TULSA, Oklahoma (Reuters) – Former British Open winner Shane Lowry enters this week’s PGA Championship with higher ambitions than simply extending the longest active streak of cuts made in majors and feels course conditions could play to his advantage.
Southern Hills, where different winds are expected for each of the four rounds, has undergone several changes since it last held the PGA Championship in 2007.
One of the biggest changes was the removal of thick rough around the greens, which means errant approach shots will roll down the shaved run-off areas surrounding the putting surfaces.
For Lowry, who has a track record for excellent approach play and with a putter in his hands, these conditions are music to his ears.
“Yeah, look, it’s obviously going to be windy. I can deal with the wind. I can chip,” Lowry said on Wednesday. “That’s what these tournaments are all about. Yeah, I don’t mind that around here; let’s just put it that way.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to go out there and show people what I’m made of again this week, and hopefully I can be there or thereabouts come the weekend.”
Lowry arrived at Southern Hills having played in and made the cut at each of the last 11 majors, which is the longest current streak of its kind.
In his most recent major, Lowry began the final round seven shots back of the Masters lead and, other than an early triple-bogey, was nearly flawless as he made seven birdies en route to finishing in a career-best share of third at Augusta National.
The Irishman has finished in the top-15 in all six of his PGA Tour stroke play events, and feels his game is at the same level it was when he won the 2019 British Open by six strokes.
“If I go back and look at my form going into The Open in 2019, I think my form was pretty good,” said Lowry. “I was playing quite good, consistent golf that summer. Yeah, it’s pretty similar (now), so yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s better. It’s probably the same.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
