Laid back Lowry is loving it

The 361-yard 10th at Whistling StraitsShane Lowry is living the American dream on his major debut in the US.

And US Open champion Graeme McDowell reckons the Clara star’s laid back approach could pay off big time as he finds his feet in the major leagues.

Sharing a house with the Offaly ace this week, McDowell said: “Shane has a fantastic attitude for the game and that is why he has settled in so well as he has.

“He’s got a very relaxed demeanour and doesn’t put himself under a lot of pressure. I’ve just told him to go out and enjoy it.”

Lowry knows he has what it takes to become a major contender some day but he was boosted by McDowell’s words of praise as he prepared to tee it up in an American major for the first time.

He said: “It’s great to hear that from a player like Graeme. It gives me great confidence to know people think that. But I have to be confident in myself.

“To be honest, there’s no real point in playing golf unless you really, firmly believe you can compete with the world’s best. That’s the goal for me. I’m only 23 and I’ve got a long way to go yet.”

Ranked 82nd in the world, Lowry added: “Hopefully I can play well this week and do well over the next few months and get into more majors because that’s where you want to be in golf. This is what it’s all about.

“It just depends how I handle myself on Thursday. I was really nervous before I went to the tee in The Open at St Andrews. But once I hit that first tee shot, I loved it after that.”