Shane Lowry reveals surprise Open prep – and Scottish Open snub
Last updated:
Shane Lowry returns to Royal Portrush hoping to recreate the magic of his 2019 Open win – and he’s taken a bold approach to get ready, revealing why he skipped the Scottish Open and how a few mental wobbles might actually be good news for his chances this week.
Shane Lowry was a hugely popular winner the last time The Open visited Royal Portrush, and he’s buzzing to be back.
“It’s amazing to be back,” he said in his pre-tournament press conference. “It’s pretty cool that we’re back so quickly after such a short period of time. We’ve only had five Opens since the last one here in Portrush, which just goes to show what the R&A and the organisers think of this venue.
“Obviously I’m a little bit biased, but I think it’s one of the best venues. You look at it in this weather – it’s just incredible. The golf course, I played it this morning, and I think it’s perfect right now. It’s ready for a great week of golf.”
The Irishman would love nothing more than to repeat the magic of 2019, but he’s not trying to replicate every part of that week. Asked if he’d be staying in the same house or repeating any rituals from that campaign, he was quick to downplay the idea.
“No, different house. I am a little bit superstitious, but I don’t try and do stuff like that. We do go for a little chat every evening, myself and my coach, where we try to figure out what we’re going to do the following day and how I’m feeling.”
Those chats may have been tough in recent months, with Lowry’s form dipping since narrowly missing out on victory at the Truist Championship. There have been visible frustrations and angry outbursts on and off the course – but that, he says, could be a good sign for his chances this week.
“Honestly, sometimes when everything is going really well, I get complacent,” he revealed. “When things are not going well, I think that’s when I’m at my best – or when I don’t feel like things are going well.
“Go back to 2019 here… I had a meltdown on the Wednesday because I thought I wasn’t going to play well, but that focuses me a little bit more. If I can keep complacency away and my expectations down, that’s when I’m at my best.”
With that in mind, Lowry’s main concern is that he’s been playing too well and feeling too good more recently.
“I’m feeling great the last two days, so that’s not great,” he laughed. “No, honestly, I’ve had a great week. I’ve had a great week of practice. I just need to play shit for the next couple of days and I’ll be all right.”
One part of his 2019 routine Lowry has repeated was opting out of the Scottish Open.
While most of the world’s top players were tuning up their games to links golf at The Renaissance Club, Lowry chose his own form of preparation.
“I feel like I played too much golf in the lead-up to the US Open,” he explained. “I played nine of 11 weeks, and I feel like that really got to me. When the going got tough, I wasn’t there for it mentally, and that’s my own fault.
“I’ve had a couple of weeks to take a step back and put in some decent work to get ready for this week. I do feel ready. I really do.”
Lowry hasn’t played competitively for almost a month, instead sharpening his game on some of Ireland’s finest links courses.
“In the last two weeks, I’ve played Portmarnock, The Island, Baltray, Waterville, Hogs Head, and Adare Manor,” he said. “So I’ve played some of the best courses in the country.
“I feel fortunate that I have that on… not on my doorstep, but I can go do that pretty easily.
“I parked myself down in Waterville last week, and I spent the week down there. I played every day. The weather was almost too good – not enough wind, the sun was shining too much, and it was too warm. But it’s been an amazing couple of weeks.”
Skipping the Scottish Open is a bold move – only four other top-25 players who were eligible to compete opted out – but the decision has history on its side. Lowry made the same call in 2019 and went on to win at Portrush by six shots the following week.
He was a regular in the Scottish Open in the early part of his career – playing it every year from 2009 to 2016 – but now views it as something of a jinx.
“I’ve only played Scotland once in the last eight or ten years, and then I went to Hoylake and missed the cut. That didn’t work out well.”
Lowry’s Open preparation may be unconventional, but he believes in it – and that’s what matters.
“I’ve prepared as well as I can for this tournament,” he insists. “I know I have. Then it’s just up to me to stay out of my own way on Thursday morning, go and get after it, and see what happens.”
-
Shane Lowry reveals his unique approach to preparing for The Open.
