HORIZON IRISH OPEN

July 2, 2022

Shane Lowry

Mount Juliet Estate

Quick Quotes

Q. How do you feel you played?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I played nicely this morning. Look, it was absolutely perfect out there this morning. Not much wind. Course was gettable. I played nicely. Hit the ball where I wanted. I would have liked to have been two or three better. I feel like I played probably two or three better than that.

But I'm happy with 6. This kind of weekend for me now is all about building confidence for St Andrews. I think I was so far back that I obviously needed a really low one today. I needed 7- or 8-under to get myself there or thereabouts tomorrow.

But I can shoot 6- or 7-under on this course. That would be a really nice week. Go out there play solid golf and keep hitting where I want it, and I'll be happy leaving here tomorrow evening.

Q. Do you think you have the potential to go really low tomorrow?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, there's a good round in me. I feel like as the week's gone on I've definitely played better golf, and today was pretty flawless to be honest apart from 16. But other than that it was pretty good today.

Q. Did you play some links golf around Ireland?

SHANE LOWRY: I was in Portmarnock last week and plan to do that next week again. I don't know where I'm going to go, probably Portmarnock; if I'm lucky enough, they will let me out there. Hopefully get some good links golf in and not too far from home, so it will be nice.

Q. How do you analyse today's 68?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, 68 is probably not far off par this morning the way the golf course is playing. It's a nice round. I played pretty nicely. I'm pleased with how I played more than my score. I felt like I was hitting the shots I wanted. Felt like I was in control of my ball and felt like I rolled the ball out on green. All in all, it was a nice day.

Q. Feels like the course, especially the way it's playing, it's one that you can get after, and especially yourself. What do you feel is just missing in your game right now to post something really low?

SHANE LOWRY: I had it going, 4-under through ten, and 4-under through ten around here, you're probably thinking, definitely shoot 7. Never got it going on the back nine. I hit some nice shots, nice shot on 11.

Wind was slight but it was flicking a little bit as well. That's what made it tricky. You need to, not be lucky, but you need to really be aggressive out here to shoot a low score because the pins are tucked and you need to flirt with danger to make birdies. You know, if you don't do that, you're going to have to hole 25-, 30-footers, and I didn't really do that today.

Q. You've been praising of the Irish fans on social media.

SHANE LOWRY: It was incredible today. Like out there at 8.30 on a Saturday morning and as the day went on they got bigger and bigger. It was pretty cool. I think the tee times worked out pretty cool with me and Paddy early and Seamus out late. Hopefully Seamus goes out and shoots a good score and gives them something to shout about tomorrow.