LAST UPDATE | 12 Sep 2021
SHANE LOWRY HAS missed out on automatic selection for Europe’s Ryder Cup team and is now relying on a favour from fellow Irishman, Padraig Harrington, to make the team.
Lowry is hoping to join Rory McIlroy in this year’s European team that will take on the US at Whistling Straits in 12 days-time and thereby follow in the footsteps of McIlroy, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, fellow Irishmen who have starred in Ryder Cup golf this century.
To get there, though, he is now dependent on being a captain’s pick. Harrington has to choose three players from four obvious contenders – Lowry, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia. He makes his announcement at 7.30pm this evening.
Afterwards Lowry said: “I am disappointed with my day today to be honest. I didn’t really do it around the turn all week.
“The 15th hole, I am five over for the week and that it is not good enough. I am disappointed but I don’t normally talk myself up but I feel I am good enough (to play in this year’s Ryder Cup.)
“I have put up as strong a case as I could. I just have to wait and see and hope for a nice phone call.”
It is not as though Lowry didn’t have the chance to make life easier for himself.
He started the day in seventh position at the BMW PGA Championship after shooting a 3-under round of 69 at Wentworth yesterday. He got off to a good start today, too, birdies at the fourth and seventh lifted him to 13-under within two shots of the lead.
A huge day ahead in the career of @ShaneLowryGolf 🇮🇪#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/iIyvIBDKJG
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 12, 2021
That soon changed. A bogey on nine didn’t help – nor did the form of the other contenders. Justin Rose signed for a 65 to finish the tournament on 16-under. “I forced myself to go low today, played matchplay against the golf course and I was thrilled with the way I finished (with a birdie and an eagle on 17 and 18),” said Rose afterwards.
“I do have a good record and have achieved some things in the game so I have given myself a great chance.”
Lowry, meanwhile, was struggling to find a similar flow, although his ability to hold clutch putts was evident on 10 and 11 when he holed a couple of nerveless putts.
He missed a makeable putt on 13 and at the par-3 14th he had a much tougher opportunity, which he pushed four feet past.
The subsequent par putt lipped out.
At the 15th – a hole that has not been kind to him this week – he ended up with a double bogey six, which essentially ended his chances of being an automatic pick. Three bogies and a double bogey equated to five shots dropped at that hole this week for the Offaly man.
Knowing he needed to finish in the top eight, Lowry saw his chances slipping away on 16 when his putt slid to the right.
By now he was in 24th position – five shots off eighth.
He battled away to the end, to his credit, getting a fine birdie on the par-5 17th after his second landed just short of the green.
On the 18th he got another birdie to sign for a 71 and move to 16th position.
