Question Time

If you were given the opportunity to interview a tour player, what would you ask? This month, one lucky Golf Monthly reader, 5-handicapper Mike Chapman, had the chance to quiz Shane Lowry...

- Mike Chapman

You became a father earlier this year. How has that changed things on the course?

Iris, my baby girl, is only six months old so it’s all still very new to me and my wife. Everyone says before it happens that it’s the best moment of your life, and it really is. I didn’t play as much as I would have liked at the start of the year, but you only have your first child once so I wanted to make sure I was around and so I took a month off. It has changed my outlook a bit – when I have a bad day and come in to see pictures of her, it puts a smile on my face. Having said that, I now feel as if I am going out playing for her as well as myself.

You won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur and turned pro straight after. Is there a tendency for good amateurs to turn pro too quickly?

It is strange; if I had known then what I know now I might not have won the Irish Open that week. But to answer your question, I do think too many people turn professional. Having said that, if you can’t dream as a kid, what’s the point in playing the game? It’s a tough sport and people don’t realise how hard it is to make it on tour. But if you don’t dream, nobody would be the best in the world at anything.

There’s quite a funny story about Paul Dunne, who I know well. I was in a hotel back home after Christmas, and a woman came over and asked how Paul was doing. She said, “Do you think he’ll ever make it?”… I mean, what is ‘making it’? Paul is on the European Tour, he almost won The Open and he’s only 23. I’m pretty sure he’s kind of already made it!

Is the Ryder Cup a major priority for you next year?