Lowry pays tribute to Abu Dhabi influence

TWELVE months ago, a struggling Shane Lowry came here and spoke about rebuilding his career in some of the far-flung spots on the European Tour. Now he speaks about the Ryder Cup, Olympics and the joyful prospect of turning up at the Masters in April as the winner of the most recent major. ‘It must be true what they say about what a difference a year can make,’ he chuckled. It all began with his first victory in four years at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. ‘I wouldn’t have won The Open if I hadn’t gone through what happened here,’ said the Irishman (below). ‘Leading for three days and then finding myself trailing by four shots with seven holes to play. ‘I showed a lot of character that day and the confidence I gained proved invaluable at Portrush.’ It is amazing what a win in the desert can do. Danny Willett won in Dubai in February and the Masters two months later in 2016. Sergio Garcia did the same a year later. In 2018, Tommy Fleetwood drew on his Abu Dhabi success to have a career-defining season. ‘When you think that one win each year is pretty good, then imagine when you achieve one in January,’ said Lowry. ‘Straight away, you’ve got momentum.’ But it hasn’t been all plain sailing for him since that Sunday in Portrush. He recalls entering a Dublin coffee shop with his wife, Wendy, and feeling spooked as, not for the first time, all conversation ended and all eyes turned in their direction. ‘It was overwhelming but at the end of the day, though, I’d have taken your hand off to find myself in this position when I came here last year,’ he added. Lowry will certainly have the buzz when he starts today alongside world No 1 Brooks Koepka and Fleetwood. Meanwhile, Robert MacIntyre has had to withdraw from the $7million Rolex Series event with an ongoing wrist injury. The Scot, reigning European Tour Rookie of the Year, still hopes to open his season at next week’s Dubai Desert Classic. ‘Really disappointed but I need another week to get myself back to full fitness,’ he explained on Twitter.