Lowry fears for bombers: "If I'm wrong I'll obviously eat my words"

Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry believes the bombers could face at Car-nasty blow up in The Open if they take on golf’s toughest links with the driver.

The classic Angus venue might have little rough and rock hard fairways, making it vulnerable to long bombers like Rory McIlroy or Dustin Johnson, who all hope to make their power pay dividends

But Lowry is convinced that Carnoustie is just waiting to jump up and bite the game's big guns if they get too ambitious off the tee. 

And that's why he's determined to stick to his guns and play a controlled game from tee to green.

Convinced he's close to putting four solid rounds together for the first time this year, Lowry said: "I think people have a misconception of how this golf course is going to play.

"I think it is going to play a lot harder than people are seeing in practice. I think the greens are going to dry out and the golf course is like a runway out there. 

"If you get the ball off-line, you are going to get yourself in trouble.

"So I think the guys who want to hit drivers everywhere, let them go ahead and if I'm wrong I'll obviously eat my words at the end of the week. 

"I don't think it's driver everywhere. I think you need to get the ball in play, get the ball on the short grass and have control with your iron shots then.”

Lowry has done well in the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, finishing tied third in 2013 after shooting an eight-under 64 at Carnoustie in the third round.

It's a par-71 this week with the 12th becoming a 503-yard par-four rather than a par-five.

But Lowry believes that despite the lack of rough and the fast-running fairways, it's still Carnoustie and it’s always a dangerous beast.

He said: "Obviously I have played here quite a lot at the Dunhill but it's a bit of a different golf course this week. 

"It's firm and fast and to the naked eye it can look quite easy, but I think it is going to be very tricky this week. 

"It is just about keeping your ball in play and seeing what you can do from there. 

“If you can hit six, seven, eight, nine fairways around here, I think you're doing very well. From there, you can shoot a decent score."

Down from 62nd to 90th in the world this year, Lowry has endured a frustrating start to the season despite missing just four of 16 cuts.

But he's still confident that he's close to putting all elements of his game together and hopes this might be the week.

His only problem is that he’s not quite comfortable off the tee and is trying to hit fewer right to left draws — his go-to shape.

He said: "Maybe I have had a bit too much draw bias over the last while and I have just been trying to straighten out my ball flight and hit some fades and get the control back in my game.  

"I feel like I have been trying to hit the ball too hard over the last while instead of thinking, 'What club do I need to hit the shot? What club do I need to hit to hit it close?'" 

It's never a good sign when a player arrives at a major with work to do but Lowry does not believe he's got far to go before he's firing on all cylinders

He said: "People are probably finding it hard to believe I've missed the last three cuts in the Open because they see me as a good links player. 

"But I don't think about it like that. I played the Irish Open a few weeks ago and felt like I played decent in a lot of parts. 

"So hopefully I can go out in Carnoustie, which is a course I like and a course I've shot good scores on, and hopefully come out and do the business this week.

"I just need to play the golf course whatever way I see it and not listen to the way people are talking. 

"You can get caught up with people saying they will hit driver everywhere because the rough is not thick. 

“But I just want to play the way I want to play and the way I see it because I have shot some great scores around here.”  

As for his form, he's convinced a big week is close and just has to remain patient.

He said: "I've been saying for a few weeks or a couple of months that I don't think I am far away. Sometimes you can feel like you are miles away but I really don't. 

"From the research that my caddie Dermot has done over the last week —  and he wouldn't be one to bluff me —  he thinks we could be very close to something. 

"I am just out here trying to do my best. I am going to do my best over the next few days to get to know the golf course as well as I can in the conditions and give it a go on Thursday."