Shane Lowry Pushes Back On Narrative That He's A Party Animal
Lowry wasn't expecting to be asked about his drinking habits at The Open.
There is a stereotype out there that Shane Lowry is a big-time drinker. The 38-year-old does happen to be Irish and deleted a plethora of beverages after winning The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, but upon his return to where he hoisted the Claret Jug a handful of years ago, he'd like to clear the air on the party animal allegations.
Lowry sat down in the media center on Monday for his official pre-tournament presser ahead of this week's Open, and oddly enough, the first question he was asked was about what he could remember from his night celebrating his victory in 2019.
Lowry, as most do, celebrated his win at a watering hole and went viral while drinking and singing after becoming a major champion.
"Interesting first question, isn't it? Here to talk about golf and all anyone wants to talk about is drinking," Lowry told the reporter.
"Yeah, I celebrated pretty well. Golf is a funny game like where you lose a lot more than you win, and I've always been a firm believer that when you win, you need to try and celebrate those victories. So I did that that night."
Shane Lowry isn't the big drinker some seem to think that he is. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
While Lowry very clearly wanted to move on and not talk about the celebratory drinks he had six years ago, he was asked about being some "big drinker," leading him to clear the air a bit more.
"Look, I'll let people believe what they want to believe and I kind of do my own thing. The people close to me know what I'm like. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it from time to time, but I know when I need to put my head down and work. I know when I need to do that," Lowry explained.
"You can't be at the top level of any sport if you're not applying yourself well, and I feel like I do it."
With some of the media's obsession with Lowry's drinking, it would be hilarious to see him go on and win this week and shut down a pub like he did back in 2019.
Since winning The Open in 2019, Lowry's lone win on Tour came in April 2024 at the Zurich Classic when he teamed up with Rory McIlroy. His most recent individual title came on the DP World Tour when he won the BMW PGA Championship in September 2022 over the likes of Rahm and McIlroy.
This season, the Irishman has picked up two runner-up finishes and a total of four Top 10 finishes in 16 starts.