TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 22, 2025

Shane Lowry

East Lake Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Did you see that coming?

SHANE LOWRY: Not really. I had a bit of a slow front nine. I wasn't playing great, and I made a few great pars. I hit a really poor wedge shot over on the 8th hole from the middle of the fairway. I missed it short right in the bunker, something that I don't do.

Darren said to me going down 9, just because everyone else is making birdies doesn't mean you need to go after every flag; just play your own game, do your own thing.

And that's what I did on the back nine. Freed me up a little bit but it is amazing what happens when a few putts start going in. It was a nice nine holes, nice round, and pretty happy to get myself up there.

Obviously the course is playing pretty soft and easy. The scoring is pretty good. The leaders will go away a little bit, but it's nice to shoot a low number.

Q. Bonus when you hole one from what was it, 95 feet or whatever?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, that one will be good for the stats. But it's nice to do that. It kind of gives you a bit of a -- I felt like it was a big stage of the round because I'm 3-under for the day -- was it 3- or 4-under? Whatever it was.

If you don't two-putt that, it's a tough two-putt, and if you don't two-putt you feel under pressure to make a couple on the way in. But that goes in, and it kind of frees you up for the next few holes. And yeah, played the last few holes well, too.

Q. If I remember correctly, last year at the Olympics you were talking about for the first time give yourself a real shot at the FedExCup. You were probably 10th or 11th in points at that pint, maybe about three or four shots behind. Not that it was a bad attitude, but was your outlook different this year when you came this year given the 30, go get it --

SHANE LOWRY: I know what you mean. As in the first two -- even though I'm playing the first two I'm guaranteed to be here?

Q. Yeah. And the fact that when you did get here you weren't going to be starting three or four shots behind somebody.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I think everyone at my level when they heard about the rule changes were pretty happy, because that means we don't have to give Scottie and Rory and whoever else is at the top shots. This game is hard enough without giving Scottie Scheffler shots.

I was pretty happy because then I sort of think to myself, well, I can win the FedExCup now.

Q. You've just got to get there.

SHANE LOWRY: Just got to make sure to get there. I played really nicely throughout the season and put myself in a great position. I had some nice time off during the summer.

Probably came to Memphis not sharp enough, and then I felt as the weeks have gone on, I've started to play better and better.

I did come here -- I had a great day last Sunday, felt like I played pretty good, and I came here with kind of a pep in my step. Yesterday was a slow day, and it's nice to go out there and shoot a low one today.

Q. Did you mind the fact you couldn't come here and qualify for the Ryder Cup with the new points thing?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I only found out about that Monday. I thought I was guaranteed getting points this week. I thought I was going to be pretty much guaranteed on the team.

Yeah, I was somewhat disappointed to hear that.

But the rules were made at the start for qualifying, and that was it. I think I finished four points behind Tyrrell, which is pretty much a shot, which would have been nice.

But obviously I don't know what Rasmus is going to do this weekend, but it looks like he's probably going to pass me up and I'm going to need a pick next week, so hopefully I get a nice phone call off Luke.

Q. Hopefully your body of work getting here is enough to show that you're playing well.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, hopefully getting here shows that you've had a good year. It's hard to get to the TOUR Championship. Like I've been playing on this tour for -- this is probably my 10th season on the PGA TOUR, and it's only my second time here, so it's hard to get here.

Q. How much is the Ryder Cup on your mind right now as you're playing this week? What's the level of communication right now between you and the guys that are locked in?

SHANE LOWRY: Obviously the chat is what the team is going to be like, who's going to get picked, who's not. This is with the guys in the locker room, obviously nothing to do with Luke or anyone.

But yeah, I'd be fairly focused on it, that I want my game to build into it well. Obviously I'm here to do well in the FedExCup this week, but I'd like to build my confidence over the next few weeks, over this week, Ireland, Wentworth, then hopefully into Bethpage and help the team as much as I can.

Q. I'm trying to remember, I know it was an entirely one-sided crowd at Whistling Straits. It wasn't a completely full house, was it? We were still coming out of COVID a little bit.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, there was no Europeans there.

Q. Saw two by the way?

SHANE LOWRY: If you lived in America you could go, but it was COVID and nobody traveled.

Q. What kind of grade do you give yourself dealing with people saying things to you that you don't normally hear at another tournament?

SHANE LOWRY: So I think when you're prepared for something it's a lot easier to deal with. I think we'll be prepared for it. So when you're prepared for what we're going to get, when you're prepared for the worst, I think you'd be able to deal with anything, whereas if you're at a regular event and someone heckles you, it kind of come out of nowhere and that kind of is a little bit whatever.

But I think when you're prepared for it, you'll be okay.

Q. How do you prepare for it?

SHANE LOWRY: We'll prepare for it. We'll be all right.

Q. What's the worst -- what would be the worst?

SHANE LOWRY: I think if it gets personal towards your family, that's the only thing, your wife or whatever that's there. I think that's the only thing that could really hurt you. Nothing towards me will hurt me. I've heard it all.

Q. Bob was looking at last week, and he thought it would be a great teaching moment for him, I guess, or learning experience.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, that was cool what Bob did on Saturday, and obviously playing with Scottie and stuff. We have a lot of fans in America, as well, as players because we play here full time and we live here, but obviously they're not going to be our fans this week.

But I still think there's a lot of guys in our team that are very popular with American people. That can help us along the way as well.

Q. This will be your first Ryder Cup on away soil with people who actually like you. They'll probably have, I've got to guess, 20,000 people, European fans --

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, let's not talk about it too much.