NO SHANE, IT WASN’T A DREAM!
EVEN GRANNY JOINS IN BOOZY CELEBRATIONS OF LOWRY’S AMAZING OPEN WIN
On Sunday evening at Royal Portrush, they drank a marquee dry. Then they moved on to dublin town. ‘I was asked by an american journalist just how big the party would be tonight? I felt I had to put him right,’ said Shane Lowry, smiling. ‘you mean how big the party would be all week?’
after the quiet Italian Francesco Molinari, the Claret Jug has given up on the studious type and embraced the party animal. This might prove the wildest ride since darren Clarke wrapped his arms around the trophy and put on his drinking cap eight years ago.
The party got off to a good start when Lowry and his posse rolled into Bar 37 on dawson Street just past midnight. a two-man band struck up the opening chords of
Fields of Athenry and Lowry stood up to belt out the chorus. He had the Claret Jug in one hand and a pint in the other.
Lowry finished up kissing the jug and downing his beer.
‘It was mental,’ said Gary Hayes, one of the revellers who posted some lovely footage on social media. ‘Shane left about 5am after a party that put darren’s to
shame… and it’s not over yet.’ Even Lowry’s granny Emily Scanlon, who doesn’t drink, has got the taste. ‘I haven’t had a brandy since 2009 but I had two watching Shane,’ she told RTE. ‘It’s nearly killing me.’
It is no exaggeration to say the entire Irish nation was riding a wave of elation regarding the boy from Clara, County Offaly, and the trophy he won that has now wittily become known as the Clara Jug.
Lowry led the news bulletins all day as anyone with even the flimsiest connection to his story was found and interviewed. Sports Minister Shane Ross was lobbied to find some money for a huge celebratory party. another one.
The man himself kept a low profile, perhaps nursing an almighty hangover. He is due to be seen in dublin at 1pm today. Imagine the scenes.
The first thing Lowry did on completion of his media duties on Sunday was opt for his first pint of Guinness over flying to this week’s ludicrously-scheduled WGC event in Memphis.
While the rest of the weary cavalcade of pros packed their clubs and headed out for a charter plane to the Tennessee heatwave, Lowry made a beeline for the VIP lounge.
‘I hope you’ve saved some for me,’ he said to one of his mates who was holding a can of beer in each hand. It was not long before there were no cans left at all. When Lowry came around yesterday, he woke to a mountain of praise from his peers, some heartfelt words from Rory McIlroy and sage advice from 2016 Masters champion danny Willett.
Lowry and McIlroy grew up together as part of the Irish golf set-up. ‘There’s only one who is any good among this group,’ one of the organisers told the coach Pete Cowen, who was working for the Irish Golf union at the time. ‘no, there’s two,’ replied Cowen, in his blunt yorkshire fashion. ‘There’s Rory and there’s the fat kid with the glasses.’
On Instagram, McIlroy posted a picture from those days and his touching message to the new Open champion.
‘Even though last week wasn’t the week I envisaged for myself, I couldn’t be happier and more proud of Shane. How he handled everything over the weekend… emotions, nerves and conditions tells you everything I’ve got to know about him over the past 15 years. 2019 champion golfer of the year! Enjoy some good stuff out of the Claret Jug!’
There are a lot of comparisons between Lowry now and when Willett won at augusta. Like the Englishman, Lowry is facing a different world of adulation and inviting offers to jet around the world and make millions of dollars in appearance fees.
Willett said: ‘He’s going to take some time off and that’s right, because these things don’t come along very often and you have to enjoy them. Then you get yourself back and refocused and try to press on. It’s not easy. you can get pulled in different directions.
‘I made some bad decisions and played too much golf when I didn’t really fancy it. I’d certainly do it differently if I could go back. Shane should be a little selfish and do what’s best for him.’
Helping Lowry to make the right decisions will be the fact he knows how low this game can take you. Twelve months ago, he missed the cut in the Open for a fourth year in a row. He got to the Carnoustie car park and started crying.
Lowry had privileges to play in every great event around the world after winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2015. Then he blew a four-shot lead in the 2016 US Open and his world fell apart. By the time he started out in abu dhabi in January he was back to square one. He had a new caddie, Bo Martin. He had no exemptions for any of the big tournaments.
after two good rounds in that event, he spoke to a small group of us about setting out for Qatar and India and some of the smaller events on the European Tour to try to rebuild his career before the start of qualifying for the Ryder Cup in September.
There is a fairytale element, therefore, to the fact he is Open champion with years of exemptions to play everywhere and Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington telling him he wants him to lead out the team next year.
as Lowry wryly told Cowen after winning for the first time on tour: ‘not bad for a fat kid with glasses.’
It is hardly surprising that his fellow pros are delighted for him. Lowry is one of the good guys. as
the spaniard Pablo Larrazabal tweeted, with Lowry poised to win the Open: ‘Believe it or not, he is a much better guy than the golf he is playing.’
This triumph was also a shot in the arm for the european Tour, bruised by Americans walking off with so many of the leading prizes and seeking to compete against the glamour of the PGA Tour.
The start of Ryder Cup qualifying at Wentworth was always going to be a feelgood affair, with everyone bar sergio Garcia of the last team committed to playing. now they will be joined by the Open champion.
For Lowry, that event will represent a line in the sand, the perfect opportunity to reset and go again.
For now, though, with all his promise fulfilled and the dark days consigned to the past, it is time to party. And party.