Shane Lowry must learn to manage his swing

Shane Lowry must now go home to lick his wounds again, wondering what he needs to do to find more consistency in his performances, writes John McHenry.

It only took a quick look down the early leaderboard yesterday to get a full appreciation of one of sports psychologist Bob Rotella’s most famous quotes: “Golf is not a game of perfect.”

In trying conditions, Augusta was wreaking havoc again on its world-class field. Yesterday was another day when attitude, ugly pars, and damage limitation counted more than ability.

The importance of the day wouldn’t have been lost on either Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, given their promising start on Thursday. A good round was sure to make up ground on the rest of the field whereas a ‘mentally loose’ round could prove fatal.

In McIlroy’s case, a poor round would simply be dismissed as another opportunity lost, whereas the stakes were much higher for Lowry. Now ranked 65 in the world, he badly needed a good performance to arrest a worrying spell of inconsistent performances and where better to do that than at a major championship?

Alas, it was not to be, and Lowry must now go home to lick his wounds again, wondering what he needs to do to find more consistency in his performances.

Technically, Lowry has a game which is a wonderful mixture of both power and finesse. He is consistently one of the best drivers on tour and while his iron play is strong — he doesn’t reap enough rewards from a technically strong but inconsistent short game.

On form, he has proven himself good enough to win a World Golf Championship event in Ohio, a Portuguese Open, and even an Irish Open while still an amateur but now, as a seasoned veteran, it is frustrating that he still has not fully “proven” himself in terms of consistently overcoming adversity when it matters most on the highest stage.

Like all individual sportsmen, Lowry competes primarily for himself but it must be recognised that the fiercely proud Irishman also carries a nation’s hopes and fears with all the benefits and drawbacks that entails. He is very much in the spotlight and while no one doubts his motivation and drive, I would argue that he must now reflect on ways to more consistently demonstrate all of his exceptional ability. He simply must challenge himself more in the all too often unexplored territories of major championships.

In order to become more consistent, he now must take an honest and long hard look at his course management. All too often we have witnessed him throwing away loose shots through overly aggressive tee shots or approach shots that “short-sides” him, in terms of being able to get the ball up and down for par.

Augusta is particularly dangerous venue in this regard but he should be aware of that by now. He simply must understand that part of managing a golf course is managing your swing and what you do with the ball on the course. Both Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson referenced this very point after their rounds on Thursday, when saying that they missed the greens in positions that allowed them to chip and putt for par. That’s what the best golfers in the world do — they find a way to consistently score well — even while they are hitting the ball badly.

Thankfully, Lowry knows how to win. That means that he has already demonstrated that he has the confidence, the concentration and the desire to get over the winning line but if he is to consistently contend in major championships, I would argue that he has to honestly assess how well he is actually thinking under pressure and especially how patient he is being on the course when things are not going his way. He simply must work every bit as hard, if not harder, when he is playing poorly as when he is playing well.

Given his dedication and ambition, I fully expect Lowry to do just that because he really isn’t that far away but, as his world ranking suggests, he now has to act fast if he is to continue competing on the highest stage.

Lowry deserves that and more but so too does three-time major champion, Pádraig Harrington and former world number one Luke Donald, all of whom have long departed the world stage.

In the world of professional golf, time waits for no one.

You are either good enough to play in the major championships or you are left enviously on the outside looking in.