Shane Lowry dusted the cobwebs off an old putter to post an eight-under par 64 on the opening day of the storm-affected BMW PGA Championship.
Lowry snatched 10 birdies to end the round in second place and just two shots behind Dane Thomas Bjorn who matched the West Course record with a 10-under par 62.
It is Lowry’s second lowest score of his European Tour career with his best being a second round 62 on route to victory in the 2009 Irish Open at Baltray.
Shane Lowry brushes cobwebs off old putter and produces just 25 putts in his eight under par 64. (Photo – David Lloyd/www.golffile.ie)
As well, it is the most number of birdies Lowry has ever posted and one more than his effort of an eagle, nine birdies but also one bogey in that 62 at Co. Louth.
However it is also the 26-year old’s best effort since his course-record setting 64 on day three of last October’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland where he eventually finished third and just a shot behind England’s David Howell.
It was stop-start day for the morning starters in the Euro 4.75m event with Lowry on the 16th fairway when the siren sounded to halt play. That resulted in a 45-minute delay and no sooner had the players returned to the course at 1.45pm, whereupon Lowry when a threatening storm stopped play for another 45 minutes.
Lowry birdied 16 and 17 after the first stoppage and was on the 18th tee at the time of the second break before ending with a par.
“Any time you shoot in the low 60s around Wentworth, it’s a good day,” he said.
“I love it around here. I’ve done okay here in the past and really looking forward to getting here from last week onwards, and went out there and managed to shoot a decent score.”
Lowry reckons he’s collected nearly two-dozen putters in his career and they’re now stashed away in his Milltown apartment in suburban Dublin.
“I have been messing about here and there with putters, and pulled this one out, got the cobwebs off it and managed to putt well with it,” he said.
“The greens were lovely last week in Catalunya and I managed to hole a few putts early on, and saw myself holing a few putts over the weekend, and fortunately enough that was the case today and hopefully it will be the same for the remainder of the week.”
In fact, the 142nd world ranked Lowry had just 25 putts in his round and one more than Bjorn.
