Shane Lowry is one of the most emotive players on the European Ryder Cup team. Even if he doesn’t play, he’s jumping in as Rory’s bodyguard at Marco Simone.
The one time Andy Dawber (big ginger guy who usually protects Rory from the evil who walk this earth) wasn’t there the other big fella stepped in to fight off Joe LaCava in that famous car park brawl.
Europe have been using VR headsets to acclimatise to the hostile atmosphere they will face from the US fans. If Keegan Bradley has similar ideas for his twelve players, they might just watch a Lowry and Hatton curse compilation.
A lot of people have questioned Lowry’s inclusion in Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup side for Bethpage Black next week. But it’s too condescending to the Offaly man to just label him as someone who is good for the team room, or is the heartbeat of the team.
He is, but like Ian Poulter, he can also win matches.
‘The magic hands of Shane Lowry’ a phrase we hear all too often when it is actually his ball striking that lays the foundation for his game
Fourth in strokes gained approach to the green on the PGA Tour last season and fifteenth in strokes gained tee to green. Lowry is one of the best ball strikers in the world and ball striking will be a crucial asset at Bethpage Black.
Depending on how long the golf course plays and how tough the rough is, Lowry’s accuracy will be crucial which makes him a perfect foursomes partner, like he was for Sepp Straka in Rome.
But in 2021 at Whistling Straits he played fourballs with Tyrrell Hatton and after finding a new Srixon model driver head which has eradicated the dreaded high spinning miss, he has regained the lost distance and looks ready to fire after two bright weeks at the Irish Open and Wentworth.
Had it not been for a cold putter on a much too regular occurrence, Lowry would have added to his trophy cabinet which has still yet to be updated since the 2022 BMW PGA Championship.
The 2019 Open champion is a streaky putter, but streaky putters often win matches. Streaky putting is OK in a Ryder Cup. Match that with his adrenaline and it could be a dangerous combination.
The putter frequently leaves Lowry in a sulk on the walk from green to tee, but matchplay allows you to be more aggressive on the greens knowing that either your partner will bail you out or you might just get away without having to grind over that three footer coming back.
Also, in foursomes, you won’t be putting everytime so there is that.
Since losing out to his likely partner at some stage, Sepp Straka at the Truist Championship, Lowry has missed two major cuts and not posted a top-10. However, as much as Ryder Cup selections come down to recent form, he is trending nicely with seven cuts and, a T15 finish at the K Club and 46th last week, where he started very well and had it not been for a 71st hole double bogey, he would have been higher.
Although it has been another frustratingly winless season for Lowry, the Ryder Cup has been at the forefront of his mind for most of the season as it has been for the European team with all of the players very open about their desperation to win on US soil.
On the Sunday of the Open Championship, Lowry had already turned his attentions to preparing for Bethpage Black. Now that it’s on the horizon, if he can help Europe win away for the first time since 2012, it will have been a brilliant year.
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