In a big career decision Shane Lowry intends moving his young family Stateside from early next year as a launchpad for a better assault on the lucrative PGA Tour.
Lowry admits constantly criss-crossing “The Pond“ in recent years has taken a toll not only in the time away from his wife, Wendy and young daughter Iris, but also on his golf.
The Clara man tees up in todays PGA Championship in North Carolina ranked No. 80 and having fallen 49 places on the World Rankings since the PGA Championship a year ago in New Jersey.
“It is hard and it has been very hard on me these last few years and I feel like that has been my downfall, honest“, he said. “It been all too hard for me. It has been too hard to keep my World Ranking and you end up not being in all the big tournaments.”
“Not playing in Akron last week was tough especially after winning the event only two years ago”
“So, I have plans to move to America for a few months next year and I am going to concentrate full time on the PGA Tour next year and see what happens after that“.
Lowry has been enquiring about renting premises in the Palm Beach Gardens area of Florida located about 45 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale and around three hour’s drive south of Orlando. It would mean also being based close to fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy and a host of other golfers.
“I have been travelling too much and I have not seen enough of the girls and to have them with me most of the time will be nice“, he said.
“We are very lucky we have the chance to live in a nice place with nice weather and some good golf, and I won’t have to deal with jet lag as much so that it is the plan. Wendy is very supportive and she will go with what I feel is the right thing. Of course, if we are there a few months and she does not like it then we will move but I am sure she will like it.”
“Though the main goal between now and December is to get back into the top 50 in the world and to do that I am going to have to play in Europe for most of the rest of the year“.
Lowry will tee-up in his sixth PGA Championship but with an indifferent record of making the halfway cut in just two, and that was T57th in 2013 and T46th a year later. He missed the cut on his debut in 2010 and the past two years he arrived in suburban Charlotte also sitting out the weekend rounds at Royal Birkdale and a week later at the Canadian Open.
However, after a session late last week with Dublin-based sports psychologist Gerry Hussey, Lowry is confident in turning around his fortunes.
“I went and met Gerry Hussey, who I work with, last week and I had day with him last Friday and I felt great coming away from it,” said Lowry.
“I did not feel great on Thursday but I came away from him and came here ready to compete and that is what I got from last week. What I have found is that I don’t think I have been hard enough on myself. I can be too hard on myself at times and I do need to get that fire back in my belly, and get that bit of anger out every now and then.
“There is no harm in that and that is the kind of person I am. I am not saying … laughing … that I am going to be going mad each week but there is no harm showing that I care and that I really want to do well and stuff.”
And unlike many of the stars of this week’s 99th staging of the PGA Championship, Lowry does not feel any urgency to succeed at golf’s highest level given it will be eight months following this week to the next Major in April at Augusta National.
“I am not one of these players that base my year planned around the Majors and while there is a few players that do, for me and other guys in the same position as me, I do not think we come here with that feeling,” he said
“You look at the leading players and the guys who have won Majors this year will be all out to try and win, and I am not saying that I am not here to try and win, as I am here to do as well as I can. So, for a golfer like me, I feel like Yes, it is another big week, it is another big week on the schedule and if I did win this week what difference is it going to make to me.
“I am still wanting to go to the event next week and do well there. That is where it is for me.”
Lowry will play the opening two rounds with S Deane (Aus), P Larrazabal (Esp).
Leave a comment