Shane Lowry’s somewhat unusual decision ahead of The Open could turn out to be a masterstroke

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It was six years ago when Shane Lowry was the toast of the island of Ireland after he won The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

And with a return to Portrush now just days away, the juices will be flowing once again for Lowry as he looks to win his second Open Championship.

The 38-year-old Irishman has experienced a difficult period on the golf course over the past two months, after he lost out to Sepp Straka at the Truist Championship.

Lowry took Rory McIlroy’s route of not speaking to the media after his heartbreaking loss at the Truist.

And he has generally cut a really frustrated figure out on the golf course over the past two months.

Lowry received huge criticism for his behaviour at the US Open in June, when his temperament got the better of him at Oakmont.

The 2019 Open champion simply hasn’t been himself recently, and with that in mind, a return to Royal Portrush may well be the ideal tonic to help reinvigorate his season.

Shane Lowry’s decision ahead of The Open could be a masterstroke

Lowry decided to do something this week completely different from many other players at the high end of the game.

He chose not to play at The Scottish Open, in spite of the fact that it is a Rolex Series event, with huge financial rewards on offer.

Instead, Lowry has been playing some links golf with friends in Ireland – something that might just have brought the fun back into playing golf for him.

Only four other players inside the top 25 in the Official World Golf Rankings who were eligible to compete at The Scottish Open decided to skip the event.

So it was somewhat of an unusual approach from Lowry.

However, the good news is that he did the same thing before he won The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.

The Irishman will have great memories of that incredible day six years ago, and he’s obviously trying to replicate his preparation from 2019 this time around.

Lowry has actually played Portrush ahead of The Open already after performing an early scouting mission there two weeks ago.

Lowry’s decision to skip The Scottish Open could well end up being a masterstroke. He has undoubtedly enjoyed a much less intense week than he would have done, had he played at The Renaissance Club.

And that can only be a good thing for the 38-year-old.

Shane Lowry’s Open record

Lowry will be playing in his 13th Open Championship next week.

Here is how he had performed at The Open since his first appearance way back in 2010.

NT = No tournament

DNP – Did not play

Lowry has a really inconsistent record at The Open, but he does have that all-important Claret Jug to his name.

And he will be desperate to get his name engraved on that famous old trophy once again at Royal Portrush next week.