SHANE LOWRY has made an honest admission ahead of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont.
The Irishman is enjoying his most consistent season to date on the PGA Tour.
2019 Open champion Lowry has reached a career-high in the world rankings and sits in his best-ever position in the FedEx Cup after a very solid campaign so far.
But the Irishman reckons he hasn’t gotten his just deserts, having failed to bag a title despite several near misses.
Offaly native Lowry has two second-place finishes on the Tour this season — at the Truist Championship and Pebble Beach — plus a string of top 10s.
And he’ll be looking to claim his first PGA Tour solo-sanctioned win since 2019 at this week’s brutally tough U.S. Open test at the revered Oakmont.
Speaking to Irish Times ahead of Thursday’s opening round at the 10-time U.S. Open venue, Lowry admits that the season has hurt as he’s failed to clinch a title.
He said: “I think it’s the best I’ve ever been, but I don’t feel like I’m getting rewards, to be honest, because every Sunday I come off the golf course I feel like I’m after getting punched in the gut.
“It’s been a very consistent, very good year, but I can’t remember the last time I walked off the 18th green on the Sunday afternoon happy with myself. So that’s hard to take.
“But there will be some Sunday soon, hopefully, where I’m walking off that 18th green, pretty happy and pretty proud of myself. Hopefully it’ll be this week.”
The Clara native can take some confidence into tomorrow’s opening round, having finished T2 at this venue during the 2016 U.S. Open.
World number 12 Lowry has fared well on the tougher PGA Tour tracks over the last few seasons — courses such as Bay Hill and Muirfield Village — which are considered major-level tests.
Lowry gets his bid underway alongside pal Rory McIlroy at the notoriously hard Oakmont Country Club at 12.40pm IST. The pair will be joined by Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose on the 10th tee box.
Scottie Scheffler heads into the week as favourite after winning three of his last four starts.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy will be hoping to put his recent driver woes behind him after a horror showing at last week’s RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto.
