Shane Lowry has admitted to still not having the courage to talk to his golfing idol and man of the moment Tiger Woods.
The Offaly man was en route to South Carolina last Sunday for this week's RBC Heritage tournament when Woods turned back time at the Masters.
But, a little sore having missed the cut at Augusta, Lowry still got sucked into the radio commentary of the final round as Woods dramatically won his first major in 11 years.
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Lowry told Paddy Power News: "It’s phenomenal what Tiger did at the weekend – the whole world was probably rooting for him.
"I certainly was. I was going to stay on until Monday. I’d said if Tiger was winning, I would go up to the clubhouse to try and watch it there.
"But with the storms forecast we drove down from Augusta on Sunday afternoon to Harbour Town and I listened to the back nine in the car.
"I never thought golf could be so exciting to listen to on the radio, but it was!"
32-year-old Lowry, like so many of his contemporaries, grew up trying to emulate the 15-time major winner.
But, despite having a world golf championship in his trophy cabinet and gone close to winning the US Open, Lowry is still awestruck around Woods.
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He said: "Tiger Woods was my idol growing up and the main reason I got into golf.
"One of the first tournaments I remember watching was probably Tiger’s first Masters win in 1997, I was about 10 years old and watched on the BBC at the time.
"Then, every weekend when I was a teenager and Tiger was playing, I’d sit in front of the TV on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, watching him.
"I’d watch him at night and then go out and play the next day, imagining I was Tiger having a putt on the last to win the Masters!
"I remember even trying to swing the club like him – trying to do the different finishes that he does and stuff like that.
"It’s funny though, I’ve never even met him properly.
"I never had the balls to go up, say hello and ask him for a picture or anything.
"Hopefully, I get a knock at him in the near future and we get the right time to do it!
"It’ll happen when it happens."
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