Shane Lowry admits the constant noise of Delhi traffic is much easier to handle than New York’s abusive Ryder Cup crowd as he rattled off eight birdies to take the lead on the opening day of DP World India Championship.
The Irishman, playing with European captain Luke Donald and team-mate Tommy Fleetwood, hit a hot streak with five successive birdies on the back nine against the background noise of the honks and horns of the capital’s incessant road network.
His bogey-free eight-under 64 saw him overtake long-time clubhouse leader Keita Nakajima by a stroke.
“It was a really nice group, playing with Luke and Tommy,” said Lowry, who holed the putt to retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
“We all had a great time and we all played pretty good and I just rolled off a few more birdies than they did on the back nine.
“We could hear the horns from the road – it was not as off-putting as the Bethpage crowd.
“There was a little Ryder Cup chat out there but at the end of the day we are all professional golfers and ultimately we all want to beat each other, even though we are friends.”
Before seizing the moment with his title-retaining putt, Lowry was involved in one of the more explosive moments of this year’s Ryder Cup as he fired a two-word expletive towards an American fan on day two.
The Irishman was left furious after a fan directed an insult and disturbed his partner Rory McIlroy as he was about to play a shot on the fourth hole, with Europe dominating in New York.
Lowry responded on the course, though, with his eagle turning the match blue with the advantage heading to the fifth, with police later tasked with settling the hostile crowd on the next hole.
He drained a lengthy putt for three and then erupted in delight. He firstly shouted “come on!” before turning to the crowd and screaming at a fan, “f*** you!”
Now back in competition against his Ryder Cup teammates, he leads Fleetwood and Donald who both finished four under, while McIlroy sits five shots back.
The world number two and Masters champion opted to leave the driver in his locker due to the tight nature of the course but it did not affect his ability to score as he carded six birdies only to be let down by three bogeys.
Additional reporting by PA
