Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DUNNE: RAHM CAN REIGN AGAIN
Lowry working hard to cut out costly errors
PAUL DUNNE is backing defending Irish Open champion Jon Rahm to set a fast pace in tomorrow's opening round on the arid fairways of Ballyliffin. Rahm, who won the title in Portstewart 12 months ago, is bidding to become only the sixth player in the history of the tournament to win back-to-back.
Colin Montgomerie was the last to achieve the feat in 1996 and 1997, while Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Mark James are also in the club.
Dunne believes the Spaniard remains the “man to beat” and said: “He is No5 or something in the world so probably that does
AIR MILES junkie Shane Lowry had much to ponder when he met the media after nine holes at a sun-kissed Ballyliffin yesterday. A long-sleeved, all-black outfit did not help in the humid temperatures baking the rolling hills of this year’s stunning Irish Open venue. Lowry, whose wardrobe was caught short en route back from a T16 finish at the French Open, joked: “For some reason I put this on this morning. It wasn’t a great idea.”
Fashion faux pas aside, the Offaly golfer is eager to address a drought in form that has earmarked a nearly season to date.
No top 10s in 15 outings dating back to a T2 at the DP World Tour in November and a world ranking that has shown a steady descent from 25th to 90th in the past two years.
As barometers go, not good – prompting Lowry to reassess his recent balancing act of playing on both the PGA and European Tours.
His wife Wendy and family love their Palm Beach base in Florida but a gruelling schedule of criss-crossing the Atlantic has taken its toll.
Lowry said: “What I’ve been trying to do the last couple of years, playing both tours, travelling all around the world, it’s not been easy.
“I feel my world ranking and golf has suffered a little bit because of it. When this season comes to a close on the PGA Tour, I’m going to see what I’m doing going forward. Do I need to change something? Maybe. But I don’t know what. Do I need to do something different? Maybe. I just have to try and figure it out. I’m making 20 birdies a week but a few mistakes here and there are costly. At this level, you can’t afford to do that. I know my world ranking is dropping but it’s not like it’s 500. I’d love to be top 10 in the world but I’m in a few big tournaments the next couple of weeks.”
Last week’s outing in Paris was symptomatic of Lowry’s 2018 to date – three decent days marred by a second round 75.
Admitting his “patience is wearing thin”, he added: “Some week I’ll string four rounds together. I just have to keep chipping away. I feel I could have contended in France and I was disappointed going to the airport. I had a decent week and hopefully I can bring it into this week.”