Donald on Lowry: "Shane brings a lot to the team room"
ROCHESTER, NY - MAY 18: Luke Donald after his putt on 13th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on Thursday, May 18, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America)
Shane Lowry will need a Ryder Cup wild card but skipper Luke Donald appears to have little doubt about the passionate Offaly man’s credentials.
Lowry shot a second successive one-under 71 to miss the four-under cut by two shots in the weather-delayed D+D Real Czech Masters in Prague.
It means he cannot now qualify automatically via the European Points list, even if he wins next week’s final-counting Omega European Masters. Leaving him out would be a major shock and Donald made it clear last week the world No 36 is a player he’d welcome in the side in Rome.
“Shane brings a lot to the team room,” Donald told the Beyond the Clubhouse podcast. “I think he’s a great energy, he absolutely loved the experience of Whistling Straits despite the result, which I think shows a lot.
“Obviously, winning is important, but he enjoyed what the Ryder Cup is about. It’s coming together as a team unit. He’s someone that loves having people around them, sharing stories, all that kind of thing, a little bit like Sergio (Garcia).”
As for Lowry’s form, Donald had no worries and was pleased to see him show “commitment” by heading to Prague to try and make the team on merit.
“On his game, actually, it fell off a little bit three or four months ago, struggling a little bit on the greens,” Donald said. “Steadily, he’s been a lot better. He’s starting to play some really good golf. He’s had some good performances in the Majors.
“Again, I’ve played quite a few practice rounds with him in tournaments and his game looks really solid to be honest. I wouldn’t have any worries about where he is with this game and I think he’s in a good spot.”
Sweden’s Alexander Bjork boosted his chances of displacing Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and taking the third automatic spot in the European Points list when he fired a six-under 66 to lead by a shot on 13-under par from Dane Nicolai Hojgaard.
Kinsale’s John Murphy was tied 25th on six-under after a 68, while Pádraig Harrington also had five birdies in a 68 that left him tied 36th on five-under with MacIntyre, who made a quadruple bogey seven at the 16th in a 73.
At the Dormy Open in Sweden, Conor O’Rourke shot 70 and Conor Purcell a two-under 65 to share 26th on two-under, five shots behind Spain’s Ivan Cantero at Askersunds Golfklubb.
