Lowry will do it his way

Shock Irish Open winner Shane Lowry has rubbished suggestions that his aversion to the driving range could prove to be his downfall in the pro ranks.

The Clara ace, 22, teed it up as an “amateur” again yesterday when he played in Colm Moriarty's pro-am team ahead of the €150,000 Challenge of Ireland at Moyvalley in Kildare.

And while he’s not among the 26 Irish starters chasing the €24,000 top prize, he’s busy preparing for a massive three-event run on the European Tour and determined to continue doing things his way.

Shooting down talk that he hates practice, Lowry rapped: “People have the impression that I don’t practice at all and that is not true.

“Okay, I don’t stand there for four or five hours hitting balls. I do it for an hour and I am done. That is enough for me and people can think what they want to think.

“They way people are talking, you’d think I sat at home doing nothing all day. I go out and play golf and then spend an hour chipping and putting.”

Still waiting to earn his first cheque as a pro, Lowry opted not to play this week so that he can recharge his batteries ahead of the BWM International in Munich, the French Open in Paris and the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

He said: “Everything’s happened so fast since my win, so this week is a good chance to relax and take stock.

“I think it’s important to support golf events in Ireland, so when I was invited to play in the Pro-Am for the Challenge of Ireland, I jumped at the chance.”

Lowry missed his first two cuts as a pro and while he failed to qualify for the Open at Sunningdale on Monday, he's happy with the state of his game.

He said: “I was fairly pleased with how I played, so I’m moving in the right direction. This week gives me the chance to work on a few things and I’d rather do that here at Moyvalley than on the practice ground.

“I am also working on my fitness and I am meeting with Eric Miller again this week.”