CADDIES ROLE:Neil Manchip, the coach of the Irish teams, has a talent for making the game enjoyable, writes COLIN BYRNE

NOT MANY would have heard of, recognised or feared the name Lowry at the top of the leaderboard for the Irish Open. I have to admit, I thought if the 22-year-old from Clara finished inside the top-10 it would have been a great result.

Let’s be honest, you would want to be a huge gambler to have put money on the young Irish international, and even then only if you were a reckless optimist. I came across one such person who put on €20 at 1,000 to 1. Of course that is way more than the Irish Open champion of 2009 will take home for his victory on the battered Co Louth links which harboured a scene more fitting for a January day rather than May.

There have been many wonderful feats in modern Irish golfing history, but in my estimation, the victory by the jolly, portly and affable Shane Lowry last Sunday is the most important win for any Irish male amateur ever. If a rugby grand slam success can lift the spirits of the nation, then Lowry’s title should send them through the roof.

You see, it is a testament to how these young golfers are nurtured in the amateur system in Ireland. The huge midland crowd did their best to shelter Shane from the stiff south-east wind on Sunday and perhaps make him feel more at home in a foreign play acted out on a familiar stage. The Offaly gang brought as much if not more oomph to the event than any named player on advertising hoarding could have done. We all love an underdog, especially one who might be more representative of the people who are following him; not particularly athletic looking, happy-go-lucky and quite simply an ordinary punter.

He didn’t arrive in a helicopter laden with excess luggage and a pointy attitude. He didn’t get cocky when he shot five under in the first round.

As the wind strengthened and the frighteningly low scores of the first two rounds started to soften in the gale that swept the course over the weekend, the previously benign links started to recoup some dignity, with the stragglers falling into blue figures by Saturday afternoon after an astonishing, four-under-par cut.

We had our star cut casualties in Pádraig and Long John Daly, and quite frankly the leaderboard didn’t look too terribly interesting.

That was until the lad from Esker Hills began to look like he was going to stay near the lead no matter how tough or late in the day it became last Sunday.

With a two-tee start, those of us who teed off on the back nine first tend to keep a keen eye on the leaderboards. So in a few idle moments myself and my boss, Alex Noren, glanced at the leaderboard and agreed that Johan Edfors would likely be the one to come through.

Shane made us all dream. But those who know these young amateurs better were more realistic about their chances of winning a big one. Neil Manchip, the coach of the Irish national teams, has spent a lot of time watching Lowry improve under his attentive but hands-off guidance.

It is no surprise that a top modern amateur is accustomed to the demands of four-round tournaments, or at least lengthy bouts in strong international events. Although last week would have tested the patience of the most seasoned pro, Shane did not seem put out; it meant more time to savour mingling in the nucleus of the professional scene.

Manchip, as the national team coach, first came across Shane in 2005 on the Irish boys squad. He remembered that the teenager had a natural, free-flowing swing. There was nothing much to work on there. What the astute Manchip did with his young talent was make the game enjoyable to play by creating a relaxed environment around his team camps, which of course included Rory McIlroy until recently.

Where he spent most time with his team was on the short game, putting, distance control and attitude.

Having heard Lowry’s interviews last week it sounded like he was gifted with having a simple perspective on golf. This is what any coach or mind-man would want their pupils to believe. It is obviously Manchip’s mantra: the game is not so difficult, just play.

I think it is more than a coincidence that we are enjoying a group of good young male amateurs in Ireland – there are six on the Walker Cup panel. Apart from embracing the challenge of working with talented players, Manchip has created a “hit it, find it, hit it again” approach in his headquarters in Carton House.

This is not to say it is simplistic or unsophisticated. He is getting his players to be more professional about being amateurs. There are always post-round debriefings for his players to assess their progress, but the emphasis is on enjoyment.

With another of Neil’s star pupils, Niall Kearney from Royal Dublin, winning the Brabazon Trophy in Leeds at the same time his team-mate was beating the pros in Baltray, Irish men’s amateur golf seems to be in a good place.

If the young hero from Offaly decides to keep playing for the love of the game and not the booty, perhaps my colleague Tom Humphries will rediscover a grá for the beautiful game of Irish amateur golf.