MANCHIP: SHANE NOW HAS GAME TO WIN
THERE are only three players who have recorded top 25 finishes at Augusta National in each of the last four years. Scottie Scheffler is one, Hideki Matsuyama is another. Both have won the Masters in that timeframe.
And the third man? Shane Lowry. A tied third place finish two years ago is as close as the Clara man has come down Magnolia Lane, though a poor final round left a bittersweet taste.
Before 2020, Lowry (left) was not comfortable at Augusta. He had made the cut just once in his first four visits.
That changed four years ago and it was no coincidence that he played three of his four rounds of that year’s Masters in the company of Tiger Woods.
“He really got a good understanding of how he played the course,” explained Lowry’s coach Neil Manchip.
“He really plotted his way around very well, he didn’t take on any unnecessary shots and shot four under at his ease out there, if I remember.
“He played with Tiger every day that week and got a really good understanding of how he played the course, so that definitely helped Shane’s perception of how he navigates his way around the course.”
Lowry and Manchip worked hard on his short game over a period of time but when it finally clicked again, it happened fast.
“It was really him, figuring it out for himself and getting the feel back. And all of a sudden, things are easier again. It’s very, very solid at the moment,” said Manchip, Golf Ireland’s High Performance Director.
Speaking at Augusta after playing nine holes at Augusta on Monday, Lowry said that he was “probably” in the category of players beneath the big names who are contending for the first shot at major glory in 2024.
Manchip feels that his man, currently ranked 36th in the world, will deal with the occasion.
He added: “I think The Open (in Portrush) was testament to that, the way he dealt with big expectations coming into the week and during that week.
“Not wanting to make a mess of it and on the other side wanting to do really well. It’s a balance of those two things.”