The Cognizant Classic – formerly the Honda Classic – at PGA National in West Palm Beach has become a staple of Shane Lowry’s PGA Tour schedule, and the County Offaly man feels very much at home there for one simple reason; it is home.
Lowry and his family moved to the area in 2018, and while many other big-name PGA Tour pros have begun skipping the event due to it falling immediately after the Pebble Beach and Genesis Invitational Signature Events, the advantages of home comfort mean Lowry is more than content to tee it up again, and the inclusion of this week’s event, plus two more Signature Events in the weeks following, means he’ll play tournament golf on five consecutive weeks.
“Well, I think if it was five weeks in a row and there was no home weeks in there, I wouldn’t play five weeks in a row,” he explained in his pre-tournament press conference. “I think the fact I’m saying at home this week makes it easier. I get to drive to Bay Hill next week, so there’s no flights. I get to see my family. They get to come to Bay Hill and THE PLAYERS. There’s a lot in there that makes the five weeks easier than sort of if you’re five weeks away from home.”
While the region is heavily populated with PGA Tour players, most take the opportunity to take the week off despite having the ability to sleep in their own beds, but for Lowry, who would be practicing heavily anyway were he not in competition, it makes sense to get another tournament in.
“Yeah, when we’re home, it’s not that we’re not thinking about golf,” he said. “We’re still working. We’re still at the golf course practicing every day. I’m sure those guys are, too. It’s fine. I get to stay in my own bed. I’m playing early tomorrow, so I won’t get to drop the kids to school but I get to pick them up. Friday I get to drop them to school. It’s a nice week.
“My dad came and he’s staying with me. It’s just nice. I like it. Some people might not, but I do like it.”
There’s also his course record to consider. In the past four years, he’s finished as runner-up, had two top-five finishes, and recorded a T11 in last year’s event, so it’s a golf course that fits his eye.
“I feel like I’ve been out on Tour a long time now, and I play a lot of tournaments where I don’t particularly like the golf course or I don’t play well around there. I need to take advantage of the courses that I play well on and that I like playing. There’s certain times you just have to do it,” he explained.
“I think the five weeks, it’s all about managing my time and trying to rest and recover and just stay fresh as much as I can because obviously the fifth week is THE PLAYERS, which is obviously one of our bigger tournaments.
“But there’s a lot in there that is the reason I’m playing the five weeks.”
The Florida swing has become Lowry’s favoured time of year, and there’s more to it than just being close to home, though familiarity with the surfaces has certainly played its part.
If he had his way, he’d play all of the events in the Florida region, though he concedes that six consecutive weeks of tournament golf may be pushing it.
“Yeah, I really enjoy Florida golf,” he said. “It’s funny, when I moved here first or when I started coming, when I played the old Honda Classic as it was back when I started playing here, I couldn’t figure out how to chip around these greens. I wish it was overseeded back then.
“But I figured it out, I moved here, and you kind of learn how to deal with the Bermuda and the Florida grasses, and I do love Florida golf now. I really enjoy this tournament, Bay Hill, PLAYERS. I really enjoy going to play the Valspar, even though I might not play this year. I’m not sure I can play six in a row. But there’s certain courses I love playing, and a lot of them are Florida courses.”
Lowry is heavily fancied to put in another good showing this week, and the bookmakers have installed him as joint-favourite alongside American Ryan Gerard. Lowry plays alongside England’s Aaron Rai and Florida native, Billy Horschel in the opening two rounds, teeing off at 12:21 p.m. on Thursday.
Séamus Power is also in the field, and he’ll feature in the late wave on Thursday, joining Charley Hoffman and Christiaan Bezuidenhout as they hit the first tee at 5:47 p.m.
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