Shane Lowry will be 41 by the time the 2028 Olympics roll around in Los Angeles but he hopes to still be competing for Ireland and would like to see golf become a mixed team event.
Golf at the Olympics looks set to stay on the events schedule going forward and after a landmark showing in Paris last month, Lowry believes it could go to another level if the individual format is scrapped for a mixed team event.
“I’d like to see a team element and I’d like to see a mixed team, if I’m being honest,” Lowry said after a final round of 68 at the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down. “A couple of more chances to win a medal would be nice as well. Especially if Rory is your partner!
“After Paris, I think golf is here to stay in the Olympics. I think it’s big – not as big as anything – but it’s up there. It’s only every four years. I’ll be 41 for LA, I mean I’m getting old! I’m not getting any younger. I’m sure Tom McKibbin might have a thing or two to say about that in four years’ time.”
Lowry’s chances of lifting a second Irish Open title and first as a professional were ended after a round of 74 on Saturday but he was pleased with how he bounced back with birdies on the 1st, 2nd, 11th and 12th on Sunday before dropping a shot on 13.
The Offaly man finished in a share of twelfth place on one-under as he begins a hectic run in Europe that will see him end the year having played nine events in ten weeks both sides of the Atlantic as he looks to get the bulk of his early Ryder Cup qualifying points on the board.
“I would have liked one or two birdies coming in. To play the last six holes in one over was pretty disappointing because even the competitor in you is thinking there if you can make a run and finish five or six-under you’d never know. I bogeyed 13, that was disappointing.
“Look, I’m driving the ball as well as I ever have, I feel great on the greens, my iron play let me down a little bit this week but we are playing in cross winds on a very difficult golf course so maybe I need to be a bit more lenient on that. I’m going somewhere that I love next week and I feel like I will be able to compete there.
“I’m not going to lie, the golf is fine. Its just being away from home and being away from the kids is getting harder and harder. They both understand now that you’re away and that’s the hardest part. I’ve got three weeks left in this run and I am counting down the days but also still trying to focus on my job and career and play as good golf as I can.
“I have a Ryder Cup to make so this will help hopefully but I looked at my schedule last week and after the Dunhill I have probably got two tournaments in about three months. That’s going to be pretty nice. Even some time to rest and work on other stuff and just get myself ready for next season.”
Reflecting on another consistent season that saw him miss just two cuts in twelve months and enjoy his best year on then PGA Tour, making the Tour Championship for the first time and winning the Zurich Classic alongside Rory McIlroy, Lowry is chasing wins before the end of the year and into 2025 and would be content if he could sacrifice his remarkable consistency for more silverware.
“If I’m being honest, I’d probably take a little bit of less consistency and give me a win or two but it is what it is. You can only keep trying, keep putting yourself there. The more you put yourself there the more chance you have of getting it done.”