Shane Lowry must follow his own goals

Way back in 2009, when Shane Lowry won his maiden event on the European Tour as an amateur, the manner of his victory raised more than a few eyebrows among professional golf’s aristocracy.

His victory meant there was another gifted Irishman to contend with, such was the profile and dominance of Harrington, McDowell, Clarke and budding superstar Rory McIlroy at the time.

But Lowry’s maiden victory was a double-edged sword. It gave him time to adjust to the life and schedule of a professional, but it also plucked him away from the relative obscurity of the amateur game into a world where the media now wanted to forensically analyse every decision and performance.