{{ubiquityData.prevArticle.description}}
{{ubiquityData.nextArticle.description}}
“I couldn't believe that it was me. I couldn't believe it was happening.”
It’s no wonder that Shane Lowry struggled to comprehend what he had just done.
As he sat next to the Claret Jug, the man from the isle of Ireland was speaking to the assembled press – who were waiting on his every word – as the 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year.
He had not just achieved the greatest feat of his golfing career, he had done it at a canter. Six shots separated the 32-year-old from his nearest competitor after 72 holes of the Dunluce Links.
But the leaderboard only told half of the story. It didn’t tell, for example, how he had woken up that morning questioning whether he was good enough to win a major championship.
It also failed to shed light on previous disappointments that weighed heavily on his mind. The final round capitulation in the US Open at Oakmont in 2016. Or his four consecutive missed cuts at The Open.
What the leaderboard did show, though, was how brutal Portrush had been on the final day. As the new year commences, hear from the voices who experienced that memorable round.
Lowry: “I suppose I didn't even know going out in the morning if I was good enough to win a major. I knew I was able to put a few days together. I knew I was able to play the golf course.”
The leader arrived at Portrush on Sunday morning with a four-shot advantage ahead of Tommy Fleetwood after shooting a historic 63 a day earlier to take control of The 148th Open.
But he’d been in a similar position before. The County Offaly native also had led by four going into the final round at the 2016 US Open before a 76 ended his chances of a first major title.
In fact, winning a major was the last thing on Lowry’s mind a year earlier at Carnoustie, where he had missed his fourth Open cut in a row after rounds of 74 and 73.
Read more at TheOpen.com.
The R&A