Lowry willing to skip Dubai for shot at PGA

Shane Lowry has committed himself to entering the PGA Tour Qualifying School later this month in Florida and the expense of possibly forfeiting a place in the season-ending Dubai Tour Championship.

Lowry has just two events, this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and next week’s Portugal Masters, before teeing up in the First Stage of qualifying from October 24 to 27 on the Wanamaker course at the PGA Golf Club in St Lucie, Florida.

The former Irish Open champion, who posted a second straight 69 in the Scottish event to move to six under par, had hoped to avoid the four-round First Stage when entries closed two days before the commencement of last week’s Ryder Cup.

Unfortunately, Lowry’s current world ranking of 123rd meant not being exempt straight into Second Stage had he been inside the top-100.

Failing to qualify for either the US Open or British Open also hurt him as any player who contested a Major this year, no matter their result, was also exempt to Second Stage.

Lowry has therefore paid $2,500 for the privilege of joining some 77 other players in Florida and looking to be among the top dozen or so advancing to November’s Second Stage from November 14 to 17.

And if again successful, he will go through to Final Qualifying from November 28 to December 3.

“If I get through to Second Stage the problem will come if I make the top-60 for the finish of the Race to Dubai,” said Lowry.

“And if I get into final qualifying the problem is that that starts the Wednesday after Dubai and that would be a long journey to make. It will be a tough decision, but first of all I have got to get through to final stage then I will think about it.”

On day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, South African Branden Grace extended his lead to five shots with a 67 to move to 17-under par.

But the most interesting story on the course was that 18-time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps had another sporting moment to savour.

The 27-year-old swimmer sank a 50-yard putt playing with former Ryder Cup player Paul Casey.

“It was the longest putt I’ve ever had and to see it go in was a pretty cool feeling,” Phelps said.

Playing off a 16-handicap — “he’s got more Olympic golds than he has shots”, said Casey — the monster putt gave Phelps a net hole-in-one at the 337-yard sixth and he followed it with a net eagle.

Meanwhile, Pádraig Harrington believes Paul McGinley’s best chance of being appointed a European Ryder Cup captain will come at the 2014 edition.

McGinley is odds-on favourite to replace the victorious Jose Maria Olazabal, whereas his fellow Dubliner says the odds of him ever getting a crack at the job will greatly diminish if he is unsuccessful for the Gleneagles leadership.

“Paul [McGinley] and Darren [Clarke] would make great captains but then I don’t know if there would be an issue with having two Irish-born guys in a row,” said Harrington.

“Hopefully they will go with Paul for 2014 and then Darren for 2016. Certainly Gleneagles is Paul’s opportunity.

“But there is less chance of the captaincy going from Darren, if he were to get it for 2014, to Paul for 2016, as there would be going from Paul to Darren.”