4 birdies & 3 bogeys or 5 birdies & 0 bogeys! Anyone would naturally prefer the latter combination. And that is exactly what Shane Lowry carded at the Open Championship on its first day of play. What about the first combo? Well, that belongs to the current No. 1 golfer on the OWGR, Scottie Scheffler, who was left “challenged” after the first round at Royal Troon.

The two golfers were spotted giving their respective interviews following the end of the first round of play at the ongoing 152nd edition of the major championship. While Scheffler expressed his confusion at the condition of the golf course, the Irishman divulged how prepared he was, all thanks to him indulging in ample preparation ahead of the major.

A Scottie Scheffler vs Shane Lowry parallel at the Open

“I don’t know if confusing is the right word, just challenging,” said Scheffler, in the press conference, while alluding to the first round of play at the 2024 Open Championship. The golfer had dished out a score of 1-under 70 on the par-71 Royal Troon while placing himself at T11, tied with six other professionals. He made sure to point out how the rain getting involved alongside the wind affected the ball’s flight: “When you get a wet ball into the wind, it’s amazing how short it goes.”

The golfer then recounted the day’s play at the par-4, 2nd hole (Black Rock). He mentioned how his Titleist Pro V1 spheroid didn’t carry as much as he expected. “I think it was No. 2 today,” recalled the 2024 Masters champ, “I had 165 to the pin off a slight upslope, and I hit a hold 5-iron, which for me usually goes about 205. It went probably 155 at the most. Probably carried 150, and ended up 155, and I striped it.”

Regardless of the unexpected development, the golfer sure was able to “stripe it.” Scheffler managed to score a par-putt at the 391-yard Black Rock. He was able to drive accurately and prevented himself from finding trouble among the 11 bunkers and hazards that the par-4 hole boasts: “The slight upslope had something to do with that, but I mean, I flighted it down pretty good, and it’s my 205 shot, and it went 155.” Well, the wind speed of 10–15 mph sure did pose a bit of trouble for the golfer.

Such a situation could have been possibly avoided had he taken the necessary precautions. And the word ‘precautions’ here refers to him familiarizing himself with the course conditions by playing to the ‘Links Factor’. Had he participated in the Genesis Scottish Open, then the conditions would have proved to be less “challenging” for Scottie Scheffler. Or he could have just reached Royal Troon early, like how Shane Lowry did!

Lowry and his plans for the Open Championship

The Irishman was asked how the winds had changed from the time he played on the practice rounds during the presser. Lowry agreed to the analysis as he said, “Yeah, it did change a lot because we played the front nine down and the back nine into the wind in all our practice rounds.” But then what made him adapt to the conditions? Well, it’s all thanks to him playing the course and wind in all its glory.

“Fortunately enough I came here two weeks ago,” revealed the golfer before adding how he played the exact same conditions back then. “I played this wind on the second day that I played here. I saw the golf course in every wind possible I could see it,” said the 37-year-old PGA Tour Pro. The athlete was able to finish T2 with a score of 5-under 66 despite the harsh conditions. The golf world would surely agree with Lowry and his plans: “I guess that was a good thing to do, and it’s out there paying off a little bit today.”