Relaxed Shane Lowry has had his fill of LIV Golf talk

RELAXED: JP McManus with Shane Lowry during the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor Golf Club in Adare, Limerick. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Shane Lowry has had his fill of LIV Golf talk and rumours of bad blood between the loyalists and the so-called rebels.

“It's absolutely not divisive,” he said as he spied a ‘rebel’ walking past the recorders’ area. “Look, there's Lee Westwood, I like him!” 

Westwood didn’t quite blow kisses but he did mouth a few, I-love-you-too’s, or words to that effect, in Lowry’s direction.

Given all the angst in the golf world these days, it’s clear the players are relaxed and happy at Adare Manor, where no stone was left unturned by the McManus family in making sure they were comfortable.

“I couldn't tell you how many people have asked me that over the last couple of weeks and still don't have the answers,” Lowry joked when asked what it is about JP McManus that he can assemble a world-class field for his charity Pro-Am.

“I think when you get here and you just see the hospitality that everyone gets, how good a time everybody is having, speaking to a few of the American golfers, they can't believe how good the place is. The wives are getting looked after; that's a big thing, keep them happy and the players will be happy. It's been an incredible few days.

“If he was to have it again in a few weeks' time, I think everyone would come back again. That's a testament to what they have done here this week.

“Obviously I played here in 2010, and I didn't know what to expect coming down here. I kind of knew what to expect coming down this week but it's kind of everything I expected and way more.

“I mean, obviously the whole place, it goes without saying, it’s as five-star as it gets, the hotel, golf course, the whole facility here in Adare.

“Brian, a friend of mine was caddying for me and walking around and you're in awe of the whole place. It's pretty cool. To be part of what JP and Noreen and the McManus family have done for Adare and Limerick is cool.” 

And LIV?

“Look, like we all said, everyone has their own decisions for their own stuff and we're down in the bar every night for a barbeque,” he explained. 

“We have the gala tonight, we are all sitting around having a good time and that's what we are here for. We are not here for anything else other than to raise a lot of money for charities and charities around the Limerick area.” 

Lowry might not have won since The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 but he’s upbeat about next week’s final Major of the season at the Old Course.

“Pretty good,” he said of the state of progress of his preparations for The Open. “I had a decent Irish Open last week. I played good golf yesterday. So I'm pretty confident.

“I’ll play some links golf here in Ireland towards the end of this week and head over to St Andrews on Sunday morning and yeah I'm really looking forward to it.”