Lowry back in his happy place at Royal Portrush

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — A mural of Shane Lowry holding aloft the claret jug adorns the side wall of a house just across the road from Royal Portrush. For the people in this part of Northern Ireland, it is a piece of art that serves as a constant reminder of not just one of the great victories in the British Open's 165-year history but one of the great moments for Irish sport. An Irishman winning the Open on the island of Ireland. Six years later, Lowry is back on the Antrim coast looking to do it all over again. "I didn't know what to make of it at the start," Lowry said of the mural that immortalized the best golfing day of his life, "and then when they did it, people kept sending me pictures. "Everyone that comes up here sends me pictures standing beside it. Some of them I can't say what they were doing in it," he added, laughing, "but it is very special. I've done something special in my life." And, boy, did he celebrate it. There's video of Lowry, a beer in one hand and the silver claret jug in the other, singing Irish folk song "The Fields of Athenry" in a bar in Dublin hours after his six-shot victory. It sure wasn't the only drinking hole he visited in the Irish capital that night, which — to some — fueled the narrative of him being something of a party animal. "Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it from time to time," he said, "but I know when I need to put my head down and work. "You can't be at the top level of any sport if you're not applying yourself well, and I feel like I do it." Indeed, the No. 18-ranked Lowry feels in a good place after being back home in Ireland for the past three weeks, skipping the opportunity to play at the Scottish Open — regarded as a warmup to the British Open. Instead, he has played a slew of the best courses in Ireland — among them Portmarnock, Waterville and also Adare Manor, which is hosting the Ryder Cup in 2027 — in perfect weather. Lowry, whose only solo victory since Portrush in 2019 was the European tour's flagship BMW PGA Championship in 2022, feels "rejuvenated" and as prepared as he could be in his bid to become the first player to win consecutive British Opens at the same course since Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in 2000 and '05. "Sometimes when everything is going really well, I get complacent," he said. "I feel like when things are not going well is when I'm at my best. "Go back to 2019 here, I had a meltdown on the Wednesday because I thought I wasn't going to go out and play well, but then that focused me in a little bit more." Roared on by a raucous crowd, Lowry went on to play the best golf of his life in what at times was rough and wet weather. Few will forget the scene of Lowry — dressed all in black — marching to the 18th green on Sunday with a broad smile and his arms out wide, to the backdrop of green-white-and-orange Irish flags and jubilant umbrella-holding spectators. "I came to a place that I knew and I loved," he said, "and it just all clicked." There's now a mural of him to show for it, even if being lionized in such a way makes him feel uncomfortable. "I'm happy," Lowry said, "I don't have to drive past it every day." ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf