Irish golf star Shane Lowry held onto his lead in the final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush, despite difficult conditions and a star-filled field trying to chase him down.
Lowry, who entered the final round with a commanding lead over the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, aging star Lee Westwood, and multi-major winner Brooks Koepka, carded a 1-over for the final round, good enough to win by six shots. Fleetwood came second after shooting 3-over, followed by American Tony Finau, who was even par on the day, one of the better final rounds amidst increasingly challenging weather conditions.
Lowry, 32, with one win on the PGA Tour, came into the tournament ranked No. 33 in the world. He was largely overshadowed by hometown heroes Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. But with McIlroy stumbling during the opening round, and McDowell never in contention, all the focus fell upon Lowry, who carded two solid rounds of 67, before posting a stunning 63 during the third round.
Lowry’s “aw-shucks” charm, the fact he won the Irish Open as an amateur, and his connection to the country made him a sensation as he ran away with the tournament, even if he’s not nearly as well known outside of Europe. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2015, but played well in recent weeks, including a tie for second at the RBC Canadian Open (behind McIlroy), and a tie for 8th at the PGA Championship.
One of major stars of the tournament was Royal Portrush, the golf course located in Northern Ireland that had not held the championship since 1951. Many thought the location—a couple of hours away from any major centres—would make it too difficult, but by all accounts the location and the course were a success.
Three Canadians played in this year’s Open Championship. Abbotsford, BC’s Adam Hadwin made the cut, while Listowel, Ont.’s Corey Conners and Austin Connelly failed to advance. Hadwin’s final round card was what one might expect in rough and tumble links conditions. He eagled the 7th hole on Sunday, but stumbled on the back nine as conditions grew more challenging. He finished at 4-over par for the tournament in 57th-place. Hadwin qualified for the Open Championship with a strong appearance at the RBC Canadian Open in Hamilton in June.
It wouldn’t be a major championship without some sort of controversy, and the British Open at Portrush was no different. The tournament is run by the Royal and Ancient, an organization based in St. Andrews, Scotland, that operates in a similar fashion to the United States Golf Association. At this year’s British Open, as has been the case in the past, the R&A tested a random selection of drivers from players in the competition. Though the information was to remain anonymous, it leaked out that American Xander Schauffele’s Callaway Epic Flash driver had been found non-conforming (for being too hot) in testing. Rumours suggested at least three other drivers were also found non-conforming of the 30 tested, but that information was not made public and could not be confirmed. Schauffele, the No. 11-ranked player in golf, complained the R&A branded him a cheater by making his information public.
Equipment companies make drivers that have to meet specific criteria for COR testing (essentially a “spring-like effect). If they are too hot, they are illegal for use in competition. Increasingly equipment companies are being aggressive with pushing drivers very near the limit and some tour pros have said that over time previously legal drivers can tip over and fail testing.
There’s no reported penalty for failing the test other than the driver is taken out of play, but Shauffele was upset because he felt making the news public hurt his reputation.
What’s in the Winner’s Bag?
Driver: Srixon Z 585 Driver
Fairway: TaylorMade M4 3-Wood
Irons: Srixon Z U85 2 and 3-iron, Srixon X 575 4 and 5-iron, Srixon Z 785 6 to PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 Wedges (50 and 58 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Exo 2-Ball Putter
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV ball
There were three Canadians in the British Open. The third being Austin Connelly.