Shane Lowry is hoping to end his winless drought at the Memorial Tournament this weekend, but despite chasing Ben Griffin for the lead, he offered encouragement to his rival
Shane Lowry showed his class when speaking to Ben Griffin after Thursday’s opening round(Image: Getty Images)
Ben Griffin has taken an early lead in the Muirfield Village’s Memorial Tournament, and Shane Lowry showed his class with an encouraging message after the first round.
Griffin has enjoyed a stunning start to 2025, claiming his first two wins on the PGA Tour with victories at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Charles Schwab Challenge. Lowry is chasing his first win of the season after finishing second at the Truist Championship, and has made a fast start at the Memorial Tournament as he heads into Friday’s round three-under-par.
Lowry is currently tied-third, and is four strokes behind Griffin, who is looking to secure his third win of the season. However, despite chasing his lead, Lowry had nothing but positive things to say when speaking with Griffin after Thursday’s opening round.
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When returning to the clubhouse, Lowry was asked about his fast start but was also questioned about how it felt playing alongside Griffin while he was on a roll. Lowry said: “I told him when we finished, keep it going, things will turn around for you pretty soon (smiling.)
“He pretty much holed everything he looked at today. It was good. We bounced off each other, we all played really nicely, and it’s nice when you get a good group like that.
“My 3-under doesn’t look that great beside his 7-under, but 3-under is a good score out there on this course, it’s pretty difficult. I hit the ball in play a lot today, I hit lot of fairways, which allowed me to hit a lot of greens, so I took advantage of some good driving today.”
Ben Griffin finished seven-under and leads by two strokes(Image: 2025 Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR)
Lowry is the lone Irishman competing at Muirfield Village after Rory McIlroy chose to skip another PGA Tour event, as he continues to operate on his more relaxed schedule. McIlroy will return before the U.S. Open next month, but opted to sit out of the Memorial Tournament just like he did when the Charles Schwab Challenge was underway.
McIlroy’s decision surprised Lowry, but the Irish golfer doesn’t believe that he should be criticized for his approach. “Yeah, it surprised me. But, you know, guys have got schedules and got things they do,” Lowry said of McIlroy’s absence.
“And, you know, I haven’t talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It’s just his call. I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play and sometimes it wasn’t as popular as people thought it was.
Rory McIlroy opted to skip the Memorial Tournament(Image: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
“But, you know, sometimes you have to make those calls. I don’t hold anything against Rory for that. He did what he likes to play. I know he likes to play so many in a row.
“He likes to play the week before a US Open. And so he…that’s what he’s doing. So, you know, I really don’t have a comment on it.
“It’s very difficult, very difficult. I mean, I’m a big Rory fan, I always have been. I’m sure that I will remain that way. I just, I was a little surprised, yes.”
It’s expected that McIlroy will participate in the RBC Canadian Open from June 5-8, the week before the U.S. Open gets underway. The third major of the year will begin on June 12 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
