Paul McGinley Explains Pros & Cons Of Shane Lowry's 'GAA Background'

Up this point in the season, it's fair to say that 2026 has been somewhat of a difficult year for Shane Lowry.

The Offaly man has played some wonderful golf at times, finding himself in contention on a number of occasions. However, that has often led to disappointment in the final round.

Lowry would blow a one-shot lead on the 18th in Dubai early in the season, followed by a similar collapse at the Cognizant Classic in Florida. At The Masters, he would be right in the mix heading into Sunday only to card 80 in the fourth round and drop to 30th on the leaderboard.

Shane Lowry experienced one of the highlights of his career in 2025, playing a key role as Europe won the Ryder Cup on American soil.

The Irishman has excelled in that competition, and while many expected him to carry that form into this season, he has largely struggled to replicate it.

Speaking on the Indo Sport podcast, Paul McGinley explained how Lowry's 'GAA background' has helped him excel in team events but not necessarily in the individual game.

He is an emotional player. I think that's why he's such a great team player and was so good under severe pressure in the Ryder Cup.

Like me, he came from a GAA background. That instills a sense of security and sense of representation with teammates around you propels you to not get mad at yourself, 'I can't get mad at myself because I will let the rest of my teammates down'.

That keeps you going forward. That's what we saw at the Ryder Cup. The responsibility that ended up on his shoulders, he didn't want to let anybody down. We saw him perform heroically the way he did.

When it comes to the individuals, he gets mad at himself very quickly and very easily. That can spiral very quickly, that's what we're seeing from Shane at the moment.

Shane Lowry will tee it up at Shinnecock Hills for the US Open this week, a venue where he missed the cut when it last hosted the event back in 2018.

Having played some brilliant golf at The Masters, here's hoping he can play his way into contention at another major.