Shane Lowry admitted his key advantage as the Open returns to Royal Portrush, the venue that hosted his only major championship victory.
Shane Lowry has been playing some fantastic golf in 2025. The Irishman has carded three top 10 performances and looks in prime position for a Ryder Cup call-up later in the year.
Unfortunately, the Irishman was unable to defend his Zurich Classic title alongside Masters champion Rory McIlroy in his most recent outing.
Lowry, who is close friends with McIlroy, will no doubt be gutted he couldn’t retain his title. He is, however turning now turning his attention to the future, making an unexpected admission ahead of The Open in July.
Lowry admits pressure is off as The Open returns to Royal Portrush
The Open heads to Northern Ireland this year, making its first appearance as the tournament venue since 2019.
Lowry was crowned Open champion in 2019; however, in a recent interview alongside McIlroy, the 38-year-old revealed that his close friend’s Masters success has taken the attention away from his Portrush return.
“He [Rory McIlroy] can take it easy for a while. But no, going back to Portrush is going to be incredible. Rory going back as the Masters champion now is going to take a little bit of heat off me again, so I’m pretty happy with that. It’s going to be a great tournament,” Lowry revealed to Golf News.
“I think I seen something yesterday where 278,000 people are going to attend the Open this year at Portrush. I think a million people applied for tickets. It’s going to be an incredible event, and I’m just going to be happy to be a part of it.”
The Open is still a ways away, however, and most eyes are currently turning to the PGA Championship, where both men are set to make their second major appearance of 2025.
Shane Lowry’s 2019 Royal Portrush triumph
Despite claiming top-five finishes in every major championship throughout his career, Lowry’s only major victory came at The Open Championship in 2019.
Played in his home country, eyes may have been on Lowry, but the majority were likely watching McIlroy, who was winless in majors since 2014.
However, the attention certainly swivelled, McIlroy missed the cut, and Lowry found himself joint leader after 36 holes alongside J.B. Holmes. Saturday’s session saw Lowry play one of the best rounds of his career, scoring a new course record of 63 and taking the lead by four shots.
Despite a valiant effort from Tommy Fleetwood, who finished second overall, the Irishman held on to his lead with a final round 72, sealing the deal by six shots.
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