Shane Lowry: 'I’m disappointed but I’m more disappointed with my finish than my start'

ROUND ONE: Shane Lowry disappointed with his round especially how he finished. Pic: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

As a sticky Thursday turned steamy in the midday hour, PGA Championship drug testers swooped on to the patio outside the Scoring Office at Quail Hollow and appeared to be zeroing in on anyone with a Tricolour on the bag.

The response from the Irishmen called in to fill a tester’s cup appeared to be “haven’t we been tested enough already by this place ?” In the space of just 20 minutes, Seamus Power, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry all came in to sign their first-round cards. Doping control pulled Power and Harrington aside but, perhaps wisely for their own good, let a stewing Lowry walk on by.

The trio had been among the earliest first-round starters. While that may have helped avoid the spiking temperatures, the course was still in the process of drying out and offered a hell of a test with mud balls the burning topic among all those with morning tee times. It was Power who fared marginally better, shooting a one-over 72, going a shot lower than Harrington and Lowry who carded matching 73s.

It’s not about how you start, of course. How each finished their round had a marked effect on the mood. Lowry spoiled a dogged fightback by bogeying his last and was, thus, thoroughly browned off, both with himself and with a course that has given more heart-breaking days than happy ones.

“I mean I always struggle around here and today was another one of those days,” said the Offaly man, who started on the 10th and found three bogeys before a birdie arrived. “I’m disappointed but I’m more disappointed with my finish than my start. [I had] two great chances on 7 and 8 and then bogey 9, it’s really annoying. It is what it is. I’ll just have to go shoot a low one tomorrow. I don’t see the ball going close out there and I don’t see birdies. It’s tough when it’s like that.” 

Lowry birdied 18, his 9th of the day, thanks to a sparkling iron into the elevated green but duly turned and gave it right back with another bogey. From there though he steadied impressively. Back-to-back birdies on his 12th and 13th lightened the mood significantly, the second courtesy of a monster 68-foot putt.

“They got me going and then I hit it in close on the next and just missed that. I played great on the front nine, my back nine, so it’s really annoying to bogey the 9th,” he added. “It was the only miss-hit with my driver and it was the worst hole to do it on.” 

Could he go low tomorrow? “The way I’m feeling right now, probably not. But I will do my best.” 

Power knows this part of the world intimately having lived here for a decade. Yet he began like a man dropped from a helicopter into territory unknown. His first seven holes: birdie, double bogey, bogey, par, eagle, birdie, double bogey. Erratic stuff. He found his bearings with nine pars in his next 11.

“It's a disappointing one, because it should have been much better. I actually played very nicely,” said Power, here seeking the spark his season is crying out for. “But it just couldn't quite go my way in a few spots. I wasn't really out of position much, just a couple of mud balls. But that’s the thing, I feel like everyone's probably getting them out there today. Maybe I should have handled it better. So overall, bit disappointing, but it was at least good to be able hang in there.” 

While Scheffler and others railed about mud balls, Harrington insisted there was no need for preferred lies.

“I was fine. I hit most of the fairways coming home. I had no problem. It’s amazing how much it cleared up. The greens are just so fast,” said the 53-year-old who insisted Quail Hollow’s distance demands weren’t the problem either. “Length is not a big issue for anybody. Length doesn’t worry us. Short and tricky is what scares the life out of us.” 

Harrington had worked with sports psychologist Bob Rotella in the early part of the week and things appeared to be clicking. Once the swings had meaning, he felt that progress fade.

“I did some good work with Bob but it was hard to do today,” added Harrington who’d got to one under with a first birdie on 8, then carded four-straight bogeys around the turn but clawed back one shot on the long 15th. “It was great yesterday but it’s harder to bring to the golf course. There’s a difference between doing it in practice and doing it on the course.” 

Harrington went off to complete his drug test. Was it something personal against the Irish challengers? “If we see Rory going in there, we’ll know there’s something up!” smiled Power.