THE 153RD OPEN

July 20, 2025

Shane Lowry

Mixed Zone

Q. Almost a really grandstand finish on 18 there in what was an extraordinary morning in a way. It was almost like a different walk down 18 than you've had before, but still special.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it was. It's funny what you think about when you're out there, but I thought of Justin Rose while I was over that chip shot and what he did at Birkdale. I thought that would have been pretty cool to finish like that, and I almost did.

Look, it was nice today. I get off to a nice start. The crowds are amazing. They got behind me the whole day. Yeah, it was probably one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I've had in a while. I'm happy I finished like that, and I'll drive down the road a little bit happier than maybe I would have been.

It's still a week of like, yeah, I put a lot into it and didn't get much out of it type thing. Onwards and upwards, I suppose. A couple of weeks off now before the playoffs.

Q. Tell me about the 4th. You birdied the 3rd -- you almost had a hole-in-one on the 3rd and then you put it in the hole from 183 yards on the 4th, and that kick-starts six birdies in 10 holes.

SHANE LOWRY: It was the same number as the 3rd, so it was the same club. I missed it a little bit, but there was room at the right and obviously got a lucky bounce and rolled down and in. It was nice to keep the momentum going. Obviously you're thinking if you can make par, birdie 5, birdie 7, that's what's going through your head.

It was nice. Then the putter got hot. I felt I was going to hole every putt I looked at out there for a while, which hasn't been the case for a few weeks. So that was nice today.

Q. The Ryder Cup, as you said, is the focus from here on. This has been a very dark cloud on your horizon for quite some time, and you haven't had the week you wanted. Is that just golf? You say it yourself.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it is. Obviously I would have liked to do better this week, there's no doubt about that. But it is what it is. I tried my best. I gave it everything I could, and it wasn't to be.

For me now the next two months -- obviously the playoffs are huge, but my focus and my work will be getting out of bed every morning to prepare for hopefully going to Bethpage and winning that Ryder Cup. It's a big thing for us Europeans, and it's a big thing for me. Major season is over now, so everything turns towards the Ryder Cup.

Q. These two Portrush Opens have been very special sporting occasions on the island of Ireland. I assume you'd like to see The Open return --

SHANE LOWRY: Next year.

Q. -- to Ireland or obviously Portmarnock in the future?

SHANE LOWRY: Yes, it's incredible. I think -- Darren and I were talking about it on the course. It's like watching it on the TV last evening how great the place looks. Obviously the nice weather helps. I think the feedback from players, from everyone involved is how much they liked this tournament, how much they liked this venue.

As regards Portmarnock, I've heard they're talking about it. I've heard they might go there. It would be amazing, 30 minutes from my house. I'd be able to stay at home and play in an Open. It's one of the best golf courses in the world. I think it's good enough to host an Open, and hopefully it will soon.

Q. To have the eyes of the world on this sporting event on this island, just how special do you think it is?

SHANE LOWRY: It's great. I obviously travel the world and I live in America, and everybody I talk to wants to come to Ireland and play golf. People sitting at home in the states or all around the world watching this tournament on TV, it's going to make them want to come even more.

It's great to have tournaments like this here. It's great that we've got players that are in the tournaments and competing and competing well in it too, like obviously hopefully Rory can give it a decent run today.

Q. Do you think a week like this when a few things went wrong will give you an even greater appreciation of what you managed to achieve here in 2019?

SHANE LOWRY: I think so, yeah. I really do. I've thought about it a bit. I'm very lucky to achieve what I did in 2019. I never dwell on it, and I don't want to live off it, but to be able to go out and win this tournament on this course was a really cool thing to do.

It probably made me want it too much this week. I really wanted to give myself a chance this week. I've looked beyond the first tee now. I'm finished, and I'll go home and cheer Rory on hopefully up the back nine.

Q. There was a special atmosphere on 18. Just talk through your emotions. How did you find the experience to be?

SHANE LOWRY: It was great all day. The crowds are amazing. We're very lucky in Ireland to have the support we do. Our people get behind our sports people very well. I felt every bit of that today. I loved -- the walk down 18 was very, very special.

Obviously thinking it was a little bit different the last time I did it, but it was nice. It was nice to see the crowd come out today. Thankfully I put on a little bit of a show for them.

Q. You mentioned the Ryder Cup. Where would winning the Ryder Cup rank in your career?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it would be up there with everything else. I think -- I'm not sure; I can't speak for other players, but personally I put it way up there preparing, getting ready, trying to make the team, trying to go there and win. There's probably not many days go by that I don't think about it. I think, yeah, it would be up there, and I would love to do something like that.

Q. Also because Whistling Straits was quite tough as well?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it was hard, but you get to experience Rome and how great that was. There's obviously a lot of talk about Bethpage this year, but I do think as a team and as a -- obviously Luke and his -- we've got a lot of continuity from the last one with his setup, and I feel like he'll have us best prepared as he can going into it.

Q. The reception you get in New York will be slightly different than this week. Have you thought about how you handle that, how all the people handle that?

SHANE LOWRY: We've talked about it. There's no doubt we've talked about it. It's still ongoing, and you have to figure out ways to deal with certain stuff. It might not be as bad as people say. People say it will be bad, but we'll see. I think, if you're prepared for something, you'll deal with it okay. When something happens and you're not prepared for it, that's when it gets hard.

We'll be prepared. Luke Donald will prepare his team very well, and we'll be ready to go.

Q. Very few players anywhere when you go around the world get to experience what you and Rory experienced this week. You talk about fulfillment with Scottie and all that. Do you leave this week fulfilled because of the moments you've had, even without the silverware?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I leave this week probably -- yeah, it's hard because when you put so much into something and get so little out of it, it's hard. I know Scottie talked about enjoying his win for two minutes. I think I enjoyed mine a little bit longer than that, but everyone's different.

I think you've got to enjoy the moments as best you can because, when you put all that work in and you experience that, it's really, really cool.

What do I take from this week? I felt like my game was really good in a lot of parts. I felt like I didn't score very well the first two days, and then obviously what happened happened. Then yesterday was out of my control. Then I felt like I went out there and did well today to kind of redeem myself a little bit and leave the place with a better taste in my mouth.

Yeah, I'll think about this overnight. I'm going away with the family for the next few days, and I'll be thinking about it every day. I'll be thinking what happened, everything that went into it, how can I get better, how can I improve. When it comes back around the next time I'll be better.

Q. Are you feeling better?

SHANE LOWRY: No. Wendy and Iris are still not great. They're going back down to Dublin.

Q. What's the feeling when Scottie is playing like he's playing?

SHANE LOWRY: I played with him the first two days, and honestly I thought he was going to birdie every hole. It was incredible to watch. I said to Bones actually, he was with our group, we talked about it, I saw his comments yesterday, it is incredible to watch.

I wouldn't say he's unbeatable because he's been beaten a few times, but when he's like that, when he starts getting on that roll, he's a hard person to beat. Even like today, you look at the scoreboard and sort of think -- I think, if Rory can get off to a really hot start and get the crowd behind him, it might make it difficult for Scottie, but people make it difficult for him all the time, and he comes out the other side of it. So who knows?

Q. Rory said the other day it was inevitable.

SHANE LOWRY: I saw that interview, and I thought he probably regrets saying that word. I think -- yeah, it's -- honestly I think, if we -- if Scottie's feet stayed stable and his swing looked like Adam Scott's, we'd be talking about him in the same words as Tiger Woods. I just think because it doesn't look so perfect, we don't talk about him like that. I think he's just incredible to watch, and his bad shots are really good. That's when you know he's really good.