There can be plenty of hiring and firing on the merry-go-round of touring golf but the union between PGA Professional Neil Manchip and Shane Lowry endures.
“He probably knows more about me than anybody else,” said Lowry after his mighty victory in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Manchip, the highly respected and vastly experienced PGA Professional, has been Lowry’s mentor for the best part of two decades and his keen eye, calming presence and sage counsel has been a significant factor in the Irishman’s rise to global prominence.
Lowry’s thrilling Wentworth win over Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy was his first victory since he captured The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 and his bogey-free campaign had his coach purring with contentment.
“He played some fantastic golf and to be bogey-free for the week is pretty amazing,” said Edinburgh exile Manchip, who was a successful golfer in his own right on the Irish PGA scene around the turn of the millennium. “It was very nerve-wracking coming down the last few holes but superb at the same time.
“Shane’s had a couple of tricky ones this year being close to the lead and not winning events. He missed the FedEx final by a shot too. But good things have been coming because his golf has been phenomenal all year.”
Lowry has never hidden his admiration for Manchip and the longevity of the alliance underlines its strength.
“We're very close and it's much more than a golf or a business relationship,” said Lowry, who worked with Manchip as an amateur and has blossomed into a major champion, multiple tour winner and Ryder Cup player. “We are very friendly. Any time I'm struggling, he knows what to do to get me back.
“I feel like out on tour, it's easy to get distracted by coaches and with what everyone else is doing. I feel like if you're good enough to get on tour then you own yourself and you commit to that. You'll get further with that than if you’re chopping and changing from coach to coach trying to get better.
“I always say, you very rarely see players under-coached. You see a lot of players being over-coached. We keep it simple and have our own way to do it.”
