Shane Lowry has shared what he was really disappointed him about during the Olympic Games as he issued his honest verdict on his entire experience in Paris.
Shane Lowry is one of the players who has quickly flown across the Atlantic to be in the field for the Wyndham Championship this week, having been involved at Le Golf National in only the third men’s Olympic golf event since the sport’s return to the Games in 2016.
There were real question marks over the event heading into Paris, with problems emerging ahead of 2016 and 2021. But those questions have been answered emphatically in the last week.
The players were raving about the setup of Le Golf National, while the field was also surprised by the crowds in attendance during the event. And the fans were treated to a stunning finale which saw Scottie Scheffler tie the course record to claim the gold medal.
Shane Lowry issues honest verdict on Olympic golf event
In fact, Lowry clearly could barely fault a single thing from the event, with just one disappointment emerging from his time in France as he now switches his attention back to the FedEx Cup play-offs.
“To be honest, obviously, I didn’t play in Rio, I played in Tokyo, Tokyo was COVID and all that, no crowds, we had to stay in our hotel and in our bubble and all that stuff. To get to Paris last week, because we didn’t have crowds in the practice rounds, I couldn’t really get a gauge for what it was going to be like, and then walking onto that first tee when my name got announced on Thursday was incredible,” he said.
“There’s very few tournaments that are at that level, honestly it felt like one of the biggest tournaments in the world, it really did. I think it was an amazing week for golf and it was an amazing week for golf in the Olympics, I think it will grow going forward and we had a great podium as well, which helps, great people to promote the game of golf, so as regards golf in the Olympics, it should be here to stay.
“And for me personally, it was some of the best 10 days of my career, from carrying the flag for Ireland in the opening ceremony to going out there and playing for my country with a lot of Irish people out there; a lot of Irish people travelled to support myself and Rory last week, and it didn’t go unnoticed. It was an amazing 10 days and when I look back on it, it’s something that I’ll remember. I was very disappointed that I couldn’t do a better job, but the whole experience itself I really enjoyed it.”
A bittersweet week for the Irishman
Lowry had a strange tournament on the course, with the 2019 Open champion shooting three level par rounds of 71. The highlight was clearly the 65 he produced on Saturday, but he ended up finishing 12 shots back of the podium spots.
But it is not surprising that he took so much from being a part of the Olympics, particularly after helping carry the Irish flag for the opening ceremony.
And it really does feel that what happened in Paris has lit a flame in a lot of players ahead of 2028, with so many world-class players fighting for the medals heading down the stretch on Sunday.
Lowry will be 41 when the Los Angeles Olympics come around, so there is every chance that he will get another chance to win a medal at Riviera.
But clearly, LA has an incredibly tough act to follow with Paris setting the standard future Olympic golf events are likely to be compared to after seemingly having everything.
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