BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 16, 2026

Shane Lowry

Wentworth Golf Club

Press Conference

BRIONY CARLYON: Delighted to be joined by Shane Lowry here at the BMW PGA Championship. Needless to say, a whirlwind 48 hours for you, 11-shot victory in Ireland. Have you had much time to reflect?

SHANE LOWRY: Not really had much time to reflect on much to be honest. It's been a busy few days since I finished on 18 on Sunday but it's been great. There's a few times where I spent the few days after a tournament been pretty miserable this year.

So it's nice to, it was actually -- even though I was quite tired it was nice to get to Adare on Monday and spend some time with the lads and do that and then nice to go home and see my folks. Had a nice few days and obviously back here this week and back to work. Get rest this afternoon and tomorrow morning and get after it again.

BRIONY CARLYON: You said last week that this is one of your favourite tournaments. Obviously you've won here in the past. What makes Wentworth and BMW PGA so special?

SHANE LOWRY: I think you just have to look outside. You look at the posters around the tournament, and since I've come here back in 2010 for the first time, I've always loved coming here and just loved the area itself, it's just a nice place to be. I mean, a golf course I always play okay around here. Just always really enjoyed it. It's always felt like one of the biggest tournaments of the year, which it is, and yeah, it's just a good week.

Q. For obvious reasons you've been looking forward to Adare manner. Can you tell us how different it felt for you Monday on the back of a win?

SHANE LOWRY: What do you mean?

Q. Just what the win has done for you in that perspective.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, look, obviously it's a nice start to the Ryder Cup campaign. Obviously goes without saying, I really want to be on that team; and not only do I want to be on that team but I want to contribute and win and that's the goal. It was nice to be there on Monday. It was nice to see everyone and get a feel for the place.

Obviously I know Adare pretty well. Played there a lot. Yeah, it is nice. Gives me hopefully a little bit of confidence to kick on and go ahead and make that team and give Luke less of a headache when it comes to collection time.

Q. The celebration on Sunday, how did that compare to the previous ones?

SHANE LOWRY: It was pretty muted. It was very muted. I had some golf to play son day, so it was muted.

Q. When you see someone like SHANE LOWRY:, how much of you says well done, and what is it about the way he plays that you like and he does so well, and why he so popular?

SHANE LOWRY: Because he's a nice guy. Foxy is like salt of the earth. He's just a normal -- he reminds me of -- I think his up bringing and where he's from is quite similar to someone like me. He reminds of an Irishman to be honest.

Before I left to come out, I was talking to him in Florida. Had a good chat with him about everything and just asked him how he was getting along. It's obviously amazing. It's great to see somebody -- it's great to see a popular winner, and it's great to see someone that everyone is happy for him on the tour. And Foxy is just -- I don't think this win or anything that comes with it will change him.

Q. You win another Irish Open, you won the first time, what happened at the last Ryder Cup, winning an Open Championship at home. You've seen some things, storied things -- does that make sense? They are not ordinary.

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I guess I'm just lucky. I do feel very fortunate, honestly. Yes, I would love to win more. There's no doubt about it. I would love to have -- I would love to be a serial winner. I'd love to be winning every year twice a year. But it does seem that when I do something, it's pretty good, and it's something that I look back on forever.

Even walking down 18 on Sunday, I was trying to think back to Portrush and what it was like. Because Sunday, I felt so amazing that I'm not sure it was much better than this, you know what I mean. I'm quite fortunate to do the things I do.

I honestly don't know. I don't know. There's a lot that goes into it, as well. It's not just luck, but yeah.

Q. Matt was just in and said he would not be entirely comfortable at this stage going to the DP World Tour events in the Middle East. Have you thought about that?

SHANE LOWRY: Well, as of last week, I wasn't in them. Haven't had a chance to think but to be honest, I was planning on taking a decent break this winter, so I'm not sure I'm planning on going anyway. I don't know. Just have to wait and see what they will do. The Tour will make a decision pretty soon. We'll see.

Q. It's a difficult one, isn't it, because it's not just these two; it's the two in January, as well. So it's a big decision, isn't it.

SHANE LOWRY: They are. They are huge decisions for everyone. You know, for obviously the Tour, for Dubai itself, for Abu Dhabi, and I'm not going to sit here and comment on the whole thing because I think it's up to the powers above to kind of sort that all out. I think if the tournaments are on, the players are going to go. And if they are not, they will find an alternative.

Fortunately enough, I'm in a position that if they are not on in November or January, I've got options.

Q. Been a lot of talk about National Opens over the last few months. After experiencing what you did last week, what makes them so important to the DP World Tour on the schedule?

SHANE LOWRY: Well, I think history has a lot to, a big part to play in National Opens. I think there's just something about going to a country and playing for their nope. I think The Irish Open is obviously I think -- look, we've been very fortunate. Rory did a great job a few years ago keeping the tournament going and bringing sponsors in, and we're very lucky with the sponsors we have now. I'm biased, but it's a great tournament. I think the crowds come out and it's brilliant.

But National Opens are huge, whether it's the French Open or the Spanish Open or around the world. I think they are -- it's a nice feather in your cap to say you've won a National Open.

Q. The Irish will move to July next year before the Scottish. Your thoughts on that?

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, it's going to make summer extra busy for us all. But you know, obviously it is what it is with the Ryder Cup with the date it is. It will be nice for me. I'll be able to stay at home. My family will be there. It will be a nice week to be at home.

Q. (On going through lows and highs in your career.)

SHANE LOWRY: It's something we talked Sunday evening with my team, into Monday. We talked about you have to go through the tough times to experience the good times, and it's very, very hard at times to go through those tough times. But I'd go through them a million times over to experience what I did on Sunday.

Very fortunate to do that but when you're going through them, it is pretty -- it's tough. Look, we live a very good life out here and I live a very privileged life because of golf but that doesn't mean the tough days aren't tough. The tough days are quite tough and takes awhile to get over them. But experiences like Sunday, it's worth every minute.

Q. Do you think that the pressure --

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, I just made a conscious decision on Sunday, whether I was five ahead or five behind, I was just going to keep my foot down as long as I could, and I didn't derail myself. I didn't really allow myself to soak it in maybe as much as I may be would have before because I just wanted to get it done.

Q. When you said just now --

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, we live close together and we see each other at the golf club all the time. We practice at the same golf club. Yeah, I see Foxy a lot. Just catching up with him. I hadn't seen him properly since The Open. I wanted to just tell him -- he's a casual friend. Foxy and I get on very well.

Q. A fan on Sunday shouted something, and I think the playing partner on the 18th tee -- did you put him off saying something negative -- a young lad --

SHANE LOWRY: Yeah, somebody did shout on Sunday -- before -- yeah, look, the shot in the bunker -- even though it was down by the green. We don't like that. I'd like to think at Adare Manor, that won't happen.