Shane Lowry probably would’ve liked to have had a week off following his incredible 11-stroke win in the Amgen Irish Open at Doonbeg, but with a Ryder Cup get-together at Adare Manor on Monday and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth coming hot on the heels, there’s been little time to celebrate and even less time to rest.
“I’ve been pretty busy since I finished on Sunday and I’ve got this afternoon now to sort of chill and try to get my head around back to competing tomorrow because at the end of the day, I’m a professional and I’m a golfer and I want to go out there and do my best,” he told the press at DP World Tour HQ.
“It will be up to me to sort myself out and get some rest. Rest is going to be important over the next few days and if I can play golf the way I am, hopefully give myself a chance this week, as well.”
The now two-time Irish Open winner admits that his victory last week, and the magnitude of it, has yet to fully sink in, but coming off the back of a year where there’s been many ups and downs, keeping his foot on the pedal and riding the crest of the wave is the goal.
“Not really, to be honest,” he said when asked if he’d had much time to reflect on last week’s events. “It’s been a mad few days. But I’m sure as time goes on, I will. Obviously I’m here at a big tournament this week and I want to kind of keep going and playing good golf. To win my National Open by 11 shots was incredible. To do it the way I did… everything about the whole week, the crowds, the afters there – it was an amazing week. I’ve been through a few little tough times this year. It’s been pretty good to do that.”
Lowry was one of 16 players to assemble at Adare Manor for an informal Ryder Cup get-together organised by Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari, and though he didn’t arrive until the early hours of Monday morning and had his alarm set for 7:00am, he believes that the session was a worthwhile one and only served to make all 16 players even more determined to be part of the squad that returns to battle the United States in a year’s time.
“It was really nice, I was very tired on the course, but we had a good time,” he said. “It was a worthwhile trip for the team, and I’m sure Luke and Dodo got some good stuff out of it. I got to go home and see my parents and everyone and Offaly on Monday evening, so that was nice.
“I’ve had a nice few days. It’s been great. There’s been plenty of Mondays this year where I’ve been not in the best of form so it’s nice to kind of be around to people you’re closest to and yeah try and enjoy it as much as you can.
“But yeah, I’m sure for the likes of Angel [Arroyo] and Eugenio [Chacarra] and the other guys that were there, – I played with Angel; me, him, Tommy [Fleetwood] and Rosey [Justin Rose] – and it’s nice to be in that environment.
“It might give them something extra that they need to kick on now and go ahead to make the team. I’m sure it was nice for him to be around some Ryder Cup players that have been there for awhile, they will learn a thing or two maybe.”
Prior to Lowry’s win at Doonbeg, the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth was his last victory, and it’s one of the events he looks forward to most on his annual calendar.
“This is my favourite tournament of the year,” he said. “I love coming over here. Just love being here, the whole area. We get looked after so well. I think this is obviously our biggest tournament of the year, and the Tour do a great job in the tournament they put on here. So yeah, it’s nice to be back here, and hopefully I can continue some good golf.
“The course is fantastic; the greens are as pure and healthy as I’ve ever seen them. With how warm it’s been this summer, they have done a great job getting them ready. [It] should be nice out there. I’m sure the atmosphere will be good. [I’m] looking forward to it.”
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