DP World TourBrian KeoghShane Lowry, BMW PGA Championship

Lowry gets his just reward with Wentworth victory

DP World TourBrian KeoghShane Lowry, BMW PGA Championship
Lowry gets his just reward with Wentworth victory

Shane Lowry. Credit: Getty Images

Shane Lowry declared it was a win “for the good guys” and even Rory McIlroy conceded the Offaly man’s first victory since The 2019 Open was not only long overdue, it proved he’s taken his game to a new level as Europe looks to win back the Ryder Cup next year.

The affable Clara man (35) produced some of the most stunning golf of his career, ripping a “bullet” 217-yard five iron (“It was a bit of a tweener, I had to hit it”) to 20 feet at the par-five 18th to set up a closing birdie four that gave him a closing seven-under 65 and one-shot won over McIlroy and Jon Rahm on 17-under par in the BMW PGA at Wentworth.

“It's been a good year but felt like I've been close a few times and felt like I've only got a few tournaments left this season and wanted to try and win one, and obviously this one is right up at the top the list,” Lowry said after he watched McIlroy’s eagle putt at the 18th to force a playoff drift right and he picked up €1.35 m to go to fifth behind McIlroy in the Race to Dubai and 19th in the world.

He also received a text from captain Luke Donald, congratulating him on his win and move to the top of the Ryder Cup standings after week one.

“I love it here and I've contended in the past, and even going down the back nine today, I was like, the bad shots that I've hit over the years in contention actually started to creep into my head and it's amazing what this game does. I'm so happy.

“Honestly words can't put into how happy I am, how much this means to me and how much I love this tour and how much I love this tournament. I'm the happiest man in the world right now.”

That he went bogey-free for the duration of an event reduced to 54 holes following the death of Queen Elizabeth spoke volumes for the qualify of his game.

“I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself, first and foremost, but I think for this tour and everyone that's stayed loyal to this tour and everyone that's done everything for this tour,” Lowry said with reference to his open disgust at the ongoing disruption caused by LIV Golf. “I feel like this is one for the good guys.”

The bare numbers do not do justice to the drama of the occasion or the quality of Lowry’s play, which went unrewarded all year in terms of wins until the stars aligned yesterday and he added the biggest regular tour event in Europe to five previous wins including the Irish Open as an amateur, a World Golf Championship and The Open.

"Seems like I don't like to do it small when I do it,” he joked after his second Rolex Series win.

Rahm finished birdie, birdie, eagle - coming home in 29 as he shot a 10-under 62 to set the target and revive ghosts of 2017 when Alex Noren also shot 62 to win and force Lowry to settle for one of nine top-20 finishes in the last 11 years.

McIlroy scared the hole with a 25 footer for eagle on the last that would have forced a playoff before paying tribute to the man who becomes just the third Irishman to win the PGA Championship since McIlroy pipped him in 2014 to become the first since Harry Bradshaw in 1958.

“I think Shane winning softens the blow,” McIlroy said after admitting he didn’t quite have his best stuff in a closing 67. “If it had been someone else. I might not have felt as comfortable with it as I am.

“I'm so happy for him. He's played a lot of great golf this year. I think back to he had a chance at the Honda, got screwed with that big downpour on 17 and 18. Hilton Head as well, playing in the final group with Harold Varner. He's had a lot of chances to win this year and hasn't quite got over the line.

“I'm really happy for him. He's played a lot of good golf and he deserves this one. I wish I would have made him play a couple of extra holes maybe to get the trophy but incredibly happy for Shane and hopefully we'll have a couple drinks tonight.”

Lowry was two behind Soren Kjeldsen and Viktor Hovland starting the day, and after scrambling for par at the first, he eagled the fourth to get to within two of LIV Golf rebel Patrick Reed, who set the early target at 14-under with a 63, before rolling in a 15 footer at the seventh and a 24 footer at the eighth to tie.

“Certainly that was a little bit of probably extra motivation out there today,” Lowry said of the LIV threat. “I saw a few lads make a bit of a run and I felt like I was going to do my best to make sure that it wasn't one of them and happy it was me.”

Rahm eagled the last to set the target at 16-under but Lowry, with the ghosts of past Wentworth failures rattling around his head, played a superb back nine.

"To be honest coming down the last few holes, all the negative ones were coming into my head, all the bad shots I've hit,” he said. “But I just spoke to my coach this morning and we talked about it, and I said, look, I'm playing some of the best golf of my life. I need to allow myself to play golf today and just allow myself to go out there and hit the shots and I did. I'm absolutely over the moon.”

McIlroy had also eagled the fourth to get to 13-under but a three-putt bogey at the eighth, left him with work to do and while he’d birdie the 10th, 12th and 15th, he was left to run missed chances inside 15 feet at the ninth, 11th and 17th and still came within a whisker of a closing eagle that would have forced sudden death.

Lowry also made two from seven feet at the 10th to get to within one Rahm, then hit a high, soft 15-yard bunker shot to a few inches at the par-five 12th to tie for the lead before having to wait until the 18th to get his nose in front.

The pair hugged in the scoring area aftwards, Lowry beaming “we’re one-all here,” in reference to his runner up finish to McIlroy in 2014 before consoling with pal with a friendly reminder that he’d won plenty in his career.

“I said to Bo, I said going down 18, Rory is probably going to birdie the last two,” Lowry said. “I heard a roar and thought he had birdied 17. But it didn't change what I was going (to do). I just wanted to hit the best shot I could, and I stood up and I hit one of the best five irons I could hit.’

McIlroy was crestfallen not to birdie the 17th, where he drove under the trees right and failed to make birdie.

But as caddie Harry Diamond said “one more good swing” as they headed towards his drive on the 18th, he couldn’t make the 25 footer that would have given him a chance of a win, coupled with another in Italy this week, would have given him a chance to finish the year as world No 1.

Lowry could hardly bear to watch McIlroy’s eagle putt.

|To be honest, it's one of those, no doubt about it, I wanted him to miss,” he said. “He hit a great putt. I thought he left it short to be honest, and then it just kept going and going and somehow missed right but I certainly would not fancy going out in a playoff against him. I was playing good golf but I'm happy that I'm sitting here.”

The Offaly man spoke well at the prize-giving where he was happy to say he was pleased the event was completed as a tribute to the late British monarch.

As he explained in his press conference afterwards: “I felt like that was a big decision to be made on Friday, whether to go ahead or not. I felt like the right thing to do was go ahead and just have a celebration of her life this weekend as opposed to, you know, sitting around and moping about it. I think that's what you'd want it do, especially when a person is old, you want to celebrate their life, as opposed to anything else.

“She's obviously an incredible woman and done great things. The whole world is saddened by her loss but great to see the crowds come out yesterday and today. I felt like it was a great way to give a send-off. I know it might not mean much to anyone but I thought that way.”