The Ryder Cup inspired the two marquee groups at the DP World India Championship, with leader Shane Lowry playing alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Luke Donald.
Shane Lowry bounced back from missing the cut at Open de Espana by producing an outstanding first day in Delhi. The Irishman made eight birdies in a flawless round of 64 on Thursday.
What may have helped was the fact that Lowry was grouped with Tommy Fleetwood and Luke Donald. Obviously, the trio helped Europe win the Ryder Cup in New York last month.
It was Donald who masterminded the victory. Fleetwood, meanwhile, was the leading points scorer on either side after winning four his five matches.
And of course, it was Lowry who holed the putt that ensured that Europe would be leaving with the trophy. Few will ever forget the sight of the 2019 Open Championship winner jumping around the 18th green after earning a crucial half point against Russell Henley.
Shane Lowry reacts to playing alongside Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood in India following their Ryder Cup triumph
Lowry was asked about how much Ryder Cup talk there was between the trio on Thursday.
He went on to compare the traffic noise in Delhi with the atmosphere at the Ryder Cup.
“There was a little bit,” he said, when asked about the interactions among their group. “We could hear the horns from the road. It was not as off-putting as the Bethpage crowd.
“There was a little Ryder Cup chat out there but at the end of the day we are all professional golfers and we want to shoot the best scores we can. Ultimately we all want to beat each other, too, even though we are friends.”
Shane Lowry explains what pleased him most about his first round in Delhi
It was probably no surprise that the 38-year-old did experience a Ryder Cup hangover in Madrid. Lowry described his crucial putt as the biggest moment in his career.
That is coming from a major championship winner.
But he looked superb on the unique course in Delhi in Thursday’s opening round. And he explained what pleased him most about his performance.
“I putted nicely today. I played nice. Gave myself a lot of chances and then on the back nine, it was pretty nice. It was a really nice group, playing with Luke and Tommy, we all had a great time and we all played pretty good. I just rolled off a few more birdies than they did on the back nine,” he said.
“You know, 64 is a really nice score. It’s not that hard when you are out there but when you start missing fairways it becomes quite tricky. Happy with that.
“When I saw the draw, I was really happy. Being with the lads, we’ve had some good things happen the last few weeks. It was nice. I haven’t played with Luke that much in tournaments but obviously I know him pretty well and we all fed off each other and it was nice.”
Lowry also issued his verdict on the golf course.
“I feel like this type of golf course suits me. I spend half the year moaning about golf courses that are too wide, so when I get to somewhere like here, I need to take advantage of that, and I did that today and hopefully I can keep doing that for the rest of the week,” he added.
If he is going to continue to play this way on Friday, Lowry will probably not mind seeing one of his Ryder Cup teammates keep up and potentially join him in the final group on Saturday.
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