Shane Lowry insists he “can’t wait” to capitalise on his run of red-hot form in the Horizon Irish Open at Mount Juliet.
The world number 27 has racked up a runner-up finish, two top-threes and another four top1-3 finishes in nine starts this year.
The Offaly star (35) was second in the Honda Classic in February and followed his career-best tie for third in the Masters earlier this month with another third-place finish in the RBC Heritage two weeks ago.
Winner of the title on his Irish Open debut as an amateur in 2009, he has since gone on to win the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and claim a Rolex Series in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2019 before claiming his maiden major in The Open later that year.
He made his Ryder Cup debut last year, but he’d love to add another Irish Open title to his CV and he’s looking forward to giving the home fans something to cheer about in Co Kilkenny this summer after confirming he’ll join Séamus Power in the field in Thomastown from June 30 to July 3.
“I can’t wait to get home and tee it up at the Horizon Irish Open,” said Lowry. “Everyone knows how much I love this tournament and how much I enjoy playing in front of my home fans, and they’re always so supportive of me, so I’m excited to play in front of them again.
“I’ve been really happy with my form over the last few months and my game feels in great shape heading into the summer, so I really hope I can bring my best stuff to Mount Juliet Estate and put myself into contention come Sunday.
“There appears to be a huge amount of momentum around this tournament at the moment and it’s shaping up to be another incredible week at a superb venue.”
Australian Lucas Herbert claimed a wire-to-wire win and a three-stroke victory at Mount Juliet last year to secure his DP World Tour title.
The promising 25-year-old has since won for the first time on the PGA Tour at October’s 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship and he made his Masters debut earlier this month.
Before the 2021 edition, Mount Juliet had hosted the Irish Open for three consecutive years in 1993, 1994 and 1995, won by Englishman Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer of Germany and Scotland’s Sam Torrance, respectively.
It was announced in February that all general admission tickets for Sunday at the 2022 Horizon Irish Open have sold out, the earliest sell-out day in the history of the DP World Tour.