Shane Lowry pained by Tiger woes

Shane Lowry fears Tiger Woods may never recapture the form which made him the undisputed king of golf.

Woods won the last of his 14 Majors in 2008 and in the last two years has tumbled spectacularly down the world rankings.

And the Offaly man, who sensationally captured the WGC Bridgestone Invitational last month, admits watching Tiger’s turmoils is painful viewing.

“I grew up watching Tiger, so for me Tiger is the only player I would be in awe of. I think Tiger is a legend.

“He has made golf what it is today. He is the reason, us players, caddies or anyone working in the golf industry makes the money we do.

“I hope he comes back, it would be great for the game if he came back. It would be great to see Tiger back battling it out with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith, Jason Day and those guys.

“Do I think he will? It’s hard to say. I think he is struggling between the ears. He has to be,” said Lowry, speaking at a Q&A at McGettigan’s pub in Galway.

Lowry said Woods continues to produce magic on the practice grounds but struggles to transfer his genius onto the course.

“I watch him on the range a bit, when I am at a tournament. He flushes it on the range, he doesn’t miss a shot. Then he goes on the golf course, and hits it 100 yards off-line.

“It’s weird, it’s actually sad to see and it could get to a stage where he gets that fed up with it, that he has to retire, and that would be a killer for the game.”

Ironically Lowry’s career path has been stellar in the past year. The former Irish Open champion ended 2014 ranked 44th in the world. Currently, he sits 22nd.

And now he has set another target, qualifying for golf’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio next year.

He explained: “I hope I go to the Olympics. I can’t wait to go and experience it, and stay in the Olympic village. See what it is like, go to all the events and see that side of it.”