Shane Lowry is hoping to give the fans something to cheer about this week in Ireland after being named as one of Luke Donald's six Captain's picks for the European Ryder Cup team on Monday.
The Irishman, who will make his second appearance for Team Europe in Rome later this month following his debut at Whistling Straits, said that his drive and focus has been amplified by the Ryder Cup, which has only added to his level of excitement at playing in his home Open at the K Club this week.
"Look, it's very exciting," Lowry said of his Ryder Cup selection.
"It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time, and as soon as we finished at Whistling Straits, you start to think about this one again because that one hurts a lot.
"I'm very focused and very driven on going there and winning back the trophy. I think we've got a great team and I'm very excited for the next few weeks ahead."
"It's going to be different with 40,000 people shouting for you, instead of 40,000 people shouting against you. Everyone has been telling me that I've never played a home Ryder Cup, and everyone's been telling me that a home Ryder Cup is a lot different and it's a lot more fun and it's a little bit more enjoyable.
"So, looking forward to it, the next few weeks are huge and it's just such an exciting time to be playing here and I'm really looking forward to it."
Lowry is making his 15th start in the Horizon Irish Open this week, nearly a decade and a half on from his historic debut where he became just the third amateur - and most recent - to win a tournament on the DP World Tour.
In front of home crowds and pouring rain, Lowry defeated Robert Rock on the third play-off hole at the Irish Open in 2009, becoming the first amateur to win on his Tour debut in Ireland and just the sixth player in history to achieve that feat on the then named European Tour.
His victory came just 12 weeks after Danny Lee won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic, where he joined Pablo Martin Benavides as the second amateur to win on this stage following his own victory at the 2007 Estoril Open de Portugal.
It was the start of a brilliant record in the Irish Open for Lowry, across a multitude of venues. Among a raft of top 30s, the six-time DP World Tour winner finished tied 5th at Carton House in 2013 and tied ninth last year at Mount Juliet.
In 2016, the only time the K Club has hosted the tournament, Lowry ended his week in a tie for 23rd as Rory McIlroy took home the spoils. Both are in the field this week, along with fellow Major Champion Padraig Harrington, who won the event in 2007.
With an impressive cast of international stars assembled this year, Lowry is hopeful that he or one his compatriots can once again give the fans something to cheer about.
"[The] course is great," he added. "I mean, the weather is amazing. The course is playing really good. It's going to play difficult enough. I think the fairways are narrow and there's a bit of rough. I'm looking forward to it.
"It's going to be a good challenge and hopefully me or one of the Irish lads or all of us can go up and give them something to shout about at the weekend."
