The two bearded men took their time coming up the hill off the 18th green, each stopping to sign 126th US Open flags bearing the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club logo of a Native American in a colourful headdress.Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton have formed a strong bond from their Ryder Cup endeavours and this practice on the back nine of the notoriously difficult course on Long Island had the two engaged in their preparatory work in comfortable company.Lowry’s distinctive signature was attached to each piece of fabric with a permanent marker, a keepsake for those happy young heads with their accompanying smiles, each one knowing full well that the signed flags would become even more precious should the Offaly man manage to conquer the course and the field. The examination ahead promises to be unrelenting from tee to green, but most especially on reaching those sloped and slanted putting surfaces with scorecard in hand.For Lowry, in a season which has promised so much but has yet to deliver any title, this is a championship to be approached with caution. Patience will be key, not just for Lowry, but for each of the 156 players in the field. Lowry’s task is to manage to keep focused; his attitude improved by the fact that his iron play has returned to where he would like it to be.His form this year has been consistent – he has made seven cuts in a row on the PGA Tour – but there has been an inconsistency at some point during the four rounds of a tournament, where mistakes have crept in and caused him to slip from contention. In those seven made cuts, Lowry’s best finish was a tied-22nd in the Memorial.“Honestly, I feel like there’s a piece of the puzzle missing somewhere and I’ve been trying to figure it out and I don’t know what it is. I genuinely don’t. Sometimes, and maybe I’ll kill myself for saying this, but sometimes you feel like, I’d love to be not getting results from doing something really bad, because at least you know that’s what it is.Shane Lowry of Ireland watches his shot during a practice round prior to the 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 16, 2026 in Southampton, New York. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images “If I wasn’t driving the ball well, if I wasn’t putting well, I’d love if that was the case because then I could just work on that ... it’s been difficult. I haven’t left a golf course on a Sunday evening happy in a long time. It’s hard and it does eat you up. Sunday evenings have been quite difficult. But what can you do? You have no other choice but to keep on going. You get back up on Monday morning and you go at it again. “That’s all you can do. I’ve been doing that. I feel like I’ve been doing that well. Golf is a funny game and it can turn at any time. You can get a few breaks at the right time and it can work in your favour. I’m just trying to do my thing. I feel like I’m doing everything I need to be doing. I just need to wait for it to all happen.”[ US Open: Five golfers that can come out on top at Shinnecock HillsOpens in new window ]Lowry’s words ring true, in so many ways. He’s playing so well for the most part, it’s almost like waiting for a match to ignite. Or, as he put it himself, that piece of the puzzle to fall into place. A matter of time?“I feel, if I’m mentally on top of myself, I feel like I’ll do okay. But who knows? I’ll prepare as well as I can in the next two days. I’m going to give it everything I have on Thursday like I always do and see where it leads me,” said Lowry, who has shown in past US Opens a temperament capable of answering the game of patience.Lowry has been given a late-early tee-time for the opening two rounds, grouped with Joaquin Niemann and Alex Smalley.[ Brutal rough, lightning-fast greens and rowdy New Yorkers - US Open will be a stern testOpens in new window ]