A magical weekend in Portrush three years ago saw Shane Lowry enter that exclusive club as a major winner.

Lowry was thrilled to be an Open winner and celebrated in style, but, arriving at St Andrews ahead of the final major of the year, his hunger is far from sated.

In fact, it is only enhanced by his memorable success.

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"The fact that you've tasted it and you know how much it means, you almost even want it more now," explained the Clara man.

"Definitely winning one makes me realise how amazing it was and how much I want it.

"There's no way it's going to be easier because you've won one.

"If I've a chance to win and I'm up against someone who hasn't won one, it doesn't give me a God-given right to win it.

"But I definitely know that if it comes to it then I have what it takes, and you can take that to the grave with you.

"That's the most satisfying thing about winning one, that you know you have it in you - but you have to try and put yourself there as much as you can again.

"Sure it's the reason I go practice, the reason I go play is to try and achieve something like that again.

"It's almost like a selfish thing. You really, really want it so bad because that internal feeling is so hard to describe and it is actually hard to get.

"You spend your whole time searching for that again."

Lowry has been so consistent this year and it feels like another win is within reach.

Surprisingly, that memorable links victory three years ago, when he stormed ahead on moving day before hanging on to keep Tommy Fleetwood at bay, remains his last tournament success.

"Yeah look, it is frustrating," he reflected. "I've been very close this year as well, which is even more frustrating.

"But I feel like I'm doing all the right things and golf is such a game of self-talk and trying to stay positive all the time, and that's the way I am.

"I'm just trying to stay positive, just trying to keep telling myself that I'm playing well, having a good year and just waiting for it to happen.

"I can't say it will happen, I hope it happens soon and I obviously hope that it's this week!".

Despite the win drought Lowry will tee off on Thursday as one of the Open favourites behind Rory McIlroy and John Rahm.

His prowess on links courses, his consistency and his status as a past winner all points to him being in the mix on the Old Course.

"I don’t really mind it at this stage," said Lowry, who doesn't regard expectations as a burden.

"I'm not that used to it. It doesn’t matter if you are 8/1 or 180/1, it is what it is, it's just you against the golf course, you against your own head and your own mental battle against yourself.

"Everything that it takes to win a major, it's you against all of that.

"I have more expectations of myself than anybody else has of me."

Looking back at it now, Lowry can pinpoint the vital stages of his cherished Open Championship triumph.

While the week was a "bit of a blur" and the week after one of the best of his life as he celebrated with friends and family, Lowry does recall the key components of his major title breakthrough.

"Straight off the top of my head, that putt on the first in the final round was big, it was the crucial moment of the whole week," he recalled.

Lowry started the final round four shots ahead of Tommy Fleetwood but struggled down the first - while Fleetwood had a birdie putt, the championship leader had a six-footer for bogey.

The Offaly man made it, Fleetwood could only make par and Lowry visibly grew in confidence after just dropping one shot to his rival.

"The biggest moment over that was actually over a two or three hour period was the back nine on Friday," he remembered.

"I shot two over for that back nine, but I came off that still leading the tournament and I said to myself I wasn't aggressive enough on the back nine and was just trying to protect the lead.

"I think what happened Friday afternoon really helped me on Saturday afternoon. When I got a score going, I just kept going.

"It was learning from Friday afternoon and putting it into play on Saturday and I think, to be honest, the last four holes on Saturday, that's where I pulled away from 95% of the field there."

With the home crowd roaring him on, Lowry fired his way around the Dunluce links in 63 shots.

"There were only a few guys that could actually catch me on Sunday then and obviously I managed to play good enough golf to win then," he said.

"But those last four holes were definitely key on Saturday afternoon, where I played aggressively and birdied three of the last four."

During his practice rounds this week, and over the first day or two of the tournament, Lowry will look around and up at the iconic yellow and blue leaderboards and signage dotted around the course and it will take him back to other Opens.

Memories of the good, the bad and the ugly will come back to him - that victory, missed cuts and even a quadruple bogeyed the Road Hole at St Andrews seven years ago.

It will be important to feed off them all in a positive way.

"You get to an Open and a lot of time you’re on your own," the 35-year-old said.

"You start to think about what could be, how close you are to achieving something that not many people have, if you’re going well.

"That’s when you lean on people around you like (his caddy) Bo, and you talk. I’m a believer that you get things out there and when you talk about something, and then it becomes easier.

"I do allow myself to think, allow myself to dream. When it comes to game time, I’m back to playing golf. Playing it round by round, shot by shot.

"There will be certain times when you’ll look up at the leaderboard on 18, the grandstands full and you’ll be kind of visualizing maybe walking down there with a couple of shots lead and it would be nice.

"There’s a long way to go between now and Sunday afternoon.

"But I'll allow myself to do that at some stage, I’m sure.

"Hopefully I'll have a chance to win a major again. Hopefully I'll have a chance to win an Open again, and hopefully that will be this week.

"When it comes to it I know I'll have it inside to go and win it."

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