McGinley: "Shane should be proud of US Open performance"
Shane Lowry after making par on the first hole during the final round of the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. on Sunday, June 19, 2016. (Copyright USGA/Darren Carroll)
Irish Olympic team leader Paul McGinley says Shane Lowry's day will come and should be "proud" of his US Open performance.
The Offaly man, currently Ireland's leading qualifier for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, finished tied for second behind Dustin Johnson at Oakmont County Club near Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The 29-year old lost a four-stroke lead in the final round as Johnson came from behind, carding a 69 to Lowry's 76 to win by three strokes.
Lowry was devastated at the finish but McGinley has nothing but praise for the world No 25 and he firmly believes his day will come sooner rather than later, with two majors still to go this year as well as the Olympic Games in Rio and a possible Ryder Cup debut.
"All the players on Shane's side of the draw were at a disadvantage as they had to play so many holes on Saturday," McGinley said. "That meant that DJ had the advantage because he is a supreme athlete. Not many guys are as fit as DJ and the delay played into his hands."
Lowry, who is now ranked ninth in the Race to Dubai with 913,844 from eight starts, also rose 54 places to 71st in the FedEx Cup rankings
"Shane should be proud of what he did in the US Open. He was leading by four shots and in the end he came away with massive world ranking points, massive Order of Merit points and Ryder Cup Point. His day will come."