Shane Lowry desperate to get back to winning ways

Shane Lowry is determined to defend his WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title and get his Ryder Cup campaign up and running with a badly-needed win over the next four weeks.

The Clara star knows he’s well off the pace in the race to make Darren Clarke’s team but while there are no qualifying points on offer in Akron in August, the world No 33 wants to be there rather than at the clashing Open de France.

If that’s to happen, he’ll need to be out of the running for Hazeltine or have his Ryder Cup place all but wrapped up by then.