TOTAL GOLF:AT VARIOUS times of the season, the caddy shack resembles a game of musical chairs. This week, Shane Lowry, just over two months since his Tin Cup win in the Irish Open, takes on a new bagman in Dermot Byrne, who has caddied in recent years for Peter Lawrie, and begins the next step in his fledgling professional career.
Lowry and Byrne will team-up for the first time in this week’s Czech Open, a relatively low-key start before the high-octane, €6 million WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Akron next week when the 22-year-old Offalyman will play a tournament with the world’s elite for the first time.
After his win in Baltray in May, following which he turned professional, Lowry decided to have a trial period on tour with David “Shaper” Reynolds, the man who caddied for him that remarkable week. In their five tournaments together, when both were really finding their feet, Lowry missed his first three cuts. He has survived into the weekend on his last two outings in the French Open and the Scottish Open, but the player took the decision after Loch Lomond to look for an experienced caddie.
Byrne’s experience and credentials make him a good choice, although it means Lawrie now finds himself looking for a new bagman in mid-season.
“Dermot’s young, experienced and, we believe, an ideal caddie to help Shane in developing his career,” said Conor Ridge of Horizon Sports Management in confirming the new partnership.
As of now, Lowry, now 172nd in the world rankings, has an itinerary that will see him play this week’s Czech Open, before moving on to play in the Bridgestone, a consequence of his Irish Open victory. It will be the first time Lowry will have played professionally in the US, and his first time to play in a tournament that includes the world number one Tiger Woods. And perhaps most importantly, apart from the significant prize fund, is that there is no cut.
Having had a sunshine holiday since Loch Lomond, Lowry returns to competitive action in the Czech Republic in a field that includes five other Irish players: Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Michael Hoey, Gary Murphy and Gareth Maybin.
As of now, Lowry won’t be in the field for the following week’s US PGA at Hazeltine, where Pádraig Harrington will defend his title. For Lowry to play in the season’s final major, he would need to break into the world’s top-100 by Monday (following the Czech Open on the European Tour and the Buick Open on the PGA Tour). Currently, Lowry is 172nd in the rankings, which means he would probably need to win the Czech Open to make the big jump.
Like Lowry, Darren Clarke – a past winner – is due to play in Akron, but has not received an invitation to play in the US PGA.
None of the three Irishmen in the world’s top-50 are in action this week, as Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell take time out before the two big tournaments in America.
How Harrington plays in those tournaments will determine his late-season schedule, as the Dubliner is struggling in the FedEx Cup rankings stateside and could have some unforeseen juggling to do with his itinerary in late-August and into September, where he faces the real prospect of not making the tour’s play-off tournaments. Harrington is 130th in the FedEx Cup standings.
“I’m aware that most of my season to date has been a washout, but I am still confident that the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain,” conceded Harrington.
“It would be great if I had a magic wand that I could wave and all the work that I had done and have to do was fully bedded.”
While Harrington will spend more time with coach Bob Torrance this week, Woods will resume tournament play at the Buick Open in Michigan this week. It will be his first outing since missing the cut in the British Open.
Woods will be chasing his fourth win of the season on the US Tour and, as a two-time winner and two-time runner-up in the tournament, he will be back on familiar ground.
“I’m looking forward to it, the golf course suits my eye,” said Woods in a statement issued confirming he would be playing in the tournament.
In his 10 starts on tour this season, Woods leads the US Tour’s moneylist ($4.5 million/€3.16 million) and also ranks first in scoring (68.36). He is second to Steve Stricker in the FedEx Cup points.
A quintet of Irish golfers failed to secure any of the 20 places available at Fairhaven Golf club in the 18-hole final qualifying ahead of the British Women’s Open. Rebecca Coakley and Claire Coughlan Ryan came closest when posting two-over-par 76s. Hazel Kavanagh (78), amateur Danielle McVeigh (79) and Martina Gillen (80) were further back in a field of 96 golfers that looked to join the elite of the women’s game later this week.
