There is a free-spiritedness about Shane Lowry that is compulsively engaging. Yesterday the 27-year-old played his way to a share of the midway lead – with Denmark's Thomas Bjorn – in the €4.75 million BMW PGA Championship here in leafy Surrey and, as he focused in on a shot at potentially the biggest win of his career, a part of his mind drifted towards an evening kickabout with a rugby ball as light relief.
You see, Lowry – who recently demonstrated his kicking ability with the oval ball to All-Black legend Dougie Howlett in a skills challenge at Carton House – has taken to throwing and kicking a rugby ball on the Polo Grounds attached to the Royal Berkshire Hotel which is home for the week with his coach, Neil Manchip, as his partner in crime. It is a ploy, almost a ritual, that has worked wonderfully so far.
There is a comfort in having Manchip by his side on weeks like this. "He's quite good at getting me to play, no matter what situation I'm in," admitted Lowry, who will partner Bjorn in the final pairing of today's third round as they go in search of the €791,660 top prize. There is the added bonus of an exemption into next month's US Open at Pinehurst for the winner. Grey skies Yesterday, as grey skies stubbornly hung over the West Course, dousing copious amounts of rainfall and making life extremely uncomfortable for players in the execution of shots, Lowry stuck to his task and produced a second round 70 for a 36-hole total of 134, 10-under par, which left him tied for the lead with Bjorn. Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello and England's Luke Donald, a two-time winner of the championship, were their nearest pursuers on six under, with Rory McIlroy among a group on five under.
Lowry has turned his season completely around in recent weeks. The Offalyman had missed three successive cuts prior to last week's Spanish Open, where he stopped the rut with a tied-15th finish. This week he has moved up the gears. Nobody was as surprised as his lowly 165th position in the order of merit prior to the tour's flagship event as Lowry, and, ever since driving through the gates of Wentworth estate, he has sought to rectify matters. 'Too confident' The upturn in fortunes haven't come as any surprise to Lowry. "I spoke with my coach on Wednesday and he was asking me how I was feeling. I said to him I was almost feeling too confident. I was very confident coming in. I love the place. I'm playing nicely and I managed to get my putter going (in Spain) and I'm really looking forward to the weekend."
Although he twice three-putted in his round – including from 20 feet for what he termed “a sloppy” double-bogey six on the ninth – there was a resilience about Lowry as he demonstrated his ability to bounce back. That double on the ninth was immediately followed by hitting a six iron to five feet on the 10th.
In fact, Lowry covered the back nine in a bogey-free 33 that contained four birdies, including back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th as he took advantage of an improvement in the weather conditions.
Given the weather conditions, Lowry had set his sights a good deal lower on his way to the first tee. “When I was standing on the range hitting balls before going out I was thinking to myself, ‘you know, take anything below 74’,” he recalled. In the event, he did much better and manoeuvred his way to a share of the midway lead.
“I’m feeling good. I’ll get out there and do my best,” he said.
