The Open: Ireland’s Shane Lowry wins by six shots

Shane Lowry has won the Open after finishing six shots clear of Tommy Fleetwood at Royal Portrush.

The Irishman posted a one-over 72 in atrocious conditions to march towards his first Major title.

With the home crowd firmly behind him, birdies on the fourth, fifth and seventh holes helped Lowry extend his lead.

A birdie putt dropped on the 15th to stretch his lead over Fleetwood to six shots and confirm his place in history as winner of the first Ireland-based Open since 1951.

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Six of the top nine finished the final round over par in atrocious conditions, but it was Lowry who coped best as Fleetwood posted a three-over 74.

The Englishman needed to catch four shots on Lowry after round three but a double bogey on 14 killed his hopes.

JB Holmes led the tournament going into the weekend, but slipped back to third yesterday. He struggled from start to finish and finished the round on 14-over to drop from third to tied-57th in the space of a day.

Three double bogeys – on the 1st, 12th and 17th – and a triple bogey on the 11th meant that the American could not wait for his day to end. A solitary birdie on the 7th was the only highlight for Holmes.

Tony Finau finished third after going round on level-par and Scotland’s Robbie MacIntyre finished tied-sixth in his debut Open appearance with a superb three-under 68.

English pair Tyrrell Hatton and Danny Willett joined MacIntyre on five-under for the tournament, with Lee Westwood and Brooks Koepka a shot ahead in fourth.

Cover Photo: Average Golfer [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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