Shane Lowry has boosted hopes of a fourth Irish success in eight years by qualifying for next fortnight’s British Open at Royal Liverpool.
Lowry secured one of four places into golf’s oldest major by ending the BMW International Open inside the top-20 on the Race to Dubai money list.
The German event ended in dramatic manner with Fabrizio Zanotti defeating World No. 2 Henrik Stenson at the fifth extra play-off hole, and also creating Tour history in becoming the first Paraguay-born player to win on the European Tour.
The 31-year old Asuncion-born player posted a final round 65 to join Stenson (67), Frenchman Gregry Havret (66) and Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello (67) in the play-off in the Euro 2m event on the Gut Larcenhof course.
Shane Lowry qualifies for the Open Championship (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
However after first Havret and then Cabrera-Bell dropped out, Zanotti was virtually gifted the Euro 333,330 first prize cheque when Stenson found the water guarding the green at the fifth extra hole, the shortened par four 17th.
Stenson then found a greenside bunker with his third and after failing to hole his next, the Swede showed his disgust belting his ball back into the water before walking over the shake the hand of a naturally surprised Zanotti.
Lowry arrived in Germany lying 19th on the money list but after posting a final round 67 to share 12th place on 16-under par he moved up to 18th on the money list and being among four players, including Cabrera-Bello to now be exempt into Royal Liverpool.
Lowry was rushing to the airport breathing a big sigh of relief and will now join former British Open winners Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke along with past U.S. Open winners Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy in the 143rd staging of the championship.
“Qualifying for The Open was in the back of my mind all day today, so I am really pleased to have qualified as I struggled on Saturday shooting a 70 and knew today I had to shoot a decent score,” said Lowry.
“So after the disappointment of missing the cut in the Irish Open it’s been great to come here to Cologne and qualify for The Open.
“Overall, I made a lot of mistakes this week but then I also probably made as many birdies and eagles as anyone but it was the 10 bogeys, including the five I had on Saturday, that hurt and that was only due to a bad start and a bad finish.
“Then today seven birdies, including those three in a row from the ninth, was more like it and I’m delighted to be going to The Open.
“I knew going out today I needed to finish in the top-10 to achieve my Royal Liverpool goal and to have achieved my target going out of shooting five under is very pleasing.
“But the whole week has been a birdie feast and when you hit the fairway it’s then like throwing darts at the green.”
He arrived back to Dublin Airport and tweeted the following:-
Delighted to have secured my spot at @The_Open today. Was tight but glad to say I’m going to Royal Liverpool.
Belfast’s Michael Hoey posted a closing round 69 to end one shot adrift of Lowry at 15-under par.
