EASY ON THE HIGH
Lowry: I must handle emotions
SHANE LOWRY admits he needs to slam the brakes on his emotions – after a near hole in one at the Porsche Singapore Classic fooled him into thinking golf is “easy”.
The 2019 Open champion made a flying start with three birdies in his first four holes at Laguna National but covered the next 10 in two over before picking up shots on 15 and 18.
Lowry almost made an ace on the fourth before tapping in for a birdie and said: “That was to go three under after four and I felt like golf was easy, everything was going to be easy today.
“But it bit me back. I need to be a bit more in control of my emotions and play one hole at a time.”
A three-under 69 has left the Irishman five shots off the lead shared by Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, England’s Jordan Smith and Malaysia’s Gavin
Green as he bids to secure a seventh DP World Tour title.
Lowry added: “Sixty-nine feels way better than 70, even though it’s not that much better.
“It’s nice to shoot three under because going out in the morning, you’re standing on the first tee eight behind the leader.
“You know there’s a lot of good scores out there. When you’re not doing it, you start to get a little bit frustrated. But I stuck with it and three under is OK.”
While Richie Ramsay joins Lowry in 31st, fellow Scot Grant Forrest returned with a frontnine birdie blitz for six under.
Sitting tied fifth after reaching the turn with five birdies, Forrest said: “I played really nicely and especially having had six weeks off and not played since Bahrain.
“This course suits my eye and it’s one if you drive the ball well, you get rewarded.”
Ewen Ferguson and Calum Hill are both on five under.
● Angel Cabrera will not be teeing up at the Masters in three weeks’ time, his agent has confirmed, after failing to get a visa to make it to Augusta.
The 2009 champion had planned to play following his release from prison in Argentina for domestic abuse.