Eleven-year-old Dáire Coyle from Louth, Ireland, has a dream to play golf with Shane Lowry. When Shane and Make-A-Wish heard about it, they wanted to make Dáire's wish come true and give him an unforgettable experience.
In remission from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, golf has become a big part of Dáire’s life, and he plays as often as he can. His family has been a constant source of strength, with his brother Eoin even donating his bone marrow.
The opportunity to walk the fairways with one of Ireland’s greatest golfers has always been a dream, and would be made all the more memorable to do it with his family by his side.
Lowry spoke about the experience at his pre-tournament press conference at The K Club.
"Obviously Make-A-Wish is a great organization and do a lot for kids." he said. "Dáire has recovered from leukemia and he's out the other side, and he loves his golf.
"He told me his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, which is... oh, well, he's probably mine as well (laughter).
"Yeah, Make-A-Wish is a great thing. We obviously are involved with them, and the Irish Open is involved with them every year, and what they do here is pretty cool. It was nice to be involved with that."
As they walked the course on Wednesday, Lowry encouraged Dáire to “ask me anything” – and the youngster knew exactly what he had in mind.
“Could you keep playing for nine to ten years,” he began, “so I can play against you on a Sunday?”
“So when you’re 20?” Lowry replied. “When you’re 20, I’ll be 47 – God, I hope I’m playing in ten years.”
Dáire produced a well-judged putt from the fringe of the green before tapping in on the ninth to applause from the gallery, with Lowry making sure he soaked in the moment.
A gift bag from Lowry’s sponsors Srixon rounded off Dáire’s memorable day, with his family meeting Lowry and posing for photographs.
A big thank you to Shane for taking time out and Dáire, we hope you enjoyed your day.
