2024 The Open: Why Does Shane Lowry Prefer Wearing Black & White? The History Behind the Iconic Color Explored

Like Tiger Woods with red, and Jack Nicklaus with yellow, Shane Lowry is synonymous with black and white. Like the two stalwarts, the Irishman too has a special reason for this. It’s not a ‘lucky charm’ like Woods or a mark of honoring a fan’s legacy like Nicklaus. Rather, Shane Lowry wears black and white in support of his hometown club.

Lowry, though he hits a ball with a stick for bread and butter, his first love was Gaelic Football. The Irish sport is a cross of soccer and rugby, played with a round-shaped ball like soccer, but like rugby, players can touch the ball. 

It was his father’s favorite sport, one which he introduced to his son quite early. Golf came later, courtesy of his uncle. Nevertheless, the 37-year-old kept supporting his childhood club, Clara GAA. 

Previously, the six-time DP World Tour winner said, “I tend to wear black and white a lot. I’m from Clara and our colors are black and white so that’s the reason.” Aside from Gaelic Football, Clara GAA also has a Hurling team. It is also a traditional Gaelic sport, a cross between lacrosse and rugby.

Clearly, now settled in Stateside, this is Lowry’s way of showing his love for his hometown. He has followed this tradition quite diligently for the past few years. He first wore black and white on a Sunday in Vilamoura, Portugal. The Irishman shot 5-under 66 in the final round of the 2014 Madeira Islands Open, erasing a four-shot deficit from the moving day to win by one stroke. 

Lowry said in the off-the-ball podcast, “I first wore it on a Sunday in Portugal a couple of years ago and that turned out well. And then I wore it at the US Open.” But that wasn’t the only time when the former Open champion chose to honor something through his apparel. He likes wearing black and he has sported the color on different occasions for different causes. 

Shane Lowry honored Irish students in the U.S. Open

In 2015, five Irish students were killed in a tragic accident at the Berkley campus of the University of California, when the balcony of a building collapsed to the ground. Lowry, playing the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay the same week, chose to honor their legacy by wearing black throughout the tournament. 

Later recounting that incident, the Irishman said in the same podcast, “I think it was documented because of what happened in San Francisco and Berkeley so I just said I’d do that for four days just as a little tribute to those kids. [Black] is just something that I like wearing. I think it looks good.” Before that, Lowry wore black in honor of Ian McGregor, the caddie who reportedly died of a heart attack during the 2014 Madeira Islands Open.