Shane Lowry buried the ghosts of past disappointments when he saw a three-shot lead turn into a four-shot deficit but dug deeper than ever to fight back and birdie the 18th to end his long victory drought in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The affable Offaly man (31) closed with a dramatic, one-under 71 to win by a stroke from South Africa’s Richard Sterne on 18-under par and secure his return to the world’s top 50 after a dramatic, rollercoaster day served to remind the world of his undeniable class.

Without a win since the 2015 WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron three-and-a-half years ago and with the scars of his 2016 US Open near miss only healing now, he was mentally better than ever despite falling four shots adrift of Sterne with seven holes to go.

A lesser player would have limped home but Lowry refused to go down and completed his first wire-to-wire win by mixing some clutch par saves with three crucial birdies down the stretch, the last of them coming after a clutch, 281-yard three-wood that faded a couple of yards to the heart of the green to set up the winning birdie.

"I completely thought I was gone, to be honest, but I just tried to put him under as much pressure as I could,” Lowry said on the 18th green where his daughter Iris and wife Wendy were waiting to greet him.

“I didn't think I had that in me today — how hard I fought; the putts I holed; how strong mentally I was coming down the stretch; the two shots into the last. I mean... God, I am so happy!

“It means everything. I slept okay last night but woke up a couple of times with all sorts going through my head. In the middle of the night, I could visualise this little one running around Augusta in a little suit caddying for me in the par-three. That's how mental this game is.”

With the cheque for €1,024,195 for his fourth tour win taking him to the top of the Race to Dubai and with his place in the world’s top 50 assured for now, he knows he’s now got a great chance of building momentum and challenging for a place in Pádraig Harrington’s Ryder Cup team when qualifying starts in September.

"Well it puts me where my goal is for the next 18 months, and that's to be on the plane to Wisconsin with Paddy,” he confessed. “That's where I want to be, and I think this is a great stepping stone for that."

Three ahead of Sterne and five clear of Ian Poulter overnight, Lowry matched the South African’s birdie at the first, holing a left-to-right ten footer.

But with a fresh breeze making for some tough scoring, he soon found himself adrift as his nearest rival made a sensational start.

While the Clara man saved par after being forced to lay up after a tee shot left into the desert at the second, Sterne made birdie there and closed to within one when he birdied the third and Lowry made bogey.

He made his tenth birdie two of the week at the fourth to regain the lead, but there was a two-shot swing at the fifth as Sterne birdied and Lowry went long and dropped a shot to find himself a shot behind.

When he got back on terms at the sixth, where the South African lipped out for par, and the Offaly man got up and down from sand, it was clear that a fierce battle lay ahead.

“I am not stupid, I knew someone was going to make a charge today,” Lowry told Sky Sports as he walked off the eighth tee, tied with Sterne on 17-under.

“I just need to play my own game and keep going. I’ve hit a couple of ropey shots but I feel like I have started okay and Richard has obviously got off to a flying start.

“We are where we are now. Got another 11 holes to play. It’s tough conditions today, so we will keep grinding and see what happens going down the last.”

Asked if his ten-years of experience was an advantage, he said: “It is but I haven’t been there for a while, so I will try and enjoy it as much as I can.

“As I said before I went out; if I was watching the leaders going out, I’d be jealous, so I might as well enjoy it.”

As for his tenth two of the week at the seventh, he said: “I am hitting the ball well and happy where my game is at. I am looking forward to the challenge of the next 11 holes, and we will see what happens going down the last few holes.”

As it turned out, Sterne birdied the eighth and then made another at the ninth where Lowry hooked his tee shot into the water and did well to save bogey.

His three-shot overnight lead had turned into a three-shot deficit as he went out in one-over 37 to Sterne’s five-under 31.

Putting was critical to his success — he was ranked second for putts per green in regulation. And while he made a 10-footer for par at the 10th, he found sand off the tee at the 11th and saw his chip from just off the green pull up 12 feet short and missed the putt as Sterne saved par from four feet to go four clear.

A win now looked unlikely but Lowry would not go away, and he made his 11th two of the week at the 12th to reduce the deficit to three shots again.

In doing so, he became the first player in European Tour history to make 11 birdie-two’s in an event.

Minutes later the gap was down to two as Lowry rattled in a 25 footer for birdie at the 13th to get to 17-under.

His fist pump said it all, and with a dramatic final five holes in prospect, he didn’t disappoint.

A tidy chip and putt from just through the 14th saw him close to within one as Sterne three-putted from 35 feet.

And while both hit tee shots close at the par-three 15th, Lowry missed from 15 feet and Sterne from around 10 feet to leave the gap at one stroke with three to play.

At the 16th, Sterne came up short right in a bunker from the left rough and failed to get up and down as Lowry two-putted from nearly 60 feet to draw level.

The drama continued at the 17th, where Sterne came up short of the green and Lowry carved his approach right against an advertising hoarding from a fairway bunker and played a cut-up pitch that ran out to around 11 feet.

Sterne got a free drop from a drain or a sprinkler head, allowing him to putt rather than chip, and lagged close to save his par.

Lowry was not going to go away, however, and while his par putt moved left at the last instant, it caught the left edge of the hole and lipped in.

Both found the 18th fairway and Sterne played first from 286 yards, short-siding his five-wood on the cart path right of the green.

Five yards closer, Lowry hit a magnificent fade with a three-wood up the left side of the green from 281 yards, finishing almost pin high, some 35 feet away.

It was a tournament winning shot and after Sterne got his pitch to within 20 feet Lowry lagged his putt up to two-and-a-half feet short of the hole.

The South African had to hole to force sudden-death but missed his putt right and Lowry stepped up to roll in his short birdie putt for a 71 and a one-stroke win on 18-under par.

"Oh, that feels nice," Lowry said as he received the eagle trophy.

"I had great chats with my coach Neil [Manchip] this week about hanging in no matter what I shoot, no matter what shots I hit just to keep going.

"Honestly, it definitely helped me out there today. People looking from the outside probably thought I was gone — four behind with seven to play — but I holed a couple of great putts on 12 and 13, and I knew I was in it then.

"Walking down 16, I said to Bo [caddie, Brian Martin] three fours on 16, 17 and 18, which were playing quite difficult, and I could have a shout here. And I did.

"I am just over the moon. It's been a long time, and I am going to enjoy this one."

On the pitch and putt to save par at the 17th, he said: "The green was quick and firm and running away from me, and I didn't want to do anything stupid because I could have left that in the bunker easily. It wasn't a great lie, so I was just trying to get myself to 15 feet.

"I thought Richard had a tricky chip but he managed to make par and I was just trying to give myself a chance. I hit a great putt and six feet out, I thought, this is in. Then it started to move left and just got the left edge, and I was obviously very happy that went in."

Having lost his full playing rights on the PGA Tour last year, he was facing a year mixing European Tour starts with the occasional foray to the US.

For now, he's guaranteed spots in the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play and México Championships and should also be able to pencil in the Masters if he remains in the top 50 until March 31.

In short, he will likely be able to play the perfect worldwide schedule with the European Tour as the backbone.

"First of all to be able to play in events like this on the European Tour is huge,” he said. “World class field on a great golf course for huge money, it's just great and to win wire-to-wire, I have obviously never done it before.

“That takes a lot out of you so luckily I have a couple of days between now and Dubai. I will rest up and get ready for that.

"I really want to enjoy this one because you never know when your next one is going to be. If you look at 'Westy' and Danny Willett winning at the end of last year, I think, not that it gives everyone hope because they are world class players, but in this game, you need to keep your head down and do what you do. If you feel you are doing the right things, just keep at it.”

As for the Irish support he got in Abu Dhabi, he said: "[The support] is just unbelievable. Every day. Every time I come, it's great. I have made some great friends over the years.

“I have been involved with the McGettigan family, and they have been very good to me. I am very lucky that wherever we go when you're Irish, you get the support. I am grateful.

"I am over the moon and so thankful to everyone who has helped me. My Mum and Dad are at home there, and over the moon, I'm sure. My granny, my wife Wendy and daughter Iris and her family. Everyone who has helped me. It's been a long, tough couple of years on the golf course. Off the course, it's been great. I am just over the moon with this."

Sterne took his defeat on the chinned paid tribute to Lowry for his performance.

“I got off to a hell of a start to be honest, a little unexpected,” he said. “I enjoyed the start. Front nine was really good, I made a few crucial putts and the back nine, I don't know, a couple things didn't go my way and Shane made a couple good putts here and there.

“17 was a great putt and the shot he hit into 18 was world-class. It was just out of reach with my 5-wood. I was thinking about taking driver off the deck.

“I didn't have a 3-wood in this week, and 284 is a little stretch for a 5-wood. I tried it and it didn't come off. He hit a great shot and all credit to him.”

Dutchman Joost Luiten was alone in third on 15 under after producing two eagles in his final-round 65, with Major winner Louis Oosthuizen a further shot back.