Shane Lowry and Leona Maguire both have the opportunity to give the two fingers to those who have written them off this season as they both chase individual and team glory this weekend.
Lowry was all smiles after a course record 62 at Donald Trump’s Doonbeg – one which he is most certain to claim he shot too – gave him a three shot lead at the halfway stage of the Amgen Irish Open while Maguire earned a point for Europe as they ended day one of the Solheim Cup level at 4-4 with the USA in Bernardus, Netherlands.
Lowry spoke of how he was feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after three weeks off. Missing the final two events of the FedEx Cup was a financial hit but for his mental and physical state it looks to have paid dividends. Pádraig Harrington said that the current version of Shane Lowry is the best version but you must strike while the form is there. The Offaly man feels his eight-under round was up there with some of his best stuff.
“It’s one of the better rounds of golf that I’ve ever played. I feel like I’m in a good place. Through everything this year I feel like I’ve stayed as positive as I could. I feel like I’m ready to just kick on now. I’ve got a huge 12 months ahead of me with a lot of stuff coming up and this will be a great start to it this week.”
Many of the journalists left the media tent to scurry through the tiresome one way out one way back layout of the Doonbeg links to try and catch the last knockings of Lowry’s round. Having moved eight-under through twelve holes eyebrows were raised over the possibility of a famous 59 and only the second in DP World Tour history.
A bogey on 13 put paid to those hopes but Lowry was pleased with his mental fortitude to bounce back with a tidy birdie on 15 to get in the house at eleven-under.
“I thought about it. Yeah, I did think about it until I 3-putted 13. No, I did have a little laugh. You know, this, you know, out in 30 and the back nine is only 34, so, yeah, you do kind of think about it a little bit. But I think I was very good, I just kind of was at the job at hand today. I know I made a little mistake on 13, but I think I did a good job after that of playing the rest of the round really well and giving myself a couple of chances on the way in.”
Lowry has taken a lot of sucker blows in a season of near misses as he looks to win for the first time since Wentworth in 2022, notably at the Cognizant Classic. But he could turn a season of heartache into one of his best with a famous home triumph and his first as a pro having won as an amateur in 2009.
South of Ireland in The Netherlands, Cavan star Maguire can turn an iffy campaign of four top-10s and eleven missed cuts courtesy of her swing changes with Sean Foley, into a triumphant one as well.
After she earned a point for Europe in the morning foursomes she took her record to 9-3-1 putting her at the top of the pile with a 73.1% win rate in Solheim Cups, a record for the competition.
Her wildcard pick from Anna Nordqvist was questioned given her lack of form but she repaid the Swede in spades and will play a key role in the day two foursomes and Sunday singles. Lowry is backing her to be a talismanic figure once again.
“She’s unbelievable isn’t she? I’m sure people would have argued her pick with her form and Dermot [Byrne] caddied for her for a few years and we talked about it out there today. I believe she is playing quite well and that she is going to play a lot of golf this week. If they are to win she will be the one that will them over the line.”
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