Reality check for Lowry on Tour debut

YESTERDAY’S six over 78 on his professional debut in the opening round of the European Open at the London Club means Shane Lowry has little chance of surviving the cut.

He stands 147th of the 155 strong field and discovered life as a professional golfer was likely to be a lot different to what he had become accustomed during his relatively comfortable life as an amateur. However, he was quickly reassured by playing partner Paul McGinley, who told him he had nothing to worry about and he had the game to prosper in the paid ranks.

The shock winner of the 3 Irish Open was struggling from the time he missed the green with his 117 yard approach to the first green, having split the fairway with a cracking drive. He didn’t commit himself to the shot and it was a failing that was to cost him more and more as the day went on.

He was a pale shadow of the man who produced at Baltray and was especially at sea with his driver. But McGinley, who shot a nice round of 70, was happy everything will work out nicely for the big Offaly man.

“He just has to eat up the experience,” said the 42 year-old Dubliner. “I’m sure he’s glad to get this day over with and things will gradually die down. He’s got a good attitude, great short game, powerful hitter, plays the modern game. It was natural he should be nervous and apprehensive. He’s a young kid who has propelled himself into a different stratosphere from where he was. He hit a lot of good shots and he battled well. He could easily have shot a higher number, he upped and downed it once or twice, but I could see the quality.”

Lowry’s opening nine of four over 40 contained a double bogey six at the sixth, a direct result of a badly hooked tee shot. Similar indiscretions also cost him strokes at the fourth and eighth and the one bright note came at the 178 yards seventh where he drilled a superb five iron through a cross wind to eight feet, rolling it in for two.

The back nine was little less adventurous for Lowry. He did pick up three more bogeys as well as a birdie at the long 15th and 78 could well leave him needing a 65 or even better this morning to make the halfway cut.

“I didn’t have too much expectation and felt flat and actually glad to have the round over,” he said. “It’s the first of many hopefully and there will be good days and bad days and I’ll get along with it and I’ll be okay. I wasn’t nervous on the first tee but four over after six is not the ideal start.

“A lot of people would have been expecting a lot better and I’m just going to have to deal with it because there’s nothing I can do about it. Paul (McGinley) reminded me I shot 62 on a Friday two weeks ago so if I can do the same this time I’ll be okay.”

Lowry plays down any significant difference there might be between the amateur and professional games and there have been a few raised eyebrows at his reluctance to spend too much time on the practice range. He insists he won’t change his ways but that may well change as time goes by.

“I won’t do any practice between now and tomorrow. I’ll just get out of here, go for dinner and relax. That’s the way I do it.”