Paul has no fears over pal
PAUL DUNNE has backed Shane Lowry to bounce back from his Open misery.
Lowry missed the cut at Carnoustie, having split with his long-time caddy.
The Offaly man (above) had his coach Neil Manchip on his bag for his second round on Friday instead of Dermot Byrne, who had been the 31-year-old’s bagman since 2009.
Afterwards, a spokesman for Lowry said that they were taking a break and that he was on the look-out for a new caddy for next week’s Canadian Open.
Lowry clearly feels he needs a fresh approach as his form has taken a dip since his runner-up finish at the US Open in 2016, and he is down to 90th in the world rankings.
“Every time I play with him, he plays nicely,” said Dunne, the only Irishman apart from Rory Mcilroy to make the cut this week.
“He’s a very feel-based player from what I have
Paul Dunne gathered and it seems like when he gets off to a good run, he keeps pushing on.
“I’d say he just needs that one little break.
“It’s a funny game, it comes in peaks and valleys.
“When it’s good everything feels good and when it’s bad, it feels like you will never get out of it. He’s a good player, he will come back. He will be fine.”
Yesterday, Dunne stumbled to a frustrating round of 73, with a double bogey at the last leaving him sitting at four over par.
He said: “I couldn’t make a putt — I missed seven putts inside 12 feet for birdie and then doubled the last.
“Being two over is pretty crap to be honest.”