Shane Lowry always seems at home at The Open Championship.
He won the Claret Jug in 2019, his sole major championship win, and Lowry is a fan favourite whenever he steps on the UK links courses.
Lowry is entering this year’s Open hoping to recapture some of his past form. It’s been a difficult season for the Irishman ever since he threw away his three-shot lead on the final three holes of the Cognizant Classic.
He hasn’t finished in the top 20 since then, so he needs every edge he can get at Royal Birkdale if he wants to get in the mix. And according to Sir Nick Faldo, he already has an advantage over most of the field before he even hits a ball.
Shane Lowry has big advantage at The Open thanks to his group
Lowry has been grouped with two major champions for his first two rounds of The Open. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and this year’s PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai will tee off with Lowry at Birkdale.
These are two players who keep their heads down and stay on an even keel, which Faldo thinks will help all three of them.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, three-time Open winner Faldo said, “Well, he’s actually got a very nice draw. He’s got the nicest draw up with all those names you’ve been giving out. I think there are a lot of opposites in those draws. That’s a nice one.
“You’ve got three guys who are going to get on with it. Shane’s pretty lively, isn’t he? Brooks is head down, blinkers on. Aaron’s a head-down, blinkers-on guy. So, that’s actually a nice little group to be in, that one that I fancy all three of those guys because of the group.”
Faldo went on to say that when he was playing in majors, he wanted a group that would leave him alone with his thoughts.
He said, “I wanted quiet. I was I was I was cruel. I didn’t say a word. No, I said, if you want to chat, come for tea Monday after with the Claret Jug.
“Tell you how bad it was. Muirfield 92, got to 18 and took the scorecard out. Hadn’t put one score down. Not one for whoever I was playing with. I can’t remember his name, and he was not happy with that. He was not.”
It might be a good group for Lowry, but he better hope they keep his score, otherwise the Irishman won’t be happy either!
Scottie Scheffler must overcome his Open Championship group
If Lowry has been put at an advantage with his group, then Scottie Scheffler must overcome his playing partners during his first two days of this major. He’s been paired with Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton.
DeChambeau has been in poor form of late, missing the cut at his last three major championships. Ideally, you want to be playing with someone who is maintaining a good pace, but if DeChambeau endures similar struggles, it will be hard for Scheffler to find a rhythm.
Is Scottie Scheffler more likely to win The Open or miss the cut at Royal Birkdale?
Scottie's worst Open finish is T23, but he did miss the cut at last week's Scottish Open
You saw that on Sunday at The Masters. Scheffler was paired with Haotong Li, who had an abysmal final round at Augusta National. He shot an 80 on Sunday, meaning Scheffler struggled to get into the flow of his round. He still made a charge, but Li didn’t make it easy.
If DeChambeau continued his major form, then Scheffler would have a right to be frustrated with The Open for grouping him with the LIV star.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
