Shane Lowry reckons his blues in missing the halfway cut in the Shell Houston Open could end with an Augusta green lining.
Lowry had been looking to celebrate his 29th birthday in Texas but instead spent the weekend in Georgia and playing his first Augusta National practice rounds since the agony of missing the cut in last year’s maiden Masters.
And after the awe of twelve months ago when Lowry’s eyes were a big as watermelons walking about the course and grounds, there seems a real calmness about him.
“It has already been so different to a year ago and I suppose I was a little bit less in awe of the place,” he said.
Shane Lowry reckons the blues in missing the cut in Houston could end in an Augusta green lining. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
“Listen, it was my birthday on Saturday and we flew down on Saturday morning and came down to play here and we had the course to ourselves.
“And could you pick a better place to be on your birthday, so it was nice. We pretty much had the course to ourselves. It was amazing. It was quiet.
“Now you look out on the course there today and there’s thousands of people.”
However Lowry has been sensible not to overdo it having played a full 18 holes on Saturday, nine holes Sunday and then nine holes for each of the three official practice rounds for a total of 54 holes that he would have played had he contested all four rounds in Houston.
Lowry played his first official practice round Monday in the company of reigning Irish Open champion, Soren Kjeldsen.
And after scores of 72 and 73 in Houston, Lowry has spent much of his time on the Augusta practice range working on his driver and this is after hitting 19 of 28 fairways over his two days in Texas.
“Actually, I had spent three days hitting drivers last week, so I was becoming a bit like Harrington,” he said laughing.
“That just messed up my rhythm a little bit last week, but the driver I got is really good and I’ve been working hard with it on the range here at Augsuta.
“So I have been driving it really well the last few days here, long and straight and I can turn it over when I want. It’s pretty good.
“But then the key is to only play 54 holes which is still a lot of preparation and getting to know the golf course.
“The main thing is to just to get more familiar with shots and getting to know a few chip shots around the greens and stuff.
“But then the course is already playing a lot different to when I got here on Saturday morning, as it was soft, spinning 7-irons back, and then Saturday afternoon on the 18th green you could feel it firming up a bit.
“And then yesterday it was totally different. It was fast, it was firm. It was amazing the change in 24 hours.
“So it was amazing the change in 24 hours but it gives me that little bit of extra preparation that I might need by the end of the week.”
