IMAGINE IF you had a winning lotto ticket in your hand, only for it to blow away in the wind. Would you laugh, or cry? On a magical Sunday in Baltray just over a year ago, Shane Lowry – despite seeing runner-up Robert Rock’s name scribbled onto the winning cheque for half a million euro – laughed and cried, only the tears were of sheer joy at the enormity of what he, as an amateur, had achieved in winning the 3 Irish Open.

Now, here he is, in Killarney for the defence of the title. A year older, but with a maturity that seems beyond that time, Lowry has grown into a marketable commodity, and developed into a fine player. Ranked 82nd in the world and with winnings of €512,434 on the European Tour after he decided to join the professional ranks on the back of that life-changing Irish Open victory, the Offaly man takes another step into new territory here: he defends a tour title for the first time.

“It’s a bit different with the attention that’s on me,” the 23-year-old says. “When I’m at another tournament, no one even takes any notice. But this week is a little bit different, because obviously I am defending and it’s my home tournament, the Irish Open. I’m trying not to feel like that, keep myself away from the town and just chill out. As soon as I get on the first tee on Thursday, it’s just me and the golf course.”

When Lowry won last year, at odds of 300 to 1, his efforts caused a run on some bookmakers’ shops in the midlands. This time, Lowry is a more modest 33 to 1 to retain the title, but there was a glint in his eye as he assessed his prospects.

“I feel quite confident going into the week. I certainly wouldn’t be telling anyone to back me or not to back me. But I am confident in my game at the minute, and doing a lot of work with Neil (Manchip). If I can get my iron play right, just improve it a small margin, maybe improve by one shot a round, you never know what might happen on Sunday.”

Yesterday, Lowry was at ease with the world. It is his way. The win – in a tournament which for decades had proven so elusive to his fellow-Irishmen until Pádraig Harrington ended the drought in 2007 – may have been life-changing and moved him into the pro ranks sooner than planned, but it didn’t change him as person.

And even with all of the expectations others put on his shoulders, it is his own level of expectation that matters most.

“I know there’s expectation, but I don’t even think about it. To me, the biggest expectation is from myself. It always has been and probably always will be. I expect so much of myself, and the biggest disappointment is to myself if I don’t do well. I’m going to do the best to prepare as well as I can. It could end up in a missed cut, it could end up in a win. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Lowry’s form has him in a good place. Since he missed the cut in the French Open – where he went from the fringes of contention in the blink of an eye, finishing the last five holes of the second round in five-over to miss the cut by one – he has moved up a gear. He finished tied-seventh in the Scottish Open and, then, competing in his first major at the British Open, got into contention for a top-10 before slipping back to finish tied-37th.

“I wasn’t too pleased with the way I finished,” he conceded.

All of which is a measure of how far Lowry has come since making the seamless transition into the pro ranks.

Yesterday, playing a practice round with Peter Lawrie and amateurs Paul Cutler and Cian Curley, Lowry was reminded of just how far he has come.

“This is you this time last year,” said Lawrie to Lowry, pointing to Cutler and Curley as they walked down the 16th fairway. “Did you have any expectations?”

“No,” replied Lowry. “All along, all I wanted to do was make the cut and get four rounds and, then, obviously (shooting) the 62 on Friday, and I was leading the tournament. I never had any expectations.”

The rest, of course, is history.

This time, Lowry isn’t slipping in under any radar; and there are no sky-high quotes from the bookies. Lowry may be in new terrain in defending a title, but he is comfortable in the role. Expect a stout defence.