Lowry eyes American dream

SHANE LOWRY got his first look at a US Open course set-up at Congressional County Club yesterday having admitted he was taking a leap into the unknown.

Nearly two years on from his famous Irish Open victory as an amateur, the 24-year-old from Offaly is enjoying the best form of his fledgling professional career but nothing can prepare a golfer to the rigours of a 7,574-yard par-71 course prepared by the US Golf Association to produce penal rough, narrow fairways and lightning fast greens.

“I’ve never played this type of a course, so it’s going to be very difficult,” Lowry said before starting his final preparations for his US Open debut with a practice round on Congressional’s Blue Course alongside reigning US Open champion Graeme McDowell.