Shane Lowry: 'Being away from home and the kids is getting harder"

The 2019 Open Championship admitted to being “jaded” before this week’s home championship in Newcastle and he was left to rue a third-round three-over score of 74 that effectively ended his hopes of claiming a second Irish Open title.

Sun, 15 Sep, 2024 - 15:37

Brendan O'Brien, Newcastle, Co Down

Shane Lowry admits he is “counting down the days” to the season’s end as he pushes on through a swing that will see him play in nine different tournaments across just ten weeks.

It’s a punishing schedule for any player but the American-based dad of two is finding it particularly tough after signing off his last round at the Amgen Irish Open in Royal Co. Down and looking ahead to a 7am flight to London another venue on Monday morning.

“I’m not going to lie, the golf is fine,” he explained after a last round 68 for a tournament score of one-under par. “It’s just being away from home and being away from the kids is getting harder and harder.

“They both understand now that you’re away and that’s the hardest part.

“I’ve got three weeks left in this run and I am counting down the days but also still trying to focus on my job and career and play as good golf as I can. I have a Ryder Cup to make so this will help hopefully.

“But I looked at my schedule last week and after the Dunhill [in early October] I have probably got two tournaments in about three months. That’s going to be pretty nice. Even some time to rest and work on other stuff and just get myself ready for next season.”

There was more regret in shooting one-over through his last six holes on the Sunday. The competitor in him thought that a five- or six-under total could put pressure on a leaderboard that Rory McIlroy headed on Saturday night with the latter total.

It wasn’t to be but the Offaly man is still in good shape towards the end of a season which he has described as probably the best of his career. If anything, he would trade some of that consistency for a bit more title contention but his game is in good shape.

“Look, I’m driving the ball as well as I ever have. I feel great on the greens, my iron play let me down a little bit this week but we are playing in cross winds on a very difficult golf course so maybe I need to be a bit more lenient on that.

“I’m going somewhere that I love last week and I feel like I will be able to compete there.”

It’s only two years since he won the BMW PGA Championship at his next pit stop. He feels at home at Wentworth and spoke of the comfort that comes with standing on a tee and not needing to check the course book ten times before playing.

Plenty still to play for then. It will be post-Dunhill when he sits down with his team and goes through the calendar for 2025 and tries to balance his desire to be at home with the family and a season that will have so many Ryder Cup points on offer.

“It was an interesting one this year because I wasn’t in the signature events and had to play a little bit more than I would have liked at the start of the year. I can pick and choose a little bit more next year. I think it will be mainly PGA Tour next year again.

“The lack of travel across the world helped me this year. That trip to Dubai takes it out of me. That had a part to play in my good performances in February, March on the PGA Tour. The way I’m looking at it is building for the Masters, building for the Ryder Cup team.”