The days of Shane Lowry flying in under the radar are long gone. These days, wherever he goes, in any given week, he's part of those on any list of contenders. And, on Sunday night, as he joined other players – among them Ian Poulter – on a NetJets chartered plane for the hop across state lines from Ohio to Wisconsin, the 28-year-old Offalyman did so with an elevated status and an increased sense of purpose heading into the US PGA championship.
If that quest for the Wannamaker Trophy at Whistling Straits is the immediate aim, Lowry – who moved to a career high 19th in the world rankings following his WGC-Bridgestone Invitational victory – has earmarked other targets down the line.
“I think the Olympics and the Ryder Cup are two big things on my list next year . . . this is definitely a step in the right direction,” he said.
For sure, the way he has ticked off boxes so far this year, Lowry can justifiably aim for the sky. Just over 14 months ago, Lowry languished at 142nd in the world rankings but he has transformed his game to the extent now that he has moved to a new level. His win in Bridgestone catapulted him to fourth on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai order of merit and, apart from also securing him three year exemptions on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, it also makes him eligible for the FedEx Cup Cup although he still has some work to do if he is to crack the top 125 for the playoffs.
While it was initially thought the 550 points he would have earned for Sunday night’s win could be retrospectively applied (comfortably enough to see him into the playoffs), it has since emerged that Lowry will not be able to avail of points from non-PGA Tour events.
With 222 points earned from top-10 finishes in the US Open and Farmers Insurance Open good enough for about 175th in the standings, Lowry must now rely on more impressive performances in this week’s US PGA and Wyndham Championships if he is to secure a berth in the money-spinning playoff series.
Few invites
“I definitely want to play (in the United States) more, and I’ve said that over the last year. That was my goal, coming over and playing a few invites this year. I was very thankful to all those people that gave me those invites at the start of the year.
“I’ve achieved a lot of goals so far this year: PGA Tour card, another win, well inside the top-50 in the world. So, yeah, I’m just looking forward to the next few months.”
He added: “I think obviously the Irish Open (win in 2009) got my career kick-started. It was great for me. But I think this is getting the next stage of my career kick-started now hopefully. I feel like I’ve been playing good golf for the last couple of years. I’ve been in and around top 50 in the world and trying to get into events and trying to compete in events and missed a couple of big cuts by a shot or two this year, which is a bit disappointing. I was never too far away. I think this is going to give me the confidence hopefully to drive on now and win more events and hopefully the floodgates will open.”
Firstly, there is the PGA Championship where Rory McIlroy returns to competition after his five-weeks absence from the tour due to his ankle ligament rupture.
“To see what he does in the game and how he plays the game is motivating,” said Lowry of the world one’s influence, adding: “When you’re hanging around with people like that, like I hang around with Pádraig, Rory, G Mac, guys who have done well in the game and who have won Majors, and when you knock around with people like that, it definitely helps you. You surround yourself with the right people.”
For Lowry, who missed the cut at the British Open in St Andrews last month, the PGA offers the chance to make another major statement. In six years on tour, he has matured and developed into one of the game’s top players. As he put it: “I’m probably 20 yards longer than I was. My irons are so much more consistent. My wedge play is better. All around, I’m probably a better player and more mature as a player.”
Ongoing treatment
Lowry is one of five Irish players in the PGA, where McIlroy returns to competition to defend a title he won in Valhalla last year. Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington, who is having ongoing treatment on an injured knee, are also in the field.
Shane Lowry recalled his play on the par par four 18th hole on Sunday.
“I was pretty nervous standing on the 18th tee. You think, ‘right, this is what I’m here for. This is why I came this week’. I hit a poor enough tee shot. It was quite a long way left. Probably one of the worst tee shots I’ve hit all week.
“But I was just going in there praying that I could get it down there on the green. It got down, and it actually had a pretty horrific lie. It was sitting down in a hole. It was almost like someone had stood on it, but it was where the crowd was walking. And I just said to Dermot (Byrne), ‘I’ll try and hit sand wedge and just get it down to the front of the green’. I pulled it a bit too low and went into the tree. The rest is history.”
