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Lowry Switches Allegiance To Carton House

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Shane Lowry is now the touring professional for Carton House. TT331356.

SHANE Lowry has switched his golfing allegiance from his home club of Esker Hills to Carton House in Kildare.
The Clara professional announced his decision last week and will now sport the Carton House name and logo on his golf bag.
Lowry recently moved into a house in Carton House and has signed a contract to be their touring professional.
The switch makes golfing sense as Carton House is home of the Golfing Union of Ireland national academy and has state of the art practice facilities while Lowry's coach, Neil Manchip is based there - Though he will remain associated with Esker Hills in the public eye.
Last season, Lowry had Esker Hills' name on his bag and he will always retain a special affinity with the club, where he took up golf as a young boy and they will always be associated with him - Lowry was a member of Esker Hills when he stunned the golfing world by winning the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009 and he honed his extraordinary skills on the Christy O'Connor junior designed course.
This week, Managing Director of Esker Hills, Donal Molloy wished Lowry the best of luck on his move to Carton House and his 'continued upward march up the world rankings'.
Mr Molloy said: 'Wherever he goes, many people will still associate him with Esker Hills. He was a member of Esker Hills when he made his big breakthrough in the 2009 Irish Open.'
Lowry has made great strides since turning professional in the wake of that Irish Open triumph and he had a great season in 2011.
He will be hoping to make further progress in 2012 and in particular to challenge for and perhaps win a second event. He will compete in his first event in 2012 this week when he tees off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
Speaking at last week's announcement of his move to Carton House, Lowry spoke about his approach to golf and how he resists spending the hours in the gym that many of his colleagues do.
'I'm not the fittest fella ever but can I play four weeks in a row and be okay on the Sunday in the fourth week -- yes I can, That's why I'm comfortable in myself and don't want to make any major changes. I'm happy with what I'm doing and just because X, Y and Z are going to the gym 10 times a week, doesn't mean I have to. It's something that Tiger started and everyone is on the band wagon now. I do a little bit, it's not as if I go home and sit on the couch every evening. But just because a fella does an hour on the treadmill and lifts weights doesn't mean he can get the ball in the hole from six feet.'
He is hopeful about the future and revealed that his coach Neil Manchip was very happy with his end of year form.
'We met and discussed where I was at the end of the 2011 season. He told me that the golf I had played at the end of the year was good enough and if I played like that, I'd be alright and there was nothing I needed to change.
'There are a lot of distractions... different equipment, clubs, coaches, mind coaches, all this kind of stuff. I try to steer away from it as much as I can. Neil is great for that. If I came home with a gadget, it would be straight into the bin. And there's no need for a mind coach with him around. I speak to Neil every night of a tournament week and he comes to quite a few as well. We have a good relationship and it works well for me. I'm a very instinctive player. I feel it and do it as opposed to looking at it on camera.'
Lowry has not set any huge goals for this year but would love to get into the winning enclosure
'Obviously I'd love to win and it is the first thing on the agenda but if I finish second four or five times, it still hasn't been a bad year. I know I'm good enough. I don't think I have anything to prove to anyone. It's not easy to win because the standard is so good. 140 or so players tee it up most weeks and they can all win. You might play your best golf and find someone else in better form than you.'
He had some great performances last year, finishing fourth in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, fourth in the Andalucia Masters and fourth in the Dubai World Championship.
His performances in Wentworth and Dubai were particularly significant as both had top class fields, including Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.
''Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Simon Dyson were the three players ahead of me, in Wentworth. If it was another tournament in a different week, Donald and Westwood wouldn't have been playing. When I came fourth in Abu Dhabi two years ago, the three ahead of me were in the top 10 in the world. Another week, they wouldn't have been there and I'd have won.'
He was also thrilled with his form in the season ending event in Dubai.
'That has given me the confidence that I can push on this year. I putted well which is a big part of professional golf but I stuck to the same things. I didn't change any equipment or anything in my swing. I persevered with what I had and did really well. Changing so quickly from amateur to professional was very difficult. I had been looking at the guys on tour as super heroes whereas they're just normal people. I look-laid back but the biggest pressure on me is from myself. No matter how well I do, I feel I should be doing better. Some times I try too hard.'

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