‘Being Open champion is an absolute privilege’
SHANE LOWRY gave the Claret Jug a polish last week but admits some of the shine has gone from his year in office as Open champion.
The Clara man stayed in Florida during the Covid-19 lockdown and is thankful for the chance to head back out to Dallas, Texas, tomorrow for the resumption of the PGA Tour on Thursday at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
‘Look, I know it’s not important in the grand scheme of things,’ he says. ‘Not when my wife, who was a nurse, has been on the phone to her mates back home and we’ve been hearing about what they’ve been dealing with on the front line.
‘But, selfishly speaking for a minute, yeah, I’m disappointed. I was looking forward to that run from the Players Championship in March, teeing it up at the Masters, and then a couple of weeks ago I should have been playing in the Irish Open. Imagine how that would have been at Mount Juliet, going there as Open champion, an hour from where I grew up, and the weather was incredible.
‘Then we’d have been on to the US Open and the build-up to the Open itself. I know people are saying I’ll still be Open champion this time next year but I’m not sure it will feel the same.’
You know where Lowry is coming from when he starts talking glowingly about his first eight months in office, following that unforgettable win on home turf at Royal Portrush.
‘I had a couple of quiet weeks early on and people would start asking if it was the pressure of winning the Open, and I’d have to stop them there and then,’ he said. ‘I just don’t understand how you can put any negative spin on being Open Champion. To me, it’s an absolute privilege, and I love the things I’ve done, starting with the celebrations the week after.
‘Walking out at Croke Park with the trophy, having it on the dinner table for Christmas lunch, taking my team out for a meal at the end of the year, and drinking nice wine out of it. Being considered a marquee player with people wanting you to play in their tournament. That’s why it feels disappointing it ended so abruptly.’
Lowry, his wife Wendy and their three-year-old daughter Iris have been living in a rental home in West Palm Beach, close to the Bear’s Club, founded by Jack Nicklaus.
‘I’ve played a lot with Rory and had a couple of games with Dustin and Brooks,’ he said. ‘I’d say Rory’s got a lot more of my money than I’ve got of his, and he’s just so good there are days when he makes me feel very bad about my game.
‘But I look upon playing with these guys as an investment. It’s good to compare yourself with the best, and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do with a card in my pocket.’
Lowry’s big goal for the year was always to make the Ryder Cup team captained by close friend, Pádraig Harrington. ‘It’s the one thing we never talk about when we speak, so I honestly don’t know whether it will be played this year,’ he said. ‘The only thing I can do is play good golf to make sure I’m on the team if it does happen.’