No chance Lowry will be shrinking into the background.
Shane Lowry will not be sitting back at Whistling Straits. He will not be staying out of the way.
The Offaly native was up for media duties at the Wisconsin course, earlier today, and a couple of American reporters got it twisted that he might be happy to sit back and just soak in his whole Ryder Cup rookie experience.
Lowry is 34 but this will be his first time teeing up for Team Europe in the bi-annual competition against the best golfers from the United States. This is a moment he has long yearned for and he looked to have clinched it was back in 2019 when he won The Open at Portrush.
In the end though, in a pandemic-affected qualifying stretch, Lowry was just outside the automatic qualifying places but selected as a Captain’s Pick by Padraig Harrington. Lowry made the cut, along with Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia, while the likes of Justin Rose and Alex Noren just missed out.
Reporters at Whistling Straits picked up on Lowry’s comments about making The Ryder Cup being a more cherished prize than a major win. He explained that, to be considered a true Irish golfing great, one simply needs to be involved at The Ryder Cup.
(Back L-R) Bernd Wiesberger, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Paul Casey, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Ian Poulter. (Front L-R) Jon Rahm, Lee Westwood, captain Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy pose for a team photo prior to the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)“Look,” he began, “you obviously want to win majors and you want to compete at the highest level and golf for the most part is an individual sport, but as a European player, as an Irish player growing up, you’ve watched Ryder Cups, obviously Christy O’Connor Junior, Philip Walton, Eamonn Darcy, Rory, G-Mac, Paddy, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, all the great Irish players that have played the game.
“For me it was something that I really wanted to do and I felt like I had to do, do you know what I mean, if I want to be up there with those guys when you’re talking about really good or great Irish golfers.”
The ‘G-Mac’ Lowry referred to, of course, is Graeme McDowell, who has twice represented Team Europe as a player and is one of ‘Paddy’ Harrington’s vice captains.
When trying to describe just what it means to be involved in golf’s top team competition, Lowry touched on some advice McDowell had given him.
hane Lowry and Jon Rahm were paired together during a practice round on Tuesday. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)“It’s everything I expected and way more. Look, you know, we get into the hotel and we go down into our team room, and it’s just the set-up in there and just sitting around and being a part of a group like this, it’s hard to explain how special it is.
“It’s kind of… I had a good chat with G-Mac the other day and he said at certain points you kind of want to stand back this week and really look at what you’re doing and soak it all in, and I’m trying to do that as best I can.
“It’s just so special to be here. It really is. Anybody that’s known me, anybody that’s been my friends and family back home, my team, anybody that’s been involved with me over the last 10 years knows how much I really wanted to be here, and I’m here now.”
A couple of journalists then, in later questions, picked up on how a bubbly character like Lowry would sit back and just take in the whole occasion.
Lowry put that notion to bed. He is here to make a difference, and ruffle some Americans feathers. He is here to turn the board blue.
“Not sit back and stay out of the way,” he corrected, “it’s sit back and kind of soak in what’s going on around you and then get to work.
“I do believe I’ll have a big part to play in this team this week, and I do believe that I can bring a lot when it comes to it on Friday, Saturday, Sunday when push comes to shove in this tournament.
“Yeah, I don’t think I meant that. I didn’t mean like sit back and kind of just go about my business the way I normally do or be… I just have to be myself.
“I think I was asked about it on the Sunday evening after I got the pick what can I do this week, and I think if I just be myself this week, I think that’ll be good enough. I’ll just go out there and be myself and hopefully pick up some points, and like I say, hopefully win that trophy on Sunday.”
Come Friday, the talking will all be over and golfing battle will commence. Lowry is determined to do whatever his team want from him.
Still, he would dearly love to be in the mix for the Friday foursomes and fourballs.
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