WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP: Steve Lowry has come to the right place for a man who loves hunting and fishing, both of which are available on the Mount Juliet estate. It also appears that the American, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, wouldn't quibble with the golf course either, judging by the 66 he cobbled together in the opening round of the Amex World Championship.
It's hardly surprising the 41 year-old should command a prominent place on the leaderboard, in joint second place alongside David Toms, just one shot behind Tiger Woods. In five of the last six tournaments he has finished in the Top 10, three times a runner-up, at the Greater Milwaukee Open, The International and the Air Canada Championship.
Eight of his last nine rounds have been par or better and despite coming off a two-week break, he betrayed no signs of any rustiness. "I have played very well for the last two months and I came over here early to get ready. The golf course is perfect so I think the scores are going to be low."
Having not travelled overseas for a while he admitted it took him two or three days before he felt able to play golf, highlighting the wisdom of his early arrival in Ireland. Lowery was pleasantly surprised when he rolled up to Mount Juliet, particularly by the weather.
"It's a lot better than I anticipated. I have been playing in short-sleeved shirts all day. We assumed that it would probably be a little bit colder and raining most of the time. The golf course is perfect.
"It's in great shape and the greens are fantastic. It's a very American-style golf course and very similar to what we would play on our tour."
Lowery amassed a flawless round that included four birdies and an eagle three at the par five fifth.
"I hit a driver off the ground and tried to get it up to the green. I got pretty close and then pitched it in from
about 35 yards."
The par fives would prove very generous to Lowery as he managed further birdies at the eighth and the 10th. On the first occasion he chipped in from the fringe, while at the first hole on the homeward journey he hit, drive and three wood in to a bunker pin high and then got up and down.
Lowery was joined on six under by last year's US PGA champion Toms, who recorded six birdies in an error-free round. "I drove the ball in play, hit some good iron shots and made a couple of long putts.
"I didn't make a lot of putts but did manage to hole a couple of long ones. I gave myself plenty of opportunities because I was striking the ball very solidly," he said.
Toms has been the epitome of consistency this season, making 20 of 22 cuts, including eight top 10s and six top fives, all of which bodes well for next week's action at the Ryder Cup, a mainstay of most interviews this week.
For Toms, making his Ryder debut next week at The Belfry, the showdown against the Europeans is on his mind, which is why he is determined to perform well here.
"Obviously it's going to be a pressure situation, and the better you feel you're playing at the time, the better off you'll be," he said.
"You want to be playing well going into the event, or feel like you're playing well to get that confidence."
For now, though, the priority remains staying in contention to win this tournament: with the weather likely to remain favourable for shooting low numbers, it looks like the birdie-fest is only beginning.
