AMGEN IRISH OPEN

September 11, 2024

Shane Lowry

Royal County Down GC

Press Conference

MATTHEW JOULE: Pleased to be joined at the Amgen Irish Open by Shane Lowry. Your thoughts on being at Royal County Down this week?

SHANE LOWRY: Based on the nine holes I just played, it's hard. I forgot how hard it was. It's going to be an unbelievable test. The course is firm and fast for some reason because it has not stop raining in Ireland all summer. I don't know what they are doing up here. It's going to be a really tough test and I think it could be one of the highest-winning scores ever in a the European Tour event this week. Way take level par and sit here and wait? Possibly. That's how tough it's going to be. But we have played in probably just the toughest conditions. Saturday was not great but next two days look okay. See how it goes.

THE MODERATOR: Your introduction needs no event, 15 years ago, you won as an amateur. When you look back, given all you've achieved, how much pride do you put on that performance.

SHANE LOWRY: That's a week I'll never forget that kick started my career. Since then my record has not been great. Car tan house one year, last year, gave myself a chance on Sunday. That was great fun. I love the opportunity to go and give it another run again this weekend. I hope I'm up to the challenge. It's going to be hard but we give it a go.

Q. We saw your statement, brief statement yesterday. How difficult a decision was it to sever ties with Kingspan after the inquiry?

SHANE LOWRY: Look, I've said all I had to say yesterday in my statement. I said at the end of the statement I wasn't going to make any further comment on it and I'm sticking by that. Yeah.

Q. The families said they are pleased you've made that decision. Would you have liked to possibly done it earlier or did you think it was right to wait for the inquiry?

SHANE LOWRY: Look, I can't imagine what the families have gone through the last few years. I'm not going to sit here and talk too much about it. It's obviously a touchy subject and my heart goes out to them. It is what it is for me and Kingspan.

Q. Back to golf. Third week of Ryder Cup qualifying, your first event on the DP World Tour?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, Bethpage is going to come around quick. Yeah, I'd like to, I got off to a great start in the last Ryder Cup race; the first week I won. It would be nice to do the same and I obviously really, really want to be on that team. That, for me, is one of the main reasons I practise and get up every morning is to do stuff like that. I would say it's probably the main driving point of my career right now.

Yeah, it's going to be hard, hard team to make, and hopefully I can do it and hopefully we can go there and win the trophy.

Q. Slight change this time to the qualifying with one list. Will that make any difference to how you approach your schedule or anything like that?

SHANE LOWRY: No. Quite fortunately for me, being in those Signature events and stuff in America, I think it kind of helps me; that I can plan my schedule and as well as I play well enough, I feel like I'll make the team.

Q. This course is ranked as third in the world, one of the unique features is the green and run-off areas. As one of the best short game players in the world, how does your approach change this week compared to elsewhere?

SHANE LOWRY: For me, this could, I've just played nine holes, I haven't played it enough. I haven't had the opportunity to come up here and play as much as I would like. I tried to come up in the summer and didn't work out. I would like to know it a little bit better. But for me it looks like you try and just hit the front edge of every green and try to make par on every hole, and I think if you do that you'll be okay.

Q. Nine holes you played so far, any greens that stand out as particularly challenging to chip into?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, they have all got their own challenges. They are quite firm and fast, and yeah, not that I can think of. They are hard greens to hit in two. You're going to have a lot of chips around the greens.

I think this course is going to be about the misses and missing in the right place. I tee off in about 24 hours. So I have 24 hours to figure out where to miss it on every hole and try to just manage my way around the course pretty well because I think this week, it's not going to be about your good shots. It's going to be about your bad shots and making sure they are not too bad and don't get you in too much trouble.

Q. I think you're playing the Spanish Open? How much are you looking forward to that how important is it for Jon Rahm is playing an event and can fulfill his four-tournament obligation?

SHANE LOWRY: Is he playing?

Q. He has not entered yet?

SHANE LOWRY: Obviously I know what you're alluding to, and I know that -- do I want Jon Rahm on the Ryder Cup Team? Yes. You know, show be allowed to break the rules and make the Ryder Cup Team? Should there be exemptions made? I'm not sure. That's not for me to decide.

But at the end of the day, we want to try to have the 12 best players we can next year in Bethpage and if he's one of them we probably do want him.

I'm not going to make those decisions. I want to be there on myself. Rahmbo in the Ryder Cup is an absolute animal. I've seen him in two Ryder Cups and he's unbelievable. If there's only one person bigger than the Ryder Cup, I'm not sure. We'll see.

Q. Following up on the course this week, do you think it's going to be a patience test? I remember 2015 --

SHANE LOWRY: I knew you were going to talk about that. Look I've done stupid things in my career. I got over it. I moved on and I managed to make the weekend. I played pretty well.

Big test of patience. I'm nine years older now and I'd like to think a little more mature.

Q. You just enjoyed your best-ever PGA TOUR.

SHANE LOWRY: Somebody mentions a bit of positive. Thanks a lot. Good job.

Q. One win. Do you think there were a few opportunities that maybe slipped and how do you kick on for the rest of the year? It's been a long year.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, look, I feel like I could have won more this year but I felt like I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I felt like I gave myself a lot of opportunities, and I'm pretty happy with the year I had. It's nice finishing with where I finished on the FedEx but would I probably trade a win for a few places on that, really.

I think the chances again, especially the chances I gave myself in the majors and a few of the bigger tournaments, Bay Hill and tournaments like that, I feel like certainly it has been like a lot of progress in my career.

I sat down at the start of this year and I know I'm not getting any younger. I'm by no means old but the years are creeping on, and you do doubt yourself a little bit. For me to kind of produce one of the most consistent years of my career this year I think is something that has given me a lot of hope going forward for the next few years. I'm going to try to make the most of the next few years and give it everything I have and try to win a few more tournaments and hopefully a few big ones.

Q. Where else did you play?

SHANE LOWRY: I was in Portrush yesterday. I was in Portrush yesterday. First time I was back since 2019. That was pretty cool. Only place I've been. I played Druids Glen last Friday. Haven't had much other golf than that.

I played five weeks in a row to finish the FedExCup and I was absolutely shattered last week, and I had only three days at home and I had to come back out here for some stuff to do over the weekend. I've been a busy man this year, and not going to lie; I'm feeling it a little bit. I'm pretty tired. When I get going, I'll be okay. Adrenaline keeps me going, and I'll be fine.

Q. Last time we were here, the 7th hole caused some chaos and carnage. What other holes make you think twice when you're standing on the tee box?

SHANE LOWRY: I played nine today and there's nine of them, really. I was hitting out of the gallery about six times today. There's just a few really strong holes, and the blind holes, like even 13, because you've got to lay back off that tee and then you're going in 200 yards blind shot into a tricky enough green.

You know, 15, because you kind of have to lay back a little bit as well and that's playing kind of into the wind. It's playing brutally tough. The green is almost like the 10th green at Troon. From what I can remember the 8th hole is a really tough hole. 9 -- just about mention them all now.

Look this is just a tough golf course. It's a tough test and it will be -- it will take a lot of good golf, a lot of patience and a lot of holing a lot of putts for pars and it will take a lot of good stuff to do well this week.

Q. Like you mentioned this past season internationally, one of your most successful and consistent seasons, have you had a chance with your team maybe to step back after the FedExCup and think about what factors led to that sustained form?

SHANE LOWRY: No, I haven't had a chance. I haven't had much time off to do anything to be honest.

Yeah, look, you know, for me, the season is over on the PGA TOUR, and it's not over. I'll play a few weeks here and hopefully in Abu Dhabi and Dubai at the end of the year, and that's when you sit and think about what you need to do better for next year.

Over the winter, try and figure out, what can I do to maybe get over the line more or just keep giving myself chances. Keep doing the same thing. Look, yeah, it's been incredibly consistent and I've had a lot of good finishes, but there's always stuff to improve on. I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Q. Your best finish on the PGA TOUR and the win with Rory in New Orleans. Looking back on that win and the fun that was had after and the things that blew up on social media, how crucial was that moment in the season for you for your momentum?

SHANE LOWRY: I thought it was crucial enough, but I thought my season had been going pretty well up to that where I was quite high up the FedExCup and I had some good finishes and I was really happy with where my game was at.

But we did both saying going here, we wanted to leave here with 400 FedExCup points each and that was our main goal of going there. We felt like we could win the tournament. It's amazing to go there and with that goal in mind, look, obviously every week you rock up, you want to win but we talked about it on the way up, and like the only reason we're coming here is to win and get out and that's what we did and we had a great time doing it.

Rory obviously went on and won in Quail Hollow a couple weeks later. I went on and had some good finishes. Gave myself a decent run at the PGA, The Open, stuff like that. Yeah, it was certainly a help. There's no doubt about that but every win helps, but yeah, I wouldn't say it was the be-all and end-all of my year or the making or breaking of it because I felt like my game was in great shape. It was great, yeah.

Q. Obviously a Who's Who of Irish golf, you being here, Rory being here, Pádraig, amongst others. Professional golf in Ireland has exploded in these last couple of decades producing major winners, multiple PGA TOUR winners. How important has this event been not only to you but that very strong ecosystem in Irish professional golf both on the men's and women's side?

SHANE LOWRY: Look, the Irish Open is one of the biggest -- sporting events in Ireland, we are a sporting mad nation. We love our sports people and we love our events and we jump on any bandwagon that's going. That's just the way we are. You get the Irish Open every year, it's always pretty much sold out, huge crowds. We always get a decent field and when myself and Rory and Pádraig and the other Irish players turn up, it does make for a great event.

It is important and we have been successful at the top level. We've won a lot of majors over the years. I think we've won more than our fair share of major ares since 2007. Pádraig kick started that. If I was being completely honest, you'd love to see a few more younger players on tour like Tom McKibbin coming through. We have a couple of good young players in college now in the States and I'd be excited for them. Hopefully they can kick on and get out here and give it a go as well.

Q. Your game has been fairly consistent all season and you're well up there in the driving stats and much is made about the fact that you went 20-odd rounds without a three-putt. Where do you consider your game to be with a couple of big weeks coming up?

SHANE LOWRY: It's pretty good. Being completely honest, if we had perfect conditions this week, I'd really fancy my chances.

Tough conditions is a bit of a leveller. It takes a lot of really good golf to really get up there and win. Not making excuses but I'm just saying the way it is. So I'm going to have to manage my game really well. I need to go walk the front nine now and try to get to know this golf course as best I can. Then I'm sure I'll be fine.

I think if I can get through the first couple rounds with decent scores, I feel like I'll really give it a run at the weekend. Yeah, we'll see how it goes.

Q. Winning the Irish Open as an amateur back in 2009, a unique and cool feat to win it as an amateur and professional. How does that motivate you?

SHANE LOWRY: I'm pretty sure I've fully answered that question for the last 14 years. Like it would be cool to have both. What I did in Baltray was something that I'll remember forever, and I'll always say it would probably be the greatest thing I ever did; didn't realize I was going to do what I did in Portrush.

I feel like, yeah, look, I would love it. It's one of the great events on the European Tour. It always has been. It's on a great golf course they can. This would be a good week to do it. The last time I played a tournament up north, I did all right. You never know.

Q. Did you get to see the mural of you in Portrush?

SHANE LOWRY: There is, right. I'll be completely honest, right, we left Portrush, and we were in a rush leaving and we totally forgot about going in to see it, swear it God, we were ten miles down the road, and we forgot to get a picture. I've been sent a lot of pictures. It is pretty cool what they did there.

Q. Rory mentioned after THE TOUR Championship he's going to cut back his number of tournaments next year, and you mentioned you were pretty exhausted after the FedExCup. Do you think you have got the balance just about right or will you possibly be making changes going forward?

SHANE LOWRY: My schedule is obviously going to be a little bit different next year because I'm going to be in the Signature events at the start of the year and I won't have to play some of the other events. My schedule will play the same, I'll play a similar right. I feel like I got it right this year to a certain extent. I feel like the January to August PGA TOUR season suits me perfectly where you start in January, and you just play as hard as you can until August. We've got to come back here and play, but I get a break.

Like, I'll be fine. It's only golf. It's not like -- I met a fellow, I was getting a coffee in the morning, I met a fellow, he was painting houses. I was like, you're going out to the real world, and I'm playing golf. I'll be fine.