While Philadelphia’s Aronimink Golf Club hasn’t hosted a major championship since Gary Player’s PGA Championship win 64 years ago, and the golf course that faced the PGA Tour pros when they played the 2019 BMW Championship there was soaking wet, several players have been steadily familiarising themselves with the layout and the challenge they’ll face this week.
Shane Lowry is one of those.
Having opted to sit out the PGA Tour’s Truist Championship – a Signature Event with a $20 million purse – the 2019 Open champion instead headed north from his Florida home and set up camp in Pennsylvania in preparation for the PGA Championship.
“I played 18 Friday, 12 Saturday and nine Sunday,” said Lowry, who has supplemented that with nine holes on each of the traditional pre-tournament practice days where the golf course is heavily packed and rounds treacle slow.
“I felt like those three days would stand to me more than the last three days because yesterday and today I’ve just been going out there playing, trying to make sure that I’m hitting good shots and getting some targets off the tees. So yeah, I feel like I’m ready to go,” he told the Irish press aseembled.
Though his form has been somewhat patchy since he went into the final round at Augusta National in firm contention before stumbling to a closing 81, he has plenty of reason to be optimistic of his chances this week.
The PGA Championship is the major that he’s consistently fared best in with three top-10 finishes and just one missed cut in the last decade, along with a major low-round-record-equalling 62 at Valhalla two years ago.
There are many similarities with Philadelphia Cricket Club, venue of last year’s Truist Championship, where Lowry was in the final group on Sunday and had a putt to get into a playoff on the 72nd hole.
“There are a few holes that will suit the longer hitters, but I do think that overall, a good driver of the ball and some solid iron play will really do well around here,” he said, and over the past few years he’s been among the tour leaders in approach play.
“I’ve played a few rounds now here, and I like what I see. I like this style of golf,” he added.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for the Offaly man will be to shrug off that closing round at Augusta National is he again finds himself among the leaders on Sunday.
“Geez, yeah, it was hard,” he said of the round where he started fourth and finished tied for 30th.
“I’ve been lucky to experience some great things, but obviously, I’ve had some disappointments, and that was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. Ever.
“Like, literally, after I finished, Rory was walking up to me, and I had to go out and put on a brave face, and I was happy for him, don’t get me wrong.
“One of my close friends winning the Masters, I was very happy for him, but it was a hard place for me to stand there in front of everyone and put on a brave face.
“It was a tough evening, tough few days, and then before you know it, it’s Thursday, and you have no choice but to keep going.”
Lowry had allowed himself to dream of joining his friend in the Butler Cabin and having that green jacket slipped onto his shoulders, which made the final round all the harder to stomach.
“I’m not saying I had any given right to go out and win the Masters, but to put myself there again this year and do pretty much the same as I did last year, it’s a big disappointment, and I’m not getting any younger, so these things are hard to take at times,” he explained.
But the best way to get over major disappointment is to get back in the saddle and ride again.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that there are good things coming. And if you keep getting up every day and keep working hard and being positive, you’ll be alright,” he said.
And there is a lot at stake, not just this week, but over the coming months and with the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor looming on the not-so-distant horizon, and it’s that and the major championships that dominate his focus though the financial benefits and Signature Event access that the FedEx Cup grants can’t be overlooked.
“There’s a lot of golf to be played,” he said. “Let’s be honest, I want to do well in the FedEx Cup, I want to do well in the regular events and the signature events, but at this stage of my career, it’s all about the Majors and the Ryder Cups, and I’d love to contend a couple of times in Majors this summer.”
His first chance comes this week.
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