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ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP

January 17, 2019

Shane Lowry

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Q. How satisfying to finish with 70?
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I'm really happy with that. Look, I knew today was going to be a bit of a weird day after shooting such a low score yesterday. I just tried to go out and play like I played. To be honest, right from the start, I really feel like I played pretty good today. I think I gave myself a lot of chances. I didn't hole that much. I didn't birdie any of the par-5s, so yeah, I'm happy with how I started. Some of the shots early on were pretty horrendous, so I battled back and hit some really nice shots out there and hit some in close and made some birdies. I was happy with myself.

Q. You played eight par-3s in two days and birdied six of them with the quality of your iron play. Are you feeling really, really good?
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I feel good. I feel like it draws and fades pretty much on the number that I'm trying to hit it most of the time. My swing is feeling pretty good. If anything, I'd like if it was like that with the driver a little bit more, but I'm trying to miss my driver -- I think it's so hard to hit fairways out here, I think I'm trying to miss my driver in the right spot, and I think that's what you have to do around this course. When the pin is in a certain spot, you just need to know where it's a good miss. Yeah, but my iron play has been good. Obviously I'd be -- I hope I enter the twos.

Q. Your preseason preparation was probably the best you've ever had. What made it so?
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it was longer. I was here for 12 days in Dubai before I came up here and pretty much I was practising, training every day, and we had a house over -- everything, we were eating well and everything was great. I was there with Paul Dunne and we had a really nice time, and we practised together and had some matches. I didn't actually beat him once, so I wasn't coming up here too optimistic. But yeah, I felt really good coming up here, and after what I had done, I knew I had done everything right to get myself in a good frame of mind to play here yesterday and today.

Q. How much are you looking forward to the weekend, and in that form, great quality field behind you?
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, look, just sort of the names behind me, it's great. To be going out playing with Louis tomorrow, I'll enjoy that, and hopefully I can go out and make a good show of myself.

Q. Shane, it was a tougher start for you today, but you managed to get things moving back in the right direction again.
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I struggled at the start. I hit some really rocky shots, didn't feel too confident, but I made a great up-and-down on the third hole for bogey, and I think that kind of kick-started me. I pretty much was hitting the ball decent after that for the rest of the day. Gave myself a lot of chances. I didn't convert as many as I would have liked, but I'm pretty happy to shoot 70, and to be in the lead going into the weekend is always nice.

Q. A couple of stand-out shots on the back nine, the bunker shot on 10 and then the tee shot at 12.
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, you know, my iron play has been pretty good. I've been playing the par-3s well. I fancied that one on 12. Yeah, I'm pretty happy where my game is at, and I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Q. You mentioned yesterday about the preparations and the rest that you've had. How excited are you now about the weekend being in the form that you're in at the moment?
SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it's great. I mean, look, we're playing a huge event here, first one of the year, and there's not another Rolex event for a while, so it would be nice to get off to a good start and get some points on the board and then kick on from there.

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