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ClaretJug

The 148th Open 2019 / Royal Portrush

It may have taken 68 years for The Open to return to Northern Ireland but it was more than worth the wait as home favourite Shane Lowry emerged triumphant at Royal Portrush.

The man from the island of Ireland provided a fitting conclusion to an historic week on the County Antrim coast, thrilling the partisan crowds en route to claiming the prestigious Claret Jug.

"It's just incredible to be sitting here with a trophy in front of me,” he said after his victory. “Look at the names on it. I couldn't believe that it was me. I couldn't believe it was happening.

“I thought about it all day but I didn't really let myself think about it until I hit my tee shot on 17. As soon as I hit that tee shot, I knew that I couldn't really lose a ball from there, and that's how I felt."
“It’s an incredible feeling. I just went out there and tried to give my best. And look, I'm here now, a major champion. I can't believe I'm saying it, to be honest.” Shane lowry, 2019 champion golfer of the year

Lowry had flown under the radar in the build up to The 148th Open as Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy attracted all the attention.

But once honorary starter Clarke kicked off the first Open to be held outside mainland Great Britain since Portrush last hosted in 1951, the county Offaly native quickly came to the fore.

The 32-year-old, who had missed his last four cuts at The Open, went into the weekend with a share of the lead with American veteran JB Holmes after carding impressive back-to-back 67s.

He then landed a knockout blow on Saturday with a sensational bogey-free 63 – a course record for the new Portrush layout – to take a healthy four-shot advantage into the final round.

Lowry even had a birdie chance on the 18th to equal the lowest round in major history set by Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in 2017 only for it to slide agonisingly left of the hole.

Nevertheless, one of the greatest rounds in Open history had put him on the brink of victory and captured the imagination of the Irish crowd as they roared him on every step of the way.

And having set a new 54-hole scoring record for The Open, Lowry held his nerve in the wind and rain on Sunday to see off the challenge of Tommy Fleetwood and be crowned Champion Golfer.

Images from The 148th Open

His final round of 72 was enough to complete a dominant six-shot victory over the Englishman, prompting the home support to swarm the 18th fairway to celebrate his memorable success.

Lowry was not the only player to write his name into the Open record books either, with Ryan Fox setting a back-nine record score at The Open of 29 with six birdies in seven holes on Thursday.

That day Emiliano Grillo also claimed the first hole-in-one at The Open since 2016 when he aced the 13th, but it was ultimately Lowry’s week as he soaked in the adulation from his maiden major win.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Shane LOWRY
1
67
67
63
72
269
-15
2
68
67
66
74
275
-9
3
68
70
68
71
277
-7
T4
68
67
70
73
278
-6
T4
68
69
67
74
278
-6
T6
68
72
71
68
279
-5
T6
68
71
71
69
279
-5
T6
74
67
65
73
279
-5
T6
70
69
66
74
279
-5
10
71
67
71
71
280
-4
T11
74
69
72
66
281
-3
T11
75
68
68
70
281
-3
T11
71
70
68
72
281
-3
T11
68
71
68
74
281
-3
T11
68
70
68
75
281
-3
T16
68
75
70
69
282
-2
Lucas BJERREGAARD
T16
70
68
74
70
282
-2
Rory SABBATINI
T16
70
70
71
71
282
-2
Sang Hyun PARK
T16
69
72
68
73
282
-2
T20
70
72
72
69
283
-1
T20
74
68
71
70
283
-1
Doc REDMAN
T20
71
71
71
70
283
-1
T20
72
69
71
71
283
-1
T20
70
68
72
73
283
-1
T20
71
69
70
73
283
-1
T20
70
66
71
76
283
-1
T20
70
69
68
76
283
-1
T20
70
67
69
77
283
-1
T20
69
67
68
79
283
-1
T30
70
71
70
73
284
-
T30
68
71
71
74
284
-
Kiradech APHIBARNRAT
T32
68
73
77
67
285
1
T32
74
69
74
68
285
1
T32
70
71
74
70
285
1
Andrew Wilson
T32
76
67
71
71
285
1
T32
73
69
71
72
285
1
T32
71
69
72
73
285
1
T32
73
67
70
75
285
1
T32
70
67
70
78
285
1
T32
68
69
70
78
285
1
T41
70
71
75
70
286
2
Kyle STANLEY
T41
75
67
73
71
286
2
Benjamin HEBERT
T41
73
69
73
71
286
2
Innchoon Hwang
T41
72
71
70
73
286
2
T41
72
69
71
74
286
2
T41
70
71
71
74
286
2
T41
71
65
74
76
286
2
Russell KNOX
T41
70
71
68
77
286
2
T41
74
65
69
78
286
2
T41
70
68
69
79
286
2
T51
70
72
77
68
287
3
T51
70
71
75
71
287
3
T51
72
71
73
71
287
3
T51
73
70
72
72
287
3
Charley HOFFMAN
T51
70
73
70
74
287
3
T51
72
67
72
76
287
3
Ash TURNER
T57
69
74
77
68
288
4
T57
72
68
77
71
288
4
Kevin STREELMAN
T57
77
65
74
72
288
4
T57
72
70
73
73
288
4
T57
74
69
72
73
288
4
T57
73
70
68
77
288
4
Paul WARING
T63
75
68
75
71
289
5
T63
73
68
75
73
289
5
Mikko Korhonen
T63
72
69
71
77
289
5
T63
69
72
70
78
289
5
T67
72
68
74
76
290
6
Yosuke Asaji
T67
72
71
71
76
290
6
T67
68
73
71
78
290
6
JB HOLMES
T67
66
68
69
87
290
6
71
70
72
76
74
292
8
Nino Bertasio
T72
72
71
75
75
293
9
Yuki Inamori
T72
70
73
70
80
293
9
m/c
75
69
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
72
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
70
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
72
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
70
74
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
71
-
-
-
M/C
James Sugrue
m/c
71
73
-
-
-
M/C
Alex LEVY
m/c
73
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
72
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
79
65
-
-
-
M/C
Nate Lashley
m/c
75
69
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
71
-
-
-
M/C
Dong-Kyu JANG
m/c
76
69
-
-
-
M/C
Chez REAVIE
m/c
73
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
71
74
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
75
70
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
71
74
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
70
75
-
-
-
M/C
David LIPSKY
m/c
74
72
-
-
-
M/C
Patton KIZZIRE
m/c
73
73
-
-
-
M/C
Yoshinori FUJIMOTO
m/c
75
71
-
-
-
M/C
Doyeob Mun
m/c
74
72
-
-
-
M/C
Sung KANG
m/c
74
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
72
-
-
-
M/C
Matthew BALDWIN
m/c
78
68
-
-
-
M/C
Jack SENIOR
m/c
75
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
76
71
-
-
-
M/C
Jake McLeod
m/c
76
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
76
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
75
72
-
-
-
M/C
Brandon STONE
m/c
72
75
-
-
-
M/C
Robert ROCK
m/c
76
71
-
-
-
M/C
Isidro Benitez
m/c
75
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
76
71
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
77
70
-
-
-
M/C
Mikumu Horikawa
m/c
71
76
-
-
-
M/C
Joel Dahmen
m/c
76
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
78
70
-
-
-
M/C
Gunn Charoenkul
m/c
72
76
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
71
77
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
75
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
75
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
72
76
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
74
74
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
76
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
76
-
-
-
M/C
Ryan PALMER
m/c
74
75
-
-
-
M/C
Andrea Pavan
m/c
73
76
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
76
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
75
75
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
78
72
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
76
74
-
-
-
M/C
Mike LORENZO-VERA
m/c
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
Yuta IKEDA
m/c
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Andy SULLIVAN
m/c
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Richard STERNE
m/c
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
77
74
-
-
-
M/C
Curtis Knipes
m/c
72
79
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
71
80
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
73
79
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
75
77
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
83
69
-
-
-
M/C
Garrick PORTEOUS
m/c
79
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
78
76
-
-
-
M/C
Austin CONNELLY
m/c
75
79
-
-
-
M/C
Prom MEESAWAT
m/c
73
81
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
82
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
83
72
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas Thurloway
m/c
83
73
-
-
-
M/C
m/c
91
78
-
-
-
M/C