A proud yet worn out Shane Lowry arrives back to Ireland tomorrow (MON) going straight into the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open ‘bubble’ at Galgorm Castle in Ballymena
It will be Lowry’s first steps back on the Emerald Isle in seven months since he and his young family moved to rented premises last February at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.
And after a good day’s rest, the reigning Open Champion will be looking for playing conditions to be a little less severe teeing-up on Thursday than the four-day U.S. Open torture test at Winged Foot.
Lowry ended his U.S. Open campaign some 30-minutes before the leaders were due to tee-up in posting a closing two-over par 72 for a 15-over par tally.
It had him placed just inside the top-50 among the 61 players who contested all four days of the 120th staging of the championship.
Shane Lowry heading home after seven months Stateside and into this week’s Irish Open ‘bubble’
Only twice prior in Lowry’s 11-year and now 235 European Tour tournament counting career has he shot higher and that was a 17-over and a 20-over in the handful of events he contested soon after capturing the 2009 Irish Open.
And little wonder he’s eager to get ‘home’.
“I’m now really looking forward to getting back to Ireland and this week’s Irish Open, as a week like this really takes it out of you,” he said.
“So, it’s important to rest up over the next few days. I might get a few holes in at some stage, practice, but I’m not going to do too much.
“I’m going to go out there and give it my best when it comes to it on Thursday, but when it comes to it I’ll be looking forward to it and I want to do well in it, so yeah.”
Lowry’s final round again reflected the struggle in fighting your way around the Long Island course in posting four birdies but also six bogeys.
Overall, the Royal Portrush winning hero managed 12 birdies, 17 bogeys, two double-bogeys and also a pair of triple bogeys.
“Looking back on the four days, I did okay and I feelI did better than my scores,” he proudly said.
“I was happier with my game than my score suggests. I made a bit of a disaster on Saturday (77) and a bit of a bad run in the first round, but other than that, for I’d say three-quarters of the golf tournament I played as good as I can.
“I played some good golf the last two days, especially getting off to a bad start today and shooting 1-under my last 15 holes. That’s pretty good out there.
“The thing is, it’s just so difficult out there.
“Every time I hit it in the rough — I get frustrated watching the golf in the afternoon when I go home because every time I see people in the rough they’re hitting on the greens and every time I hit in the rough I can’t seem to get anywhere near the green.
“My short game was good, my putting was good, found a driver that I liked, drove the ball well.
“Yeah, overall, I was happier than my score suggests.”
