Relaxed Lowry relishing Fota fight

Having won the Irish Amateur Close Championship down the road at Cork Golf Club, Little Island, and formally launched the Irish Open here a few weeks ago, Shane Lowry immediately felt at home when he arrived at Fota Island on Tuesday afternoon.

“A nice part of the country,” was the wry comment of one of Leinster rugby’s most ardent supporters. On a more serious note, Lowry made no secret of his determination to capitalise on his outstanding second place in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and to shake off the memory of his late collapse in the final round of the US Open at the weekend.

“I was gutted at what happened in Pinehurst,” he admitted. “It’s tough to come off the course straight away and talk to people, after the finish I had. I felt like I got very unlucky on 16 and then made a poor decision as well which kind of rubbed salt into the wound. And then I three-putted the last, probably because I still had 16 in my head.”

Lowry tries to be philosophical about such disappointments. “You live and learn from mistakes like that. I’m a very aggressive golfer. I go at flags. I feel like my short game is good enough to go at flags, so that I can afford to hit bad shots. I went into last week with good form and played my practice rounds well but probably didn’t map out the course as well as I should have.

“If I’m in that position again, hopefully I won’t do that. I’m over it now and looking forward to the week.”

Lowry has yet to qualify for next month’s Open Championship at Hoylake and goes into this week knowing a top 10 finish will secure his spot. However, his ambition goes a stretch beyond that.

Having signed a new deal this week with Bank of Ireland, he was only too well aware that Pádraig Harrington, the last Irishman to turn up with the same logo on his shirt, captured the title at Adare Manor in 2007.

“I don’t know if I can describe what it would mean to me to win the Irish Open as a pro,” he said. “It would be fantastic. It’s extra special playing your own Open. Last year, I was playing my home course (Carton House), home tournament, and I was feeling the pressure. But you can turn things around and use those to your advantage. I’m playing a golf course I know well in front of my friends and family.

“Where else would you want to be in the world? There’s no place I’d rather be. I’m looking forward to it and trying to use it to my advantage.”

Since his memorable triumph as an amateur at Baltray in 2009, after which he turned professional a few weeks later, Lowry’s biggest performances have been in winning the Portuguese Masters in 2012 and the runner-up finish at Wentworth last month. So how does he rate his game development over the past five years? “Up and down, highs and lows,” he reflected. “I feel like I’m a much better player than I was in 2009. I feel I’m a lot more mature as a person on and off the course and I feel like I belong at the top of world golf. My career has gone in the right direction. Look at the stats, except for last year, I progress every year in the Race to Dubai. I’m only 27. I’ve a long career and good career ahead of me.”

Imagine the excitement if he should be crowned champion this weekend.