Shocked Shane Lowry admits he walked off US Open course as it was too hard for him
The Irishman is getting ready for a return to the fearsome Country Club for the third Major of 2025 in a fortnight.
Shocked Shane Lowry admits he walked off after just five holes at Oakmont because he had no idea how to play the treacherous US Open venue.
The Irishman is getting ready for a return to the fearsome Country Club for the third Major of 2025 in a fortnight.
Lowry led by four shots after three rounds of the event at the track nine years ago, but not before suffering a chastening experience in build-up. The European Ryder Cup ace is currently competing at the Memorial Tournament, but gave an amusing insight into his first brush with the plot in Pennsylvania after his opening round at Muirfield Village.
Lowry smiled: 'I've got a good story about that. The first time I played Oakmont was the Sunday before the US Open 2016. My coach was with me and we teed off on 10. We got around to 14, which is up beside the clubhouse, and I walked in. And I sat there in the locker room going: I have no idea how I'm going to play golf around this place.'
Lowry, who goes back to Royal Portrush in July having won The Open there in 2019, explained his transformation from that painful experience to having the 54-hole lead when the tournament got started. In the end, he finished tied for second place behind eventual winner Dustin Johnson, but he added: 'Obviously, we got a bit of rain, that was before the rain. It was firm and fast when I played it that Sunday and it was windy. We got a bit of rain that week. Which helped us. But, yeah, Oakmont, I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's going to play like and I'm looking forward to the challenge of it.'
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