GOLF:SHANE LOWRY is different to everyone else competing in the 3 Irish Open at Co Louth Golf Club. He's an amateur, playing on an invitation. He doesn't use courtesy cars, instead driving his Mitsubishi Colt to the parking area reserved beside the tennis courts.
He’s not staying in the official players’ hotel, the swanky D Hotel. Instead, his family are renting a house in Castlebellingham. Even the jumper he wore for yesterday’s Pink Friday charity day was given to him, as a present at a pre-tournament barbecue the other night when the benefactor discovered he didn’t own one of that hue.
And, oh, the real difference is that the 22-year-old Offalyman reached the midpoint of this €3 million tournament – of which he can’t earn a single cent – as the outright leader, shooting a superb second-round 62 for a 36-hole total of 129, 15 under par, which gave him a two-stroke lead over Robert Rock and Jamie Donaldson.
Not that Lowry – the son of former Offaly All-Ireland winner Brendan – was jumping up and down. He’s laidback, and not prone to shows of much emotion.
Yet, on a day when rain cascaded down on the early-morning starters only to clear later to allow those with a post noon tee-time to set about making hay, Lowry’s was the story of stories.
True, Graeme McDowell set a course record. Paul Lawrie won a topless Audi for a hole-in-one. Pádraig Harrington went off to watch Angels and Demons believing he would be around for the weekend but ended up missing the cut. First-round leader Francesco Molinari was disqualified. Oh, what a day. But Lowry’s deeds stole the show.
In all, seven Irish players – Lowry (15 under), Rory McIlroy (seven under), McDowell (six under), Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Gary Murphy (five under) and Damien McGrane (four under) – survived the midway cut.
Lowry, like the rest of us, was inclined to pinch himself to find out if it were real.
“It’s like a dream, really. It’s an unbelievable feeling to be leading by two shots over a field like this,” said Lowry, a member of the Golfing Union of Ireland’s production line that in the not too distant past gave us McIlroy.
Could Lowry compare himself to McIlroy? “No, I wouldn’t even put myself in the same league. Hopefully, at some stage in my career, I would be as good as him. But now? I wouldn’t even put myself up there with him.”
The course set-up for the second round encouraged scoring, although those unfortunate early starters – who’d also experienced the worst of the weather on Thursday afternoon – could possibly feel hard done by. Indeed, when Harrington finished his round, a 68 for 141, he was comfortably inside the cut and anticipating a strong challenge over the weekend with its forecast of very strong winds. Today’s third round has been moved forward, with a two-tee start, to try to beat the predicted poor weather.
Yet, the triple major winner was to finish a shot outside the mark which came at 140, making it the lowest cut in the history of the Irish Open.
More impressively, perhaps, is that Lowry’s total of 129 equalled the 36-hole low set by Patrik Sjoland at Ballybunion in 2000. However, this was on a 72 as against a par 71.
Admittedly, the tees were moved forward on a number of holes yesterday – reducing the course’s length by 215 yards – with the most dramatic shortening coming on the 16th, reduced by 50 yards because of surface water in the landing area on the fairway.
Still, it was the same course for everyone, and, at day’s end, Lowry was left atop the leaderboard and in unknown territory. After all, this is his first appearance in a professional tournament (even though he is playing as an amateur) and his priority for the year is to make the Britain and Ireland team for the Walker Cup match with the US at Merion in September. He should be a certainty.
Of the weekend ahead, Lowry – who started his round with a chip-in for birdie on the first and holed another chip on the sixth for eagle – remarked that he would attempt to keep the same mindset.
“A lot of people said to me during the week, ‘just go out and play like it’s the East of Ireland and play the course’. Tomorrow it will be different, but I can’t wait for it.”
If Lowry needed any inspiration that he is not chasing an impossible dream, it was provided by a golf show a couple of weeks ago. On it, Danny Willett, who played Walker Cup two years ago and who is now on the European Tour, claimed there was little difference between the top amateurs and the tour professionals. As Lowry remarked, “I’ve seen loads of guys from the amateur scene over the last couple of years, Rory (McIlroy), Chris Woods, Danny Lee (who won the Johnnie Walker Classic while an amateur) and they have all done really well for themselves. It gives you inspiration, to think I’m good enough to play.”
While Lowry contemplated the biggest weekend – so far – of his golfing life, Harrington’s absence for the final rounds provoked wonderment from his Ryder Cup colleague McDowell as to why the Dubliner felt the need to continue tweaking his swing.
As McDowell observed, “He wins three from six majors and still he crucifies himself and wants to become better and better and better and better. Surely his game is good enough.
“I’m sure he has a masterplan and at some point it will emerge. His game is world class, his mental strength just amazing. So, at some point, he will turn the corner and he will be back. But, at the minute, it seems a bit of head scratching to me what he is doing to himself.”
