ELMSFORD, N.Y. (May 10, 2012) - As many of you have probably read, reigning MGA Player of the Year Mike Miller has been overseas the last few weeks touring links-style golf courses and competing in some of the most prestigious amateur events in the world. He already placed T4 at the Lytham Trophy and will compete in the Irish Amateur at Royal Dublin Golf Club from May 11-13.

His travels haven't come without difficulty, however, as he's had to overcome sickness from a turbulent flight from Blackpool, England to Dublin and two broken iPhones. But on Thursday, May 10, Miller had his spirits up as a special guest joined him in his morning foursome.  European Tour pro and Ryder Cup hopeful Shane Lowry joined his former amateur playing buddies, Gary McDermott and Simon Ward, as well as Miller for an official Irish Amateur practice round. Like Miller, McDermott and Ward, Lowry was also a participant in the Carey Cup.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” Lowry told reporters. “Gary [McDermott] asked me to play a few holes, and I wasn’t doing anything else so I said I’d go out."

Miller's also taken a liking to Royal Dublin, saying in his latest blog post that it suits his eye well, especially the back nine. "The way the routing works is that the first nine holes play predominately into the wind and go straight out from the clubhouse," Miller wrote. "You then turn around in the opposite direction for the back nine, which plays just shy of 4,000 yards on the ground but with the wind."

The Irish Amateur boasts a difficult challenge for Miller, as runaway Lytham Trophy winner Daan Huizing of the Netherlands will be in the field, as well as local favorites Alan Dunbar, Dermot McElroy, and reigning European Amateur champion Manuel Trappel of Austria.