Shane Lowry is eager to add to his already glittering CV as he gets his 2022 DP World Tour season started at this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Irishman ticked off a big career goal in 2021 as he made countryman Pádraig Harrington's Ryder Cup team to add to a list of achievements that includes a Major Championship win, a WGC triumph and a Rolex Series victory here in Abu Dhabi.
With so much already accomplished at the age of just 34, Lowry was not setting any specific goals for the year, but a return to the winner's circle for the first time since 2019 - when he won both The Open Championship and this event - would be more than welcome.
"I'm going to have to do some pretty good things to make this my best year and I'm excited at the challenge ahead," he said.
"It's hard to believe if you count 2009, which I was on Tour for most of, this is my 14th season on Tour, which is bananas, really. Time flies.
Made some great memories in this year. Ready to make some more in 2022 🇮🇪💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/uShrok0HEx
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) December 31, 2021
"It's exciting and I really feel like I'm coming to an age now where I'm hopefully coming to the prime of my career and I can do some really good things in this game.
"I would have counted last season as a pretty successful season, even though I didn't win. I was pretty happy with my lot. I obviously would liked to have won.
"It was probably one of the most consistent seasons - it was the most consistent season I've had on Tour I think.
"I'm pretty happy where my game is at, pretty happy where my mind is at, pretty happy where I'm going. I want to win again but I just want to keep playing some good golf, keep playing consistent golf and putting myself there.
"I feel like if I can keep putting myself in contention, hopefully I can knock off one or two or three tournaments.
It's exciting and I really feel like I'm coming to an age now where I'm hopefully coming to the prime of my career and I can do some really good things in this game
"I don't think about it too much. I get up every day, I go about my business and I give it all I can on that given day and hopefully it's a good day. And if not, I just move on and, like I keep saying, no matter what score I shoot, I still have to go out and do it the next day.
"Success for me this year, I'm not going to stand here and go: I want to win the Masters or I want to do this, that and the other. Success for me is about being happy with what I'm doing and, at the end of every day, I've been happy with what I've done that day."
The first event of the Desert Swing takes place at Yas Links this season, with Lowry having lifted the Falcon Trophy at Abu Dhabi Golf Club three years ago.
The change of venue does not daunt the five-time European Tour winner, however, and with just one other made cut to go with his win in seven appearances at this event, Lowry is looking forward to taking on the coastal layout.
"You come back to a tournament you've won before and you see your name on the trophy, picture of that around the place with you holding that trophy, it's pretty nice.
"It's obviously along the coast here and it's going to be quite windy, links-style. It's fairly tricky around the greens and so it's going to require a lot of good iron play and decent with the short game if you miss the greens.
"It's a course that (if) I'm playing confident with my game and going into it I'd be really, really bullish about this week. But I've had two months without a tournament and I'm always a bit anxious on a week like this about how I'm going to be playing going into it.
"It's a course I feel like would suit me, suits my eye."
