The men's golf event got underway at the Paris Olympics today, with both Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy teeing it up for Ireland at Le Golf National in the French capital.
It was a decent showing from both men, with McIlroy the better placed of the two after the first round of play. He would card a three-under round of 68, leaving him in a tie for 14th and five shots behind leader Hideki Matsuyama.
Shane Lowry found the going slightly tougher, shooting an even-par round of 71. The Offaly man played some excellent golf at times, although he would let a few birdie opportunities pass him by. He would also card a pair of bogeys towards the end of the round.
Despite this, he remains in high spirits about what could be to come over the next few days.
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Shane Lowry wowed by amount of Irish fans at Olympics
Le Golf National is a fantastic venue for the Olympic golf competitions, with the course having hosted a Ryder Cup as recently as 2018.
Huge crowds took to the venue for today's opening round of the men's event, including quite a few Irish fans.
Speaking to RTÉ, Shane Lowry revealed that his playing partners in Byeong Hun An (Korea) and Nick Taylor (Canada) were dumbfounded by the amount of Irish fans that were there to cheer him on.
"I feel like it was probably the worst score I could have shot" - Shane Lowry was left disappointed after a level par opening round at Le Golf National#RTESport #Paris2024
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It was incredible. Matthieu Pavon (the home favourite) was two groups behind me.
Even the Irish support out there was incredible, I can't get over it. The boys in the group were joking that it felt like an Irish event out there, it felt like a home tournament for me.
I enjoyed it for the most part, getting cheered onto every green and every tee box by the Irish people. There is tricolours everywhere out there.
Maybe I wanted it a bit too much for them, for me and my family. Maybe I wanted it a bit too much today, you can see what it means to everyone.
Hopefully I can get my mind and my game right over the next few days and give myself a good chance...
I feel like it was probably the worst score I could have shot. I started out average but then I got going, I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances but just didn't convert any...
There's a long way to go. Obviously I'm a long way behind, but nothing that a good round tomorrow morning can't straighten out.
I feel like I'm playing the golf to do it.
Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy will both have plenty of support from the Irish over the next three rounds in Paris. While the pair are a bit off the lead as things stand, there is still a lot of golf to be played in this event.
Of course, unlike other golf tournaments, there is also a significant prize handed out for finishing in second or third at the Olympics. It would be fantastic to see one of them on the podium for Ireland this weekend.
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