Lowry focussed on road to Whistling Straits
Shane Lowry receives Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour from CEO Keith Pelley. Image: Getty Images
Race to Dubai leader Shane Lowry admits that a Masters win is the only thing that could top winning The Open.
But while he partners Rory McIlroy and 2018 Open champion Francesco Molinari for the first two rounds of the BMW PGA at Wentworth —two men who have seen the green jacket slip through their fingers— it's not Augusta National glory but making Pádraig Harrington’s European Ryder Cup that remains his number one goal.
Having smoothed the path ahead by winning the Claret Jug to secure his spot in all the top events, he knows he can't afford to repeat past mistakes and try too hard now.
"I was never really in line to make the one in France," said Lowry, who can take a huge step on the road to Wisconsin and overall victory in the Race to Dubai by winning this week’s opening Ryder Cup qualifying event.
"I wasn't playing great. But the one before that, I felt like I should have made. I just put too much pressure on myself.
"After the US Open at Oakmont, I was almost on the team. I had four tournaments left. If I had played some half-decent golf, I felt like I might have got on the team, or even got a pick."
Winning the BMW PGA would make him tough to catch in the race to become European number one this year.
But while there is now talk of multiple major wins, he knows he doesn't have to change his game to give himself more chances.
"Well, I just won The Open," said Lowry, who was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour yesterday.
"I don't think I need to do anything differently. I just need to be myself.
"You don't win one [a major] and people ask you when you're going to win one. You win one, they ask you when you're going to win your next one.
"I'm going to enjoy this one. Thankfully we don't have another major for a while, but I think the only thing that could come close to doing what I did in Portrush would be, you know, green jacket. So that's obviously the next major."
Faced with what he described as a "pinch me" moment when he sees the Claret Jug on the kitchen counter every morning, he's knows his game is good enough to win more majors.
“Well, my record is probably best in US Opens,” he said. “So I think I could do all right in those. I've not got a great record around Augusta. I've always struggled with my driving around Augusta, for some reason. I shouldn't, really.
“If I'm playing good, it doesn't matter what course I'm on. I think over the years, I've played every type of golf course well, so I just need to have I need to be to win majors, you need to be holing those six footers for par and you need to be getting out of trouble when you're in trouble and you need to have your full A Game mentally and physically to win them.
“Hopefully at some stage over the next ten or 15 years, I'm put myself in the position a few times and maybe win another one.”
He got confirmation of that at Royal Portrush, as his caddie Brian Martin reminded him as they walked down the final hole.
"Bo said to me going down 18, 'No matter what you do for the rest of your life,' he says, 'those four tee shots you hit on the last four holes, you can always come back to that.'"
As for Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour, he is the seventh Irish recipient of the honour, joining an elite list that includes Christy O’Connor Snr and Irish golf’s majors winners, Fred Daly, Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell.
He was presented with his Honorary Life Membership by European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley ahead of the BMW PGA Championship – the season’s fourth Rolex Series event – which gets under way at Wentworth Club in England on Thursday.
Lowry said: “It is pretty cool to receive this award. When you start playing golf when you're a kid you don't know how good you can be, or even when you start playing as a pro. I didn't know that I would get to this day so it's pretty cool.
“I've obviously joined a nice list of names, which is pretty good as well. My heart lies with The European Tour. I'll always be a member. I love coming back and I love playing in events like this. So it's an extreme privilege to receive this.”
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Shane’s incredible victory at Royal Portrush will be remembered as one of the iconic performances in the Championship’s storied history.
“Shane is a terrific character and I think you when you look at the remarkable reception he enjoyed across the island of Ireland in the week following his win, in addition to the warmth and praise on social media globally, that shows you how popular he is in the game. He is also a wonderful ambassador for the European Tour, and is therefore a truly worthy recipient of this honour.”
Lowry, who has won five times on the European Tour, becomes the 56th person to be awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour, 41 years after John Jacobs, the Founding Father of the European Tour, was the first to receive the accolade in 1978.
European Tour Honorary Life Members
1978 John Jacobs, Bernard Hunt, Dai Rees
1982 Peter Butler
1983 Seve Ballesteros, Tony Jacklin
1985 Sir Henry Cotton, Fred Daly
1985 Max Faulkner, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle
1987 Sir Nick Faldo
1992 Ian Woosnam
1994 José María Olazábal
1995 Bob Charles, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player
1997 Colin Montgomerie
1998 Ernie Els
1999 Paul Lawrie, Greg Norman
2001 Vijay Singh
2002 Retief Goosen
2003 Peter Alliss, Bernard Gallacher
2004 Neil Coles, Christy O’Connor, John Panton
2005 Michael Campbell
2007 Angel Cabrera, Padraig Harrington
2008 Trevor Immelman
2010 Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen, Tom Watson
2011 Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel, Lee Westwood
2012 Luke Donald, Brian Huggett, Tommy Horton, Mark James, Roger Chapman
2013 Dave Thomas, Justin Rose
2014 Jack Nicklaus
2016 Peter Oosterhuis, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson
2017 Sam Torrance, Sergio Garcia
2018 Francesco Molinari
2019 Patrick Reed, Shane Lowry
