Course record perfect start to Shane Lowry's Ryder Cup quest

Shane Lowry of Ireland plays his second shot on the ninth hole in front of the iconic clubhouse at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty

The Irishman’s 10-under-par 62 equalled the course record as he swept into a three-shot lead in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“I think I’ve had better rounds in tougher conditions,” he said of the effort having been crafted before a light wind got up later in the day in the UAE. “But it equals the best score I’ve ever shot and it’s one of the best rounds of my life.”

Lowry’s only previous 62 helped him win the Irish Open as an amateur in 2003.

His second European Tour triumph – in the 2014 Portugal Open – came too late to get him in the frame for that year’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. When he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational the following year, Lowry looked a good bet to make the 2016 team only to miss out on Hazeltine and also last year’s match in France.

Harrington’s appointment last week as European captain for the 2020 match at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin has made Lowry determined to make up for lost time as far as the biennial encounter is concerned.

“I sat down at the end of the year to plan out my schedule for this season, and I could have got in a few events in America if I tried,” said the 31-year-old, who held a PGA Tour card before losing it at the end of last season. “But my main goal for the next 18 months is to be on the Ryder Cup team. I really want to do that at some stage. I’m very good friends with Paddy and to play with him as my captain would be unbelievable. That’s my plan.

“I just didn’t play well enough on the PGA Tour. I see myself as maybe a level below Dustin [Johnson], Brooks [Koepka] and Rory [McIlroy] when I’m on my game and, for me to try to keep my card on both tours was very difficult.

“Coming back to Europe right now could be good. These events are going to be counting for Ryder Cup next year and hopefully I can see which ones tickle my fancy. I need to get myself back in the top 50 in the world, in all the big events, giving myself the best chance I can.”

Making his first appearance in this event since 2014 – he has been accustomed to getting a new year underway in the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour – Lowry made light of the fact that many players feel the Abu Dhabi Golf Club course is a tad tougher than normal this week by carding 10 birdies in a bogey-free effort.

Equalling a course record set 13 years ago by Henrik Stenson earned Lowry a healthy cushion over a quartet comprising South African duo Louis Oosthuizen and Richard Sterne, Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera and Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal in opening event on the $7 million Rolex Series circuit.

“Golf’s a funny game, isn’t it,” observed a smiling Lowry. “I’ve had quite a lot of time off since the World Cup [in November], but put in a decent bit of work the last two weeks over here in Dubai. Even then, I went out today with not much expectation but everything clicked.”

A chat over a coffee on Tuesday night with his long-time coach, Edinburgh man Neil Manchip, seemed to have paid off. “Neil has been my coach for a long time, but he’s also a very good friend,” said Lowry. “I speak to him about everything that’s going on in my life. I can trust him with anything. We had a great conversation last night about things.”

On a day when there seemed to be no real issues with the new rules introduced on 1 January, Tommy Fleetwood opened his bid for a hat-trick of title triumphs in Abu Dhabi with a 69, three shots more than two of his compatriots, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. Westwood opened with four straight birdies. “That was a nice way to get back into it quickly,” said the Edinburgh-based player of his start to 2019.

Martin Kaymer, a three-time winner here, also opened with a six-under-par salvo while Brooks Koepka, the world No 2, sits a shot further back following his bogey-free start. Third-ranked Dustin Johnson is also handily-placed on 69.