A day of nerves, pressure for six Irish golfers

NORTHERN IRELAND – Practice sessions did not go well for Shane Lowry this week, stripping him of his confidence going into The Open Championship. A coffee chat with coach Neil Manchip on Wednesday night improved his spirits; even so, when Lowry stepped on the first tee Thursday at Royal Portrush, he was nervous. Or in his words: “Uneasy.”

No wonder. For Lowry and the five other Irish golfers in the 156-man field this week, this is no ordinary week. The Open is being played in Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, and the players who grew up here each recognize the importance and significance of the moment. It’s arguably the biggest sporting event the island has hosted.

As Northern Ireland’s most successful golfer, Rory McIlroy, said on the eve of the tournament, “This is bigger than me.”

Consequently, the expectations are bigger, too, as the locals dream of a Sunday night scenario in which one of their own is holding the Claret Jug. With expectations, of course, come pressure, and the success of the three golfers from Northern Ireland and the three from the Republic of Ireland may very well come down to their ability to stay in the moment and keep the blinders on.

Lowry, born and raised in Clara, managed to overcome his nerves with a solid 3-wood off the first tee that him “off and running.” He was a bogey-free 4 under through 10 holes, then quickly bounced back from his lone bogey with a birdie at 12. From there, he finished out a 4-under 67, placing him in solo second behind leader J.B. Holmes through 18 holes.

“I thoroughly enjoyed today,” said Lowry, who produced a recent string of three straight Top-10s on the PGA TOUR, including a T-2 at the RBC Canadian Open that McIlroy won by seven shots. “The crowds are unbelievable and cheered on every tee box, and every green is such a special feeling. I tried to enjoy that as much as I can while I was doing my work and then getting down to business.

“It's going to be an exciting few days ahead. I hope I can give them something to cheer about on Sunday afternoon.”

McIlroy, meanwhile, is just hoping to make the weekend after starting his round with a quadruple bogey after his opening tee shot landed out of bounds. His shaky start continued with a bogey on the third, and then after seemingly finding a groove, he four-putted the par-3 16th for a double bogey, then finished with a triple-bogey on the 18th for an 8-over 79. That ties for his second worst round in his major championship career, exceeded only by the opening-round 80 he shot in the 2018 U.S. Open.

As McIlroy walked off the 18th green, one TV commentator sized him up as “punch drink.” Another said, “What a horrible, sinking feeling it must be.”

If the four-time major winner from Holywood was feeling the pressure, it’s no wonder. After all, he shouldered the most expectations of any player this week, as Royal Portrush is where he famously shot 61 at age 16.

In the build-up to Thursday, McIlroy said he plays his best golf when he’s relaxed and loose, and that he was trying to keep it “low-key” this week. He argued that he wasn’t the center of attention, and that he was here just to enjoy the experience.

But in retrospect, perhaps he was just trying to convince himself more than convincing others. On that opening hole on Thursday, he looked every bit like a player who bore the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders.

McIlroy denied that increased pressured played a factor in his poor score; instead, it was a combination of some loose swings and a brief lapse in concentration. “Look, it's disappointing,” McIlroy said. “I'd be disappointed regardless, whether it was here or St. Andrews or Birkdale or any of the other tournaments or majors.”

Portrush native Graeme McDowell had a tear in his eye as he teed off. “Kind of embarrassed to say it,” he said.

The reaction was certainly justified, though. McDowell grew up as a member of Rathmore Golf Club just outside the main entrance; his 2010 U.S. Open trophy resides there in a display case. He used to have to sneak on Royal Portrush to play. Now here he was, trying to win The Open in front of family, friends and club members. “The first tee was definitely a little emotional and a little intimidating,” he said, “I was happy to get that away.”

McDowell was going well for most of the day, reaching 3 under through 14 holes. But bogeys at 15 and 17, then a triple at the par-4 18th, left him at 2 over. The happiness of seeing his hometown host the Open had been balanced by the reality of competition. In fact, he said he was more emotional after signing his card than he was standing on the first tee.

“I got to not let this spoil my week, because it could easily spoil my week,” G-Mac said. “I feel like all the air has been let out of the sails plus some. The ship feels like it's sinking. It's not air out of the sails, it's everything. But it's important just to regroup.”

McDowell was asked if he was aware of Rory’s quadruple start. Indeed, he was. He wasn’t sure who had it worse.

“In many ways would you rather start with an 8 or finish with a 7?” G-Mac asked. “You've got 17 holes to kind of battle your 8 back. On the 7, you've got to go have lunch and think about it.

“Listen, triples and quadruples are never going to help scorecards. Very hard to win Open Championships with those kind of numbers on your card. It's better to make it on your first and have 72 holes left. No better man to steady the ship than him.”

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, the three-time major winner and next year’s Ryder Cup captain, is among the most loquacious speakers in golf. But you could sense his disappointment after a 4-over 75, unable to give his many Irish fans a good showing.

His answers were uncharacteristically short. “Today was not a good day,” he summed up.

Portrush resident Darren Clarke, the 50-year-old who won the 2011 Open and helped to bring this year’s Open to his home country, admitted being nervous early Thursday morning as he stepped onto the tee to hit the tournament’s opening drive.

“I didn’t think I’d feel the way I did,” said Clarke, who finished at even-par 71. “But the support, everything from the crowds, just everything about it sort of when I was about to hit my tee shot, wow, it’s The Open Championship, we’re back in Portrush. It was amazing …

“It was more emotional than I thought it was going to be, to be honest.”

Clarke was playing with Irish amateur James Sugrue, in the field this week as the British Amateur champ. At one point as they stood on the seventh tee box, Clark was leading at 3 under, while Sugrue was right behind at 2 under.

Clarke turned to the 22-year-old and recalled how Sugrue had come through the Darren Clarke Foundation as a youngster. Now here they were, at The Open Championship, in Northern Ireland, the mentor and the mentee, the top two players on the leaderboard.

It was a bit surreal.

“There’s something not quite right about that,” summed up Clarke. “We had a right good laugh and chuckle about that.”

It was good to hear that somebody managed to smile today. For six golfers feeling the pressure to deliver in front of their adoring fans, it was a nervous, emotional day.

Lowry was asked about the additional expectations he and his fellow Irish golfers are feeling. Unlike Rory, G-Mac and Clarke, who each have closer ties to Portrush that he does, Lowry said the pressure he felt entering Thursday wasn’t as intense.

“I feel like for me, I can kind of be more under the radar than everyone else,” Lowry said. “But obviously not now.”