"What a difference a year makes," Shane Lowry surmised as he sat in front of the media following the first Major win of his career at The Open on Sunday.
Lowry admitted that 12 months previous he had been in tears following the first round of The Open at Carnoustie, a tournament where he missed the cut.
"That just shows how fickle golf is," said Lowry.
Golf is a weird sport and you never know what is around the corner. You need to fight through the bad times.
I sat in the car park in Carnoustie on the Thursday, a year ago to this week, and I cried. Golf wasn't my friend at the time. It was becoming very stressful and it was weighing on me. I just didn't like doing it.
A big factor in the turnaround of Lowry's game has been the hiring of caddy Brian 'Bo' Martin.
Following that first round at Carnoustie last year, Lowry split with long-term caddy Dermot Byrne. The two had been a partnership for the previous nine years.
In a blog for Paddy Power before this year's Open, Lowry admitted he regrets splitting with Byrne mid-tournament.
His brother Alan spent a month carrying his bag before Martin was hired. Lowry said Martin was the first person to pop into his mind when thinking about a new caddy.
Martin hails from Ardglass, Co. Down and has worked with pros Gary Murphy, Peter Lawrie and Lucas Bjerregaard in the past.
Shane Lowry of Ireland celebrates with his caddy Brian Martin his way to the 18th green.
Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.
"Bo has been incredible the last year," Lowry said on Sunday.
"He started caddying for me in September of last year, just when I started to play well again.
"He's brought a new lease of life to me. He's so chilled. He was unbelievable today. He kept on my back all day, he kept talking to me, kept in my ear.
"I kept on telling him how nervous I was, how scared I was, how much I didn't want to mess it up. He was great at keeping me in the moment today.
"We've formed a great relationship. It was great for him today as well. They had a baby two weeks ago and his wife drove up today and his little boy was here.
"I've known Bo a long time and he's now become a very good friend of mine. To be able to share it with somebody so close to you is special."
Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
