Shane Lowry takes inspiration from swimmer Mona McSharry’s bronze medal win at the 2024 Olympics, pictures himself winning gold

Irish golfer Shane Lowry is drawing inspiration from swimmer Mona McSharry, who won a bronze medal in the women's 100m breaststroke. As Ireland celebrates its first medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics, fellow athletes are taking inspiration from McSharry, hoping to win gold for the country.

Shane Lowry, who will compete for Ireland at the Paris Olympics this week alongside fellow countryman Rory McIlroy, expressed his excitement about the event. He said that McSharry's bronze medal brought joy back home and that he is now aiming for a gold medal for Ireland.

Lowry said (via Olympics Golf on X):

"If you look at the media and what it was like back home yesterday when Mona McSharry won that bronze medal, I think if I was to win a gold medal and bring it back to Ireland, it would be pretty cool."

Notably, since golf was introduced at the Olympics in 1900, only players from three different countries have won gold in the men's category.

There have been four successful editions of golf at the Olympics, with the USA winning three gold medals, Great Britain winning one, and Canada winning one. However, in 2024, Team Ireland has a strong chance of winning a medal. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will represent Ireland this year.

What are Shane Lowry's odds to win gold at the Paris Olympics?

Shane Lowry is one of the top favorites to win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. According to CBS Sports, his odds for the Olympics are +2400. However, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are favorites for the week, followed by Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.

Here are the odds for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024:

Scottie Scheffler (USA) +300
Xander Schauffele (USA) +525
Jon Rahm (ESP) +700
Rory McIlroy (IRL) +700
Ludvig Aberg (SWE) +1100
Collin Morikawa (USA) +1100
Viktor Hovland (NOR) +1700
Tommy Fleetwood (GBR) +2000
Tom Kim (KOR) +2000
Joaquin Niemann (CHI) +2000
Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) +2200
Shane Lowry (IRL) +2400
Corey Conners (CAN) +3000
Matthew Fitzpatrick (GBR) +3000
Alex Noren (SWE) +3500
Sepp Straka (AUT) +4000
Matthieu Pavon (FRA) +4500
Min Woo Lee (AUS) +5000
Byeong-Hun An (KOR) +5000
Carlos Ortiz (MEX) +5000
Wyndham Clark (USA) +5000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA) +5000
Abraham Ancer (MEX) +6000
Jason Day (AUS) +6000
Guido Migliozzi (ITA) +6500
Stephan Jaeger (GER) +7000
Adrian Meronk (POL) +7000
Thomas Detry (BEL) +7000
Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) +7500
Nicolai Hojgaard (DEN) +7500

In 2024, Lowry competed in 16 events on the PGA Tour and has performed well. He won an event alongside his friend Rory McIlroy at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He has only missed one cut this season and recorded six top-10 finishes, making him one of the favorites to win at the Olympics.