Shane Lowry reveals what happened on his first visit back to Royal Portrush after 2019 Open triumph
The Co Offaly golfer confessed that he didn't want his first time playing the course again to be the high stakes setting of The 153rd Open so he returned to relive his famous victory last September two days before competing in the Irish Open at Royal County Down.
Lowry (38) said: 'I always wanted to go back and get some of the sentimental stuff sorted out, although if it had been left to me it would probably have been some time this year, maybe a month or two before The Open Championship.
'But then one of my sponsors said we need to do this in the week of the Irish Open and me and the three guys I played with had a fantastic time of it.
'It was pretty cool to relive those memories and to share them on a course that will naturally always have a very special place in my heart.
'The moment we walked onto the first tee, it all came pouring out of me. I couldn't shut up talking about all four rounds I played that week.
'It was a case of, 'This is where my first tee shot finished up; this is where I holed the putt for my first birdie, this is where I made the first birdie on my way to shooting 63 on the Saturday; this is where I hit it to make birdie at Calamity, the treacherous par-3 16th'.
'Honestly, I talked them through practically every shot. And as we walked down 18, I finished up by saying 'this is where I caught sight of my family and friends waiting for me on 18 on the Sunday'.
'I almost burst into tears back then, and I welled up again just thinking back to that moment.
'There were so many great memories and I was so glad I went back then, almost a year before The Open at Portrush, rather than wait until nearer the time. It could have been very draining emotionally to have left it any later.'
Lowry told Gold Monthly magazine how the atmosphere at Royal Portrush spurred him on to win last time, but that he thinks there will be more pressure on home favourite Rory McIlroy after his grand slam win at The Masters earlier this year.
He said: 'I was told that over a million people applied for tickets, and that the overall crowd will be roughly 40,000 more than it was in 2019. So about an extra 10,000 a day. I don't know where they're going to put them.
'But it can only make the atmosphere even more passionate, and it was already off the scale last time. The galleries were massive in 2019, and they were so wrapped up in it all.
'I'll never forget the experience of people cheering and shouting my name on every tee, yelling encouragement in my face as I walked off each green to the next tee, and the crowds chanting and singing 'Fields of Athenry' as we played the final couple of holes on Saturday and Sunday.
'Oh my God, that was amazing. It was just so inspiring, and I kept spotting people in the crowd who I had no idea were going to be there. You can't buy an experience like that. It was like being at a home Ryder Cup — although I didn't know that then, of course, because I hadn't played in one. But Rome two years ago reminded me a lot of Portrush.
'I've got no doubt it will be the same again this year, for me or any of the Irish players who do well. Yeah, it brings extra pressure, but it's definitely worth it. It's going to be an incredible event, and I'm just going to be happy to be a part of it.
'And after what Rory's done already this year, it will take some of the heat off me. He's obviously got unfinished business at Portrush after what happened last time, and whatever pressure he is under won't compare to what he was experiencing every year at Augusta. And he's proved he was more than equal to that.
'Look, whatever happens, it's going to be a fantastic occasion. You just knew after 2019 that The Open would have to come back to Portrush on a regular basis, because I wasn't the only one who had a blast.
'All the players were raving about the course, the welcome and the atmosphere. We Irish love a party, and there was definitely a mood of celebration sweeping the whole country that week. I'm glad I was able to play my part in that.'
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