Lowry leading home charge as McIlroy frustrated after opening round of the Irish Open
2025 Amgen Irish Open, The K Club, Kildare 4/9/2025
Shane Lowry got his Amgen Irish Open campaign off to a strong start to lead the home charge at The K Club on Thursday but it was a frustrating return to the Palmer North Course for Masters champion Rory McIlroy as the €5.1 million DP World Tour event rolled into County Kildare amid sunshine and showers.
Unsurprisingly, Irish golf’s two leading lights attracted the biggest galleries of the morning ‘s play, and it was Lowry’s followers who witnessed the happier of the major champions after the opening 18 holes.
Lowry had started his round on the 10th hole and cancelled out his only bogey of the day, at the 15th, his sixth, with a birdie at the par-five 18th. A further birdie at the par-five fourth brought him under par and two birdies in his last four holes gave him an opening three-under-par 69, and some welcome momentum going into Friday’s second round.
“It's very important to get off to a good start in tournaments,” Lowry said. “You could see early on, I was one over and there were guys going out four or five under after nine holes.
“I'm happy how I handled that. Handled not putting too much pressure on myself to get a score back. I feel like I just went about my business and put a really nice round together.”
Lowry will start the second round three shots off overnight leader Nacho Elvira’s mark of six under, the Spaniard having carded a six-under 66. World number two McIlroy, meanwhile, lies five shots adrift and cut a frustrated figure as assessed his opening round as the rain began to fall for the first time just after the conclusion of his round. The career grand slam winner hit out at DP World Tour rules officials after being put on the clock for slow play during his one-under 71. Whilst under scrutiny from the rules enforcers, McIlroy bogeyed his 16th and 17th holes of the day and said he had felt rushed.
Playing alongside South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence and Kristoffer Reitan of Norway, the Masters champion had made the turn in three under with four birdies and a single bogey but accused rules officials of lacking common sense in their treatment of a marquee group as he recorded three bogeys and a single birdie on his back nine.
“In all honesty, I felt a little rushed out there for the last 12 holes,” McIlroy said. “We got put on the clock pretty early. And then the first official went away and then we were put on the clock for the last three holes to try to make time up.
"And it's hard because, like, you feel a bit rushed, you're playing some tough holes and we obviously, our group, has to deal with a lot more than any other group on the course.
"So it's understandable that we lose time and I feel like any time I either come back to Europe or I play in some of these like one, two, three in the world type groups, we're always put on the clock for that reason.
"So I got a little frustrated the last few holes because I feel like it always happens and I don't think they use sort of common sense in terms of, well, of course we're going to lose ground because we're going to have to wait on crowds and wait on the two camera crews that are out there.
"And, you know, there's just a lot more going on with our group than any of the other groups on the course, and sometimes I feel like they have to give us a little bit of leeway and use a bit of common sense.”
