Shane Lowry is in Toronto for his final tune-up event in the lead in to the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills where his iron play and short game prowess should prove invaluable at what has typically been one of the toughest courses to host the USGA’s showpiece event, but the Offaly man is not just at the RBC Canadian Open to get practice in.
A T13 finish last year at the same venue could’ve been much higher were it not for two late bogeys – even though victory would’ve required three birdies over the same stretch of holes and a playoff success – but he admits that he’s take a shine to the venue and the nation.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve always loved coming up to Canada and, you know, it’s a great time of year to come here and get in a good tournament the week before the US Open as well,” he told Adam Stanley of the local Sports Net network. “And yeah, I played pretty good over the years. You know, I remember having a little bit of a chance coming down the last few holes last year, so hopefully I can do it again this year and give myself a chance.”
Lowry’s season has been a mix of ups and downs, twice letting good victory chances slip through his hands in the early months – one at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational, then again at the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic – and he admits that recent results haven’t been quite what he’d have liked.
“Yeah, it’s gotten a bit slow after a good start to the year, and I certainly need something to kind of jumpstart the rest of my year,” he said. “Wouldn’t be a better week than this, so hopefully it happens.”
In the aftermath of his disappointment in the Cognizant Classic at PGA National where he looked primed to win before twice finding the water over the closing three holes, he admitted that he was desperate to win a tournament in front of his youngest daughter who had yet to experience her father hoisting a trophy on Sunday.
But the entire Lowry family are in Toronto so should he find himself at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday evening, it would be an extra special moment.
“Well, they’re here this week. So it’s, you know, at the Cognizant I was probably most devastated for that reason,” he admitted. “Especially my little one — she has never been there when I’ve won a tournament. And yeah, it is a big motivation of mine. It’s the reason I get up every morning. They are here this week, we’re only a couple of miles down the road, so it will be easy. That would be super fun.”
Lowry plays alongside fellow Ryder Cup hopefuls Alex Fitzpatrick and Bob MacIntyre in rounds one and two, with the trio set to get underway at 18:10 Irish time on Thursday.
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