Ireland’s Shane Lowry will this week be making his third appearance in the season-ending PGA  Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Clara golfer spent last week warming up also for his Valhalla debut playing at the K Club course and venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup before it moved to Valhalla in 2008.

Lowry spent Tuesday playing the front nine in the company of former 2008 PGA Champion Padraig Harrington.

“I played with my coach Neil Manchin off the back tees and Mt. Juliet was probably as close as you’ll get to a big championship golf course and it’s actually good condition as well and playing quite soft, which was nice,” said Lowry.

Shane Lowry signs autographs after playing nine holes with Padraig Harrington Tuesday at Valhalla. (Photo www.golfbytourmiss.com)

“It was a good practice round to get you ready for a course like this.

“But it’s great being here at Valhalla as I watched the Ryder Cup coverage from here in 2008, and while I can’t remember too much of it, I remembered a couple of holes yesterday when I played a practice round.”

Lowry is coming off share of ninth in the British Open finishing seven shots behind McIlroy but in what was Lowry’s best finish in a Major.

“I thought about what might have been that week at Royal Liverpool,” he said.

“Okay, there was seven shots of a difference to Rory that was a lot but when you consider I was on the wrong side of the draw and a couple of silly mistakes here and there, I definitely wasn’t far away.

“That’s just the way I feel. I felt a little hard done by but to finish where I finished was good.”