Shane Lowry not shying away from spotlight on home soil

Shane Lowry insists he is embracing the expectation on him this week as he tees it up on home soil at the 2022 Horizon Irish Open.

Bumper crowds are expected at Mount Juliet Estate and many of them will be following the 2019 Open Champion, along with fellow home favourites Pádraig Harrington and Séamus Power.

Lowry created some of the most memorable scenes in Tour history when he won this event as an amateur and since then his popularity has only grown as he became a Major, Rolex Series and World Golf Championships winner and Ryder Cup star.

But he has also been a fan at Mount Juliet in the 2000s for the WGC-American Express Championship and insists he is relishing the challenge of playing his best in front of a partisan home crowd.

"I say it every year, it's always great to come back to the Irish Open," he said. "It's kind of close to me and I owe a lot to it for where I am in the game with the start that I had with the Irish Open in 2009. That gave me the kick-start to my career that I really needed, definitely gave me one up on the rest of the guys around my level at the time.

"It was nice. It's nice to come back here every year. It's nice to come back here. I'm playing some good golf and I'm just kind of excited for the week ahead and I'm very hopeful that I put in a good performance.

"There's no point shying away, I'm one of the highest ranked players in the field, one of the top Irish players, one of the players that people really want to do well. There's expectation there.

"Coming off the back of the ninth green, lots of kids there waiting for me, the last thing I'm going to do is walk past them just because I want to protect myself or play well.

"I kind of have to do a bit of both where obviously I want to play well when it comes to tomorrow at 8 o'clock, I'm standing on the 10th tee, I'm going to be in game mode.

"All around that, I'm just going to be myself and be as good as I can with everyone and just give people what they want. Because I think that's just nice.

"When I was a kid coming to the Irish Open, that's what I wanted. So it's nice to be able to do that."

The World Number 24 has been in fine form in 2022, finishing third at the Masters Tournament, along with three other worldwide top tens and just one missed cut.

And while he would love to get his first victory of the season in County Kilkenny, he would also be happy to maintain momentum ahead of The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.

"I'd love to win here," he said. "If you're ever being picky, you'd love to play four really good rounds, give yourself a chance. If you win, you win. If you don't, you have confidence going into St Andrews.

"I'd love myself to be the Irishman to do well. I think obviously Séamus or Pádraig, or even anybody, if we were all up there on Sunday afternoon and one of us won it... it would be great for the tournament and it'd be great for golf if that was the case."