Lowry in the hunt after round of 69 in Ohio
Ireland's Shane Lowry is very much in the mix after the opening round of the US PGA Workday Charity Open in Dublin, Ohio.
The Offaly man carded a round of 69 and sits tied for 11th on three-under, three shots off the pace.
Lowry came in to this week's tournament on the back of missed cuts at the Heritage and the Colonial, while he was 60th at the Travellers' Championship.
“I’ve come back out, missed two of the three cuts, but, all in all, I feel like my game is really good," he told the Golf Channel.
"I’ve just struggled on the greens a little bit and I just need to build up a little bit of confidence. I feel like I’m right where I want to be, it’s just on the greens I need to improve.
"Tee-to-green, I’ve been fine. If I can just get better on the greens, I feel I’ll be there or thereabouts. It’s all about waiting for it to happen and just not trying to force it too much.
"I sometimes can force it too much and try too hard, so it’s just about trusting the process and waiting for it all to happen.”
Meanwhile, Ireland’s 2027 Ryder Cup host venue has given its support to the decision to postpone this year’s matches between the United States and Europe.
The PGA of America on Wednesday announced that it was putting back the 43rd matches, set for Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, by 12 months to September 2021 due to health and safety concerns surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
The knock-on effect has been that the Ryder Cup will return to odd years in future, for the first time since 1999 after the 2001 matches were postponed to 2002 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA.
That decision means the Co. Limerick golf resort owned by JP McManus will not host the event in 2027 rather than 2026 and Adare Manor issued a statement yesterday supporting the move to what will be the 100th anniversary of the first playing of the Ryder Cup in 1927.
“As a future Ryder Cup venue, Adare Manor is understanding and fully supportive of the decision to postpone this year’s event at Whistling Straits, given the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic,” the statement read, before adding: “As our own exciting plans for The Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in 2027 continue, where we’ll be honoured to now be staging the centenary year, we would like to wish Whistling Straits the very best in their preparations over the next 12 months.”
