he’s one of them.”
The Offaly man has the game tee to green to compete here, particularly with his stellar iron play. His putting has improved on the PGA Tour this year and he has already shown that when he gets hot in major championships he can be on fire on the greens.
He made a career-high 161 feet of putts during the third round of last year’s PGA Championship and he knows his putter will have to be warm for all 72 holes this week if he is to trouble the upper echelons of the leaderboard.
“I’ve never felt like I’ve had my, even that year 2022, 2023 the following year I played great, and then last year I wasn’t great. I never felt like I fully holed my fair share of putts around here. I feel if I can do that I can do something.”
Leave a comment