Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Shane Opens up a big lead
» Shane streaks ahead with stunning 3rd round » 237,000 fans cheer on golfers on the North Coast » Club pro plays with the stars to even out numbers
SHANE Lowry will tee off at the The Open today four shots ahead of the field with a great chance of winning his first major.
The Co Offaly man finished yesterday’s round at -16 but with bad weather forecast anyone could take home the Claret Jug at Portrush.
The world famous tournament is the second-highest attended Open in the history of the championship, organisers R&A confirmed.
It is reported 237,750 fans bought tickets to see top golfers go head-tohead for the title on the North Coast this week.
That’s just 1,250 shy of the record 239,000 who turned out to see Tiger Woods scoop the title at St Andrews in 2000.
Half a dozen fans from England were particularly disappointed Tiger Woods failed to make the cut, given they had bought full-length furry Tiger suits for the day’s play.
And one father was so keen to secure a vantage point to see local man Graeme McDowell coming down the 18th that he abandoned his pram in a nearby bush in the scramble to get a spot.
Fortunately his child had already been taken out before he found the unconventional parking spot.
While the vast majority of the home fans were cheering on the Ulsterman, Belfast woman Sara Campbell was focused on his playing partner Bubba Watson.
She said: “I would have loved to have seen Bubba up closer.
“I have followed him for years and wished one of my grandchildren had been called Bubba but nobody would call them Bubba.” Fathers and sons Roy and Frazer Wallace and Stephen and Rory Stewart, all from Lisburn, Co Antrim, had McDowell’s face printed on their T-shirts.
Their day was made in an instant when the man himself stopped to pose for a selfie.
For all the tens of thousands delighted to secure a ticket for the Open’s famous return, there were some who were not quite so fortunate.
Two young men from Co Meath apparently arrived at the gates with the tickets their father bought them in a sealed envelope. But when they opened their present they realised the stubs were for the
Irish Open, which was staged at Lahinch in Co Clare earlier this month.
A number of others were left regretting not reading the
Open website more closely in the early rush to secure tickets last summer.
One Belfast man went to print out passes for him and his wife earlier this week only to discover that 12 months ago he had actually
bought last-minute tickets for last year’s Open at Carnoustie, rather than the 2019 champtionships on his doorstep.
It was happier news for long-time Royal Portrush’s club pro Gary McNeill who was asked to tee it up in the first group of the day, as the odd number of competitors meant one player was short of a playing partner.
“I might need a lie down after all that,” he said after a round that included holing a monster putt on the 17th green to a huge roar from fans. A number of Northern Ireland’s politicians were also at Portrush yesterday to catch some of the thrilling action.
Among them was Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill.
She said: “It was absolutely amazing.”