Shane Lowry tells struggling Ryder Cup teammate: "Be patient on PGA Tour"

Shane Lowry has urged his Ryder Cup teammate Robert MacIntyre to be patient after enduring a tough start to life on the PGA Tour. 

MacIntyre was one of 10 players who earned their playing rights on the established circuit last season via the DP World Tour. 

The Scot has so far struggled to recreate the form that saw him qualify for Europe's successful Ryder Cup team. 

From eight starts, MacIntyre has missed four cuts. His best finish came at the Mexico Open where he tied for sixth. 

Lowry told The Scotsman's Martin Dempster: "Look, Bob's probably not played the golf he wanted, but it's not easy over here.

"I found that when I came over in my first couple of years, but you've just got to stick with it and work your socks off."

MacIntyre has committed to giving himself the best chance on the PGA Tour by moving permanently to the United States. 

It was a decision he did not take lightly, given his ties to Oban. Lowry continued: "Bob needs to be very patient with his career.

"I see a lot of myself in Bob, to be honest, when I was his age and at the stage of his career.

"He needs to keep doing what he's doing as he's doing all the right things.

"He's already played the Ryder Cup and already done a lot in the game. He just needs to maybe believe himself and will kick on from there."

Lowry will soon turn his attention to the 2024 Masters. 

The 2019 Open champion has decided to fly to Singapore to play on the DP World Tour this week instead of remaining in the United States at the Valspar Championship. 

"I'm feeling good about myself, but it's still three weeks away," Lowry said of the first major of the year. 

"A lot can happen in this game in three weeks, but, yeah, I'm pretty happy.

"I've managed to pick up a lot of FedEx Cup points these last few weeks, which is kind of a bit of a relief, to be honest, because, due to the position I was in, I wasn't in the big events and hopefully I can get back into the top 30 that gets me in all the other events - that would be nice."

He continued: "But going into the Masters I'm pretty happy where my game is at.

"I'm driving the ball as good as I have in a long time, the iron play is there and, though it was quite poor on Saturday, my chipping also feels good.

"I've had a few dodgy days on the greens the last few weeks, but I've had more good than bad, which is really nice."

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