HAPPY AS LOWRY
Super Shane’s Open victory delights locals as Irishman holds his nerve
ShanE LoWRY shared a joke with the man who started ireland’s incredible run in the majors after winning the open on home soil at Portrush.
‘Every time i go around to Padraig harrington’s house, he’s got the Claret Jug on the kitchen table,’ said Lowry. ‘it was great to have him behind the 18th green. i said to him that when he comes round to my house now, i’ll have a Claret Jug of my own waiting for him.’
Lowry’s six- shot victory over England’s Tommy Fleetwood yesterday
sparked incredible scenes of delirium among the passionate Irish fans, who defied the torrential wind and rain to provide a marvellous backdrop of support. ‘My God, the day was just incredible and I can’t thank them all enough,’ said Lowry. ‘At times the weather was so bad you were just teeing the ball up and hoping for the best. You dream of winning the Open as a kid, but to win it in Ireland as an Irishman, how can you beat that? It was all a bit surreal walking up the 18th and taking in the scene, an out-of-body experience. ‘To be honest, I’m still struggling sitting here and trying to take in that I am the Open champion.’ Lowry was joined on the 18th green by wife Wendy and young daughter Iris. ‘I was thinking that if it all went wrong then at least it would be some consolation having them there, but in the end it turned into a marvellous family moment for us,’ he said. ‘I’m sure my daughter will look at those pictures when she’s older with a smile on her face.’ Yesterday’s win represents an amazing turnaround from last year’s Open, when Lowry sacked his long-time caddie Dermot Byrne following an opening 74 and went on to miss the cut for the fourth year in succession. ‘That just shows how fickle golf is,’ Lowry added. ‘I sat in the car park in Carnoustie on the Thursday and I cried. Golf wasn’t my friend at the time. It was something that had become very stressful and it was weighing on me and I just didn’t like doing it. What a difference a year makes, I suppose.’ The win was the 10th major victory for Irish golfers since Harrington set the ball rolling with his Open victory at Carnoustie in 2007. One of the contributors, 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell, saluted the newest member of the club. ‘I’m just so proud of Shane,’ said McDowell, who was also behind the 18th green. ‘He’s always had the game and he’ll be a brilliant champion.’ It was Fleetwood’s second runner-up finish in successive years in majors, after Brooks Koepka pipped him at the US Open last year. ‘This hurts more,’ conceded the 28-year-old. ‘I sort of came from nowhere out there, but there I was right in it. I’m disappointed with how I played.’