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Shane Lowry targets Race to Dubai title with coach in tow

Wednesday 18 November 2015 15:09, UK

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Shane Lowry assesses his European Tour season so far and says winning a tournament has given him motivation and confidence to progress

Shane Lowry is hoping to rediscover his putting touch and make a last-minute run at the Race to Dubai title this week.

The Irishman goes into the DP World Tour Championship in fourth place behind Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett and Justin Rose, needing at least a second-placed finish in the season's finale to stand a chance of topping the European money list.

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That would represent a significant improvement on Lowry's recent performances in China, where he was 68th in the HSBC Champions and 56th in the BMW Masters.

But the 28-year-old hopes the presence of coach Neil Manchip in Dubai can help him prolong the Irish celebrations in the wake of the football team's victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Qualifiers play-off.

He said: "On Monday night, I watched the game and was happy for the lads. It's great, everyone knows how Irish I am and how much I love my country, so to keep the celebrations going this Sunday would be nice.

WOBURN, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 10: Shane Lowry of Ireland putts on the 10th green during the thrid round of the British Masters supported
Image: Shane Lowry felt his putting let him down at the British Masters at Woburn, where he finished second

"I feel like I struggled in China. I played OK but struggled on the greens, but I played the pro-am here on Tuesday and I really felt like I was playing well.

"I'm quietly confident I'm playing well enough that if my putter warms up, I can definitely give this a run at the weekend. Fingers crossed that happens.

Also See:

Race to Dubai contenders

  • Rory McIlroy - 3,393,923
  • Danny Willett - 3,392,310
  • Justin Rose - 2,742,924
  • Shane Lowry - 2,691,444
  • Louis Oosthuizen - 2,655,907
  • Branden Grace - 2,556,148
  • Byeong-Hun An - 2,139,356

"Putting has been the problem. It's probably the reason I feel like I didn't win at the British Masters as well [he finished second behind Matt Fitzpatrick at Woburn]. The last six weeks haven't been great but I like it here. I think the greens are beautiful here and I made quite a few birdies in the pro-am.

"I've got my coach Neil here this week with me which is a big help and he always keeps me in a good frame of mind. I'm looking forward to it. I know what I need to do this week. I know I need to go and win the tournament.

"I just need to go out there Thursday and Friday and try to put myself in a position going into the weekend. Hopefully I can make it as exciting as I can on Sunday."

Richard Keogh, John O'Shea and Robbie Brady celebrate Ireland securing place at Euro 2016 finals with 2-0 home win over Bosnia-Herzegovina
Image: The Irishman watched his compatriots beat Bosnia and Herzegovina to qualify for Euro 2016

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