For a second time in his career, a vocal Irish crowd has help deliver Shane Lowry success on the European Tour.
Three years and 150 days ago Lowry was carried to victory in the 2009 Irish Open on an incredible wave of Irish enthusiasm at Baltray.
It was not the same scenes on the Portuguese Algave but the Irish present cheered their hearts out for Lowry as he captured a second European Tour victory in defeating England’s Ross Fisher with a 14-under par tally on the Oceanico Victoria course.
Shane Lowry becomes only the second player in the history of the European Tour win a Tour title as both an amateur and a professional. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
“The crowd today were just amazing and they were my 15th club cheering me all the way around the golf course,” said Lowry.
“So the crowd definitely helped me today and I can’t thank them enough.
“It was just unbelievable and it just felt like playing in Ireland. It was crazy. It was great.
“Winning at Baltray was special and it will never be forgotten but it’s almost like this is another monkey off my back now. To win on Tour, to be a two‑time winner on Tour when you’re 25, hopefully I’ve got a long career ahead of me and I can get plenty more.”
It’s the second time in his career Lowry has defeated an Englishman after he beat Rober Rock in a play-off to win the Irish Open.
Lowry had come from four strokes back heading to the final round but didn’t start all that well when he three-putted the opening hole for a bogey.
But Lowry got back on track with birdies at the second, fifth and 10th holes before the stand out shot of his round when he holed out with a 7-iron for an eagle two at the par four, 11th.
Fisher answered the challenge with three birdies in succession from the 12th hole before Lowry birded the 14th to move to 14-under par and then moments later the Irishman moved to 15-under he holed a short birdie at the par five, 17th.
However there some anxious moments when Lowry found a fairway bunker right off the tee at 18th and then could do little with his second shot in laying-up but well short of the green.
Lowry chipped on for three, and with his proud parents looking on, he then missed his long putt for par to end with a bogey and a round of a five under par 66.
Fisher found the fairway with his final drive but with a putt of some five feet to force a play-off, the former European Ryder Cup star handed victory to Lowry when his ball lipped out.
The first to congratulate Lowry was his fellow Irish born caddy, Dermot Byrne who jumped into Lowry’s arms. Also present was Conor Ridge, head of Horizon Sports Management who manage Lowry as well as World No. 1 Rory McIlroy.
After having to forgo the Euro 500,000 first prize cheque in winning the 2009 Irish Open due to his amateur status, Lowry gladly embraced the biggest pay cheque of his pro career – Euro 375,000.
“The eagle at 11 was just fantastic but then we had a long wait on the 12th tee and that was good as it gave me the chance to compose myself,” said Lowry.
“At that stage the tournament was still there for the taking so it was back to one shot at a time and that’s what what I did.
“My caddy, Dermot was brilliant and I can’t thank him enough.”
Lowry becomes on the second player in the 40-year history of the European Tour after Spain’s Pablo Martin to win a Tour event as an amateur and also as a professional.
Lowry’s first prize cheque has lifted him to 29th on the Race to Dubai with earnings this year of Euro 727,943.
As well, Lowry will move from his current 128th World ranking and to around 74th in the world.
It means that Lowry will now not have to attend the First Stage of PGA Tour qualifying as he was intending to do later this coming week as he will now be inside the top-100 and can now go straight to Second Stage in November.
However Lowry is not certain if he will still go ahead with those plans and intends to discuss the matter later this week with Ridge.
And New Zealand’s Michael Campbell secured his best finish in four years with a gutsy third place finish on 12-under par.
