TROON, Scotland (Reuters) – Shane Lowry declared himself pleased with an opening 66 at the British Open on Thursday but knows he needs three more rounds just like it to get his hands on the Claret Jug again.
The fans at Royal Troon erupted when the popular Irishman birdied the last hole of his bogey-free round in a scene that called to mind his iconic walk up 18 at Royal Portrush five years ago that ended with his first major title.
“I’m pretty happy, but it’s only one day,” Lowry told reporters after his round of five-under left him in second place and one shot behind England’s Daniel Brown.
“We’ve got three more days. I kept telling myself that out there because for some reason I felt like the crowd were getting very excited … it felt more like the weekend.
“I just kept on telling myself there’s a lot more to do and there’s a few days left, so I just kind of stayed in my lane and hit some good shots, and I was pretty happy with how I handled myself.”
Where some top names were close to being blown out of contention by the whipping winds at the seaside course, Lowry said his familiarity with the layout helped him tame it.
“Fortunately enough I came here two weeks ago and I played this wind on the second day. I saw the golf course in every wind possible I could see it.
“I guess that was a good thing to do, and it’s out there paying off a little bit today.”
Lowry said the fundamentals of the game do not change regardless of the conditions.
“It doesn’t matter whether you like it or it’s your favourite thing to play in. If you’re not striking the ball good, you’re not going to be in control of your ball,” he said.
Lowry’s hot putting led to five birdies and he said he was adjusting to the speed of the European greens faster than normal after a long stretch in the U.S. on the PGA Tour.
“My speed control was very good, and I saw my lines great,” he said. “It feel like links greens when you start to see your lines, the hole feels quite big, so it felt like that today, and long may it continue.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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