The hero of Bethpage spoke to the accumulated press before embarking on his quest for a first Open de España and he left them in no doubt, he is a man of his word. “It’s a big national championship with a lot of history. Madrid is an amazing place. I’d already committed to coming before the Ryder Cup so I feel honoured to fulfil my commitment and I’m happy to be here.”
Lowry is in the Spanish capital for the second time, having played the tournament last year. His debut was derailed by a poor round on Thursday, when wind buffeted Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Despite signing for an opening +4, not only did he manage to make the cut, but he finished in an impressive 13th position, going under par for the remaining three days. He will, therefore, tee it up this week as one of the hot favourites for the title. However, his Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm may have other ideas.
Asked about coming down from the roller-coaster of emotions just two weeks ago in New York, the Irishman responded: “After everything that happened in Bethpage, it’s nice to be competing again here, to get back to golf. I always say it’s amazing when you achieve big things, but without losing sight of the present and the future”. Lowry knows that golfing history is not made in a day.
To the surprise of many, he puts his Sunday at the Ryder Cup above even his victory at The Open in 2019, his only major to date, in his long list of achievements. He also revealed an exclusive anecdote from Bethpage. He admitted that one of the most difficult things about his life-changing putt was looking around the green and seeing Jose Maria Olazabal crying by the green before he hit the ball. The experience of the Ryder Cup, he explained, has made them all feel ‘like brothers’.
Having just played in the PRO-AM alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Lowry delivered one of his trademark quips: “I just told him that his golf is much better than my tennis”.
Shane Lowry is undoubtedly one of the main attractions at this mouth-watering edition of the Open de España presented by Madrid. He will tee it up on Thursday and Friday alongside Jon Rahm and defending champion Angel Hidalgo. What more could you ask for?
