In-form Irish queuing up for shot at immortality

Graeme McDowell is not the only in-form Irishman teeing it up at Muirfield this week.

The world No 7 is a leading fancy for the British Open after three victories already this season but while Shane Lowry and Gareth Maybin have not matched that they both embark on their second start in golf’s oldest major full of confidence for a successful week by the banks of the Firth of Forth.

Between them they have three top-10 finishes in the last month, Lowry getting the ball rolling with a tie for fifth at the Irish Open, sharing the honour of finishing leading Irishman with Gareth Shaw on his home course at Carton House. Maybin took the baton and ran with it, finishing tied eighth at the French Open behind fellow Irishman McDowell and then tied for fifth last Sunday at the Scottish Open, shooting 64-71 over the weekend to finish three shots out of the play-off that produced a winner in Phil Mickelson.