More reaction and analysis
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And so the 148th Open Championship comes to a close. Golf’s oldest and grandest tournament came back to Northern Ireland after a 68-year hiatus, and the Claret Jug will be staying on the island. All that’s left to do is congratulate the magnificent Shane Lowry, offer commiserations to runner-up Tommy Fleetwood, point you in the direction of Ewan Murray’s verdict, and post, for one last time, the leaderboard. Thanks so much for reading.
-15: Lowry
-9: Fleetwood
-7: Finau
-6: Westwood, Koepka
-5: MacIntyre, Hatton, Willett, Fowler
-4: Reed
-3: Molinari, Lewis, Thomas, Noren, Rahm
-2: Fox, Bjerregaard, Sabbatini, Park
-1: Oosthuizen, Cink, Redman, Glover, Van Rooyen, Fitzpatrick, Smith, Stenson, Spieth, Rose
E: Kisner, Simpson
“I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow morning, and find out what it’s going to feel like then. It’s just going to be incredible!” What a lovely quote that is. All the innocent, childlike joy of winning one of sport’s most famous prizes, laid out bare. Lowry becomes the sixth Irish major champion, after Fred Daly (1947 Open), Padraig Harrington (2007 and 2008 Open, 2008 PGA), Graeme McDowell (2010 US Open), Rory McIlroy (2011 US Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA, 2014 Open) and Darren Clarke (2011 Open). Golf’s an all-Ireland sport, so play nicely.
And now Lowry, cradling the jug in his arms, talks to Sky. “This feels like an out-of-body experience. I was so calm coming down the last! I couldn’t believe it. What a day. It was difficult out there, the weather was so hard. I wasn’t going great during the middle of the round, but then I took a look at the leaderboard and saw everyone else was struggling, and then it became a two-horse race between me and Tommy. And that was good for me, I think, because I could focus on Tommy as far as I could. I told my caddie that I couldn’t stop thinking about winning, but he said: stay with me, stay with me. And kept on my back. What a job he did. I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow morning, and find out what it’s going to feel like then. It’s just going to be incredible!”
“With a score of 269, the winner of the gold medal, and the Champion Golfer of the Year, is Shane Lowry!” The big man is introduced to the crowd, and he waves to the stands before taking receipt of the Claret Jug and hoisting it into the air. Then his speech. “I love this place. It’s one of my favourite places in Ireland. To be able to come up here and play in an Open Championship is great!” Then he pauses and takes a breath before he thanks his mum and dad. “They sacrificed so much for me when I was younger, and I’m so happy I can hand them this trophy tonight!” His voice cracks, he wipes away a tear. He thanks his wife and daughter, it’s so special that they’re there. And lastly the fans. “Thank you so much! This one’s for you!” Not a dry eye in the house!
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Lowry’s in the scorer’s hut right now, bouncing off the walls. He doesn’t know what to do with himself right now. “That was so stressful!” he laughs. Not sure whether he was talking about that final round, checking his scorecard, or making his way through the crowds, because everyone wanted a piece of their hero. Anyway, everything’s been checked and double-checked, and the presentation ceremony will take place in short order!
There had been plenty of talk about an Irish champion being crowned here at Portrush this week. Most of it about Rory McIlroy. That wasn’t to be. But few thought Shane Lowry - who missed the cut at the last four Opens - would take the prize here. Try to tell that story on Thursday morning, and most folk would have filed it alongside the tale of Finn MacCool building the Giant’s Causeway with his bare hands. Here we are, though! And good lord, but it’s been thoroughly deserved. That blistering outward run of 31 on Friday. Yesterday’s course-record 63. And all the big shots, careful chips and ice-cool putts today, whenever they were required to steady the ship as he battled to land his maiden major. An Irish winner in Ireland is one of the great Open stories ... but let the record also state that this was one of the great Open performances as well. Sensational Shane!
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Shane Lowry is the 2019 Open champion!
He very nearly drains a fairytale birdie putt. Not quite, but who cares?! He taps in for par. A final round of 72, and he’s won the Open by six shots! The biggest margin of victory at the Open since Louis Oosthuizen triumphed by seven at St Andrews in 2010. He throws his arms into the air, embraces his caddie, then his wife Wendy, then his daughter Iris, then Tommy Fleetwood. An Irish champion in Ireland! The fairytale is written!
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Tommy Fleetwood lags his long birdie putt to a couple of feet. He cleans up for par, and a 74. He ends the week in second place ... his second runner-up finish in the majors ... and is rewarded with a lovely ovation. Next time, Tommy. But now he gives the stage over to Lowry.
Fleetwood sends his second just off the back of the green. It should ensure he finishes second, a result he thoroughly deserves. But this is all about Lowry, who finds the green with his second, at which point Portrush erupts! He opens his arms out as wide as they can go, a celebration of triumph perhaps, though you can imagine he’s trying to hug the atmosphere, throwing his arms around the world. This is one hell of a party already! The ole-ole-oles ring around the 18th, as he grins the widest grin. His partner flashes him a similarly sparkling smile, their daughter in her arms. Their eyes meet. The sweetest moment. He punches the air. He’s about to win the Open!
Lowry clips an iron down the fairway at 18. That’s the last big job completed. He looks to the heavens and blows hard. Fleetwood follows him down. Up on the green, it’s par for Koepka, who ends with a 74. He’s tied for fourth, at-6, his worst showing at a major this year.
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But it’s an embarrassing 16-over-par 87 for JB Holmes. A couple of sevens and a couple of sixes on the way back, having gone out in 41. Back in 46! He’s +6, after starting the day just six off Lowry’s lead. My, my, dear me.
Two-putt pars again for Lowry and Fleetwood. As Ireland’s hero makes his way to the 18th tee, through a tunnel of ecstatic supporters, he steadfastly refuses to take up any of the many high-five offers. He’s taking nothing for granted. Unlike the R&A engraver, who has already etched his name onto the Claret Jug! But fair’s fair, Lowry has a six-shot lead. Jean van de Velde would have closed it out at Carnoustie in 1999 with a six-shot lead.
-15: Lowry (17)
-9: Fleetwood (17)
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Up on 18, Justin Rose signs for a thoroughly awful final round of 79. One of the pre-tournament favourites just never got going today. It’s a 74 for Rickie Fowler, meanwhile, who did well to keep it together after spraying that opening drive out of bounds. He’s -5, and it’s another high finish at the Open without reward. One day, Rickie, one day.
Lowry knows this is done. His face has betrayed his nerves a couple of times today: at the 1st and 2nd, then again during that mid-round run of bogeys. But he’s found his neutral space again. An easy tee shot down 17, then a glorious swish into the heart of the green. Fleetwood’s on in two as well, fine work after a wild drive, but this is all over now. An eerie silence descends on the 17th, almost as though the crowd are saving themselves for the big party at the 18th green. Mind you, it’s all Lowry can do to stop himself from breaking into a premature grin! He’s fighting it. He may as well not bother, though, because it won’t be too long before he’s crowned Champion Golfer!
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Two-putt pars for Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood on 16. It’s close now. So close. The crowds close in on Lowry as he makes his way to the 17th tee. It’s a struggle for him to make his way through. The celebrations haven’t quite started already, but folk are gearing up for a good time. Meanwhile Danny Willett is the latest player to feel the love of the Portrush crowd, as he finishes with a round of 73 at -5. But Brooks Koepka uncharacteristically yips a short one at 17, and he’s back to -6. Very much a day to forget for the current PGA champion.
-15: Lowry (16)
-9: Fleetwood (16)
-7: Finau (F)
It’s been a miserable day for an awful lot of players. Jordan Spieth shot 77, ending back at -1. Henrik Stenson finished with a trio of bogeys; a 76 that puts him down to -1. Also at -1, Cameron Smith, who shot 76 as well. And now Lee Westwood nearly drains a long birdie putt on 18, but it fails to drop, and his aborted fairytale ends with a disappointing 73. He’s given a lovely warm reception, though, and he smiles broadly as he bows theatrically. He ends the week at -6, the sort of high finish few expected at the start of the week.
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Lowry clears another hurdle, as he carefully threads his tee shot at 16 onto the front of the green. No time for heroics now. Fleetwood needs a miracle now - even an outrageous hole-in-one wouldn’t make the sort of gains he needs - but he can only send his tee shot just off the front left, and there are dramatic undulations between his ball and the hole. A simple two putts for Lowry, you’d think, but a lot of work to do for Fleetwood for his par.
Lowry strokes in his birdie putt! That’s put an end to a difficult run of holes, and he must know this Open is his now. He clenches his fist and pumps the air, bending over with the intensity of the moment. All Fleetwood can do is par, and the Portrush gallery, literally dampened during the tempest, spiritually so as Lowry stumbled a little, erupt in excitement. This is on! It’s really on now!
-15: Lowry (15)
-9: Fleetwood (15)
-7: Finau (F), Koepka (16)
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And you fancy Shane Lowry is going to win one of these today! He clips a gorgeous wedge pin high at 15, and he’ll have a look at birdie from ten feet or so. Fleetwood surely has to match him, but can only send his to 30 feet. He trudges up to the green with a drained expression on his face. It’s not going to happen for him, unless something very strange and dramatic unfolds quite soon. Meanwhile birdie at the 18th for Jon Rahm, who smiles broadly at the end of a difficult 75. He ends his week at -3.
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Tony Finau nearly rakes in a monster on 18 for birdie. It doesn’t drop, but he’s signing for a level-par 71 to end the week at -7. He’s the only one of the late starters not over par. So this’ll be his second top-five finish in the majors this season, after Augusta, and consecutive top-ten finishes at the Open. You fancy he’ll win one of these one day.
Fowler can’t make his birdie putt on 16. Such a shame after a lovely tee shot. Koepka birdies 15, his first of the day, and he joins Finau in third place at -7. And back on 15, Lowry and Fleetwood both find the fairway with their tee shots.
-14: Lowry (14)
-9: Fleetwood (14)
-7: Finau (17), Koepka (15)
-6: Westwood (17), Fowler (16)
Rickie Fowler hits one of the shots of the week at Calamity, the long par-three 16th. A low fade that curls into the front of the green, ten feet to the right of the flag. Meanwhile back on 14, it’s yet another bogey for Lowry, as he cradles his putt to the hole. No big problem, because Fleetwood has putted up from the bottom of the bank, and left himself a 15-footer for bogey. He really has to make it. He doesn’t make it. It slides by the right of the cup. A double, he cups his face in disbelief, and the lead is five again - but now there’s only four to play! Lowry so close now to realising his dream.
-14: Lowry (14)
-9: Fleetwood (14)
A real poser for Fleetwood, who is chipping blind over the hillock, from an angle that takes the bunker on the other side into play. He tries to flip into the heart of the green, and finds the short stuff, but his ball topples off the right and into the swale. He hangs his head, knowing perhaps that the jig might be up. Especially as Lowry clips up to 15 feet. Not a gimme for par, but he’s in match-play mode now. So long as he matches or betters Fleetwood’s score, he’ll be heel-kicking his way to the next tee.
Birdie for Rickie Fowler on 15! Unfortunately it comes after a run of two bogeys and a double in five holes. Still, he’s back to -6, and with the conditions doing a number on all the late starters, that’s a precious shot in the pursuit of a high finish that’ll make him feel a whole lot better once the sting of missing out on yet another major subsides.
Lowry whisks a hot one out of the rough. It skitters hysterically through the green, and he’s fairly fortunate that it stops in the first cut at the bottom of the swale. A few more inches, and he’d be chipping up from the thick, tangled tat. Fleetwood meanwhile opts to go for the green from the sand, 134 yards away. It’s short and right, and in some real bother behind a filthy hillock.
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Fleetwood pearls a 3-wood over 300 yards. Too good. It’s into the bunker down the left of 14. Lowry tugs his tee shot into the thick rough down the same side, though his ball looks to be sitting OK. It’s visible from a distance, anyway, which has to be a good sign. Alex Noren signs for a 74 after coming back in 38; he finishes at -3. Bogey for Lee Westwood at 16; he’s -6. Meanwhile Xander Schauffele had an absolute nightmare today, out in 38, back in 40. His 78 won’t improve his mood at the end of a week in which he feels he’s been hung out to dry by the R&A. He ends up at +2.
Fleetwood’s putt is huge in the context of this Open. You’d think if he misses this, it’ll steady Lowry’s ship, which, while not yet rocking, has been gently swaying for the last 30 minutes or so. But in it goes. That turns the pressure back on Lowry, and though he makes his putt, it only just drops, threatening to turn left before the lip grabs the ball and swallows it down. Gulp. A couple of pars. But boy did they have to work for them.
-15: Lowry (13)
-11: Fleetwood (13)
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Fleetwood, down the bottom of the swale, opens the face of his wedge and goes full Mickelson. He delicately lobs up onto the green - there’s not much of it to play with in front of the flag - and he leaves it ten feet short. Another must-make putt coming up, because Lowry splashes out from the wet sand to three feet. If this was match-play, it’d be advantage Lowry. It sort of is match-play. Advantage Lowry, then.
Fleetwood’s tee shot at the par-three 13th bounds over the back of the green. Not great. Lowry meanwhile tugs his into a huge bunker to the left. Not ideal either, but it looks as though he’s got a decent lie, and a splash out from sand is surely better than a chip up from the swale.
What a perfectly paced putt by Shane Lowry! He rolls his ball 50 feet up the green, sending it to rest just to the left of the cup. So nearly a sensational birdie, but he’d have taken two putts for his par. That suddenly puts a little bit of pressure on Fleetwood’s eagle effort. He surely needs to go for it, but can’t afford to trundle it way past. So he underhits it! It’s two feet short! That is incredibly poor in the circumstances. Then again, it is a birdie in difficult conditions, and suddenly Lowry’s lead is only - only! - four. Here’s the top-ten countdown.
-15: Lowry (12)
-11: Fleetwood (12)
-7: Finau (15), Westwood (14)
-6: Willett (14), Fowler (13), Koepka (13)
-5: MacIntyre (F), Hatton (F)
-4: Reed (F)
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Now then. Lowry wedges in from 110 yards. It only just reaches the green. He’s left with a long birdie putt up. Having made three bogeys in the last four holes, these are worrying times for Ireland’s hero.
Lowry chops back onto the fairway. The door slightly ajar for Fleetwood. And he sends a long iron into the heart of the green, allowing the camber on the left to bring his ball pin high to 30 feet. Meanwhile the JB Holmes horror show continues to unfold. He sends his second at 12 into awful muck at the back of the green, and though they find his ball, he’s forced to take an unplayable. His second double bogey of the day, to go along with a triple, and having started at -10 this afternoon, he’s tumbled in extremely ungainly fashion all the way down to level par.
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The crowd falls quiet, as they wonder whether the tide could be dramatically turning. On the par-five 12th, Fleetwood bashes a lovely drive down the middle. Lowry’s tee shot sails off to the right and disappears into the freak kale. Much may depend on how both players respond to this position. Can Fleetwood parlay this advantage into something meaningful on the scoreboard? Or will Lowry escape from a tight spot and refuse to give ground?
News of Lee Westwood, who you’ll have noticed has slipped to -7. Bogeys at 11, 12 and now 13, and his week is beginning to unravel. Perhaps, having allowed himself to dream the unexpected dream, the will has now gone. After so many disappointments in the majors, you can kind of understand it. A little boost for Justin Rose, though. He’d bogeyed 3, 6, 8, 9 and 11 to tumble down the rankings, but he strokes in a 20-footer on 12 to rise to -4.
Back with the final pairing. Lowry and Fleetwood are both on the green in regulation, but both have long putts for birdie. Fleetwood’s never looks like dropping, but he taps in for par. Lowry’s takes off as it leaves the face of his putter, though, and speeds eight feet past the hole. He’s left with a knee-knocker coming back. He pulls it left, perhaps his worst stroke of the week, and that’s his fourth bogey of the day, his third in the last four. The lead is down to five, which looks like a done deal, but when you’re chasing your first major, nothing is certain.
-15: Lowry (11)
-10: Fleetwood (11)
-7: Finau (14), Willett (13), Westwood (13), Fowler (11)
-6: Koepka (11)
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Up on 18, Patrick Reed ends with a level-par 71. He’s -4 after his week’s work. His playing partner Justin Thomas signs for a 72 and he’s -3. Not looking too happy, either, after that triple on 17 cost him a few places. Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren take turns to bogey 14; they’re both -4. And a bogey for Danny Willett on 13, and he’s -7 again. With the wind up - and more rain heading this way, by all accounts - quite a few of the folk in the clubhouse will find themselves in very healthy positions come the end of play.
Brooks Koepka struggles his way up 11. He nearly salvages the situation with a long par saver, but the ball stops a turn short. It’s his first bogey since that horror four-bogey start, and he slips back to -6. He’s having a shocker, though nothing compared to his playing partner JB Holmes, who at one point was spotted up the left of 11, his head barely poking out the top of the tall rough, squirting a wedge straight right and into the punters on the other side. He runs up a triple bogey, and clatters all the way down to -2.
Lowry splits the fairway at 11. Fleetwood finds the semi-rough down the left. Meanwhile on 12, Westwood three-putts from distance, and he trudges off knowing all hopes of an unlikely fairytale are thoroughly extinguished now. Finau overshoots the green at the par-three 13th and it costs him a shot; he’s -7 again. And a birdie for Willett, who snatches back the shot he’d dropped at 11.
-16: Lowry (10)
-10: Fleetwood (10)
-8: Willett (12), Westwood (12)
-7: Finau (13), Fowler (11), Koepka (10)
... pulls his par putt to the left. “It was almost classic match-play,” notes Laura Davies on Sky. She’s not wrong. Lowry looked in a little bother there, but sunk his putt and turned all the pressure onto his opponent. And suddenly there are six shots in it again! That could have been the moment that sealed the deal for Lowry.
-16: Lowry (10)
-10: Fleetwood (10)
Neither Lowry nor Fleetwood can find the fairway at 10. And neither can find the green in regulation. Fleetwood bumps his third up from the front to four feet, and will have great chance of saving his par. Lowry gives himself a bit of work to do by chunking a chip from a tufty bank just over the back. He’s got a six-footer across a seriously sloping green. But in it goes! That’s a brilliant putt in the circumstances, and suddenly the pressure’s back on Fleetwood, who ...
Tony Finau moves into fourth spot after birdie at 12. He’s -8 and on course for his second top-five finish in this year’s majors - he was tied fifth at Augusta - and consecutive top-ten finishes at the Open, having tied for ninth at Carnoustie last year. Danny Willett will soon join him, following bogey at 11 by nearly slam-dunking his approach into the cup at 12. He’ll tidy up for a bounce-back birdie.
Tyrrell Hatton threatened to challenge at times this week, but never quite maintained the required consistency. He’s had a fine four rounds regardless, and signs today for a 69. He’s in the clubhouse at -5, alongside Bob MacIntyre, and the pair are currently looking good for an invite back next year. Meanwhile the 2016 champ Henrik Stenson, who had stumbled out in 39, has since birdied 10 and now 13. He’s -5.
With some proper links weather having finally rocked up at this year’s Open, just in time, a few players are moving backwards. Bogey for Finau at 11; he’s -7. Willett follows bogey at 9 with another at 11; he’s -7 too. A double for Fowler at 10; he’s -7 and has just hooked his tee shot at 11 into green mince. And Thomas, who had been going along nicely, bogeys 13 then runs up a triple at 17 after losing a ball. He’s -3.
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Lowry gives his putt a little bit too much on the left. That’s back-to-back bogeys for the leader, and he turns in level-par 36. Fleetwood knocks in his par effort, and he turns in 37. Just (!) the five in it now. Meanwhile Westwood, who had birdied 10, hands the shot straight back at 11.
-16: Lowry (9)
-11: Fleetwood (9)
-9: Westwood (11)
Lowry demonstrates the importance of taking your medicine when you’re in the jungle. He arrows his third from 140 yards to 15 feet, straight at the flag. A decent chance to save his par. And he’ll want to make it, because Fleetwood clips a wedge up the big green and spins his ball to a halt a couple of feet from the flag. It should be a birdie. It should be.
Lowry can only punch out from the rough. Fleetwood’s lie isn’t so bad, and he’s able to lash an iron towards the green, though the wind is so strong, covering the distance is beyond him. The rain has stopped again, so that’s something.
Yet another bogey for JB Holmes, this time at 9. He’s -5. His partner Brooks Koepka bangs a long par saver into the cup, and walks off smiling broadly. Having turned in 38 after that opening four-bogey salvo, he’s out of this - he’s -7 - but you sense that he’s enjoying the challenge of these conditions. He’s a born competitor.
Having missed a short putt on the last hole, Lowry sends an iron into the deep rough down the right side of 9. He looks a little rattled after that bogey hit him out of nowhere. But if you must feel rattled, best it happens when you’re six shots ahead. And it’s not as though Fleetwood is threatening to launch any sort of charge. He follows him into the same patch of rough. Meanwhile scrub that bit about the weather easing off. The rain’s suddenly back with a vengeance. The players clamber into their waterproofs en masse.
Fleetwood’s approach at 8 is a good 15 feet short of the flag. He can’t save his par. But now it’s Lowry’s turn to let his opponent off with one, as he three-putts for a bogey of his own. Meanwhile up on 10, Westwood birdies, the reward for a lovely second guided in off the left-hand bank to eight feet. The weather’s eased off a little, by the way. Thank goodness.
-17: Lowry (8)
-11: Fleetwood (8)
-10: Westwood (10)
-9: Fowler (9)
Shank! The next time it happens to you, please remember it can happen to the best of them. And on 9, having been forced to chip back onto the fairway after finding trouble off the tee, Justin Rose smacks one off the hosel. Straight right. The 2013 US Open champion ends up with double bogey. He’s -4, turning in five-over 41.
A tempest is raging now. This is links golf! This is the Open! This is summer on these glorious isles! Good lord. Here’s hoping the greens don’t start collecting too much of this water.
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Fleetwood’s all over the show from the tee. He sends another wild one into mutant cabbage, this time to the left of 8. He’d just witnessed Lowry drive into a spot of trouble on the other side of the hole, so in his position that’s inexcusable really. He’s got little or no margin for error. Lowry, the pressure off, is able to whip an iron up towards the green ... and onto the front. A bit of a fortunate bounce left so he avoids some sand, but you earn your luck in this business. Then it’s Fleetwood’s turn, and all he can do is lash back out onto the fairway. So as things stand, he’s six shots plus 100 yards behind.
Rickie Fowler rolls in a long par saver on 8, managing to get up and down from a bunker. Lee Westwood bogeys 9 to turn in 35. They’re both -9. Danny Willett - going round with Westwood, just as he did when he won the Masters - drops a shot at 9 too. He’s -8. Justin Rose sheds yet another shot, his third of the day, at 8. Coming after bogeys at 3 and 6, he’s -6.
Fleetwood’s third into 7 bleeds off to the right and is snaffled by the bunker front right. The sand is thick and wet - it’s really pelting down now - and he can only get his ball out to ten feet. It’s a must-make, because Lowry has chipped up to a similar distance, and he’ll be putting for birdie. As the rain lashes around his lugs, he rolls in a brilliant par saver. But Lowry makes his as well, deserved reward for a hole played pretty much to perfection. Birdie, and suddenly he’s leading the Open by six strokes with just 11 holes to go. This isn’t over ... it’s never over on the last day of a major until the final putt drops ... but it really is nearly over. Shane Lowry, who threatened to wobble on the first two holes but was let off the hook by Tommy Fleetwood’s missed birdie putts, is in the middle of an imperial phase right now!
-18: Lowry (7)
-12: Fleetwood (7)
-9: Willett (8), Westwood (8), Fowler (8)
-8: Finau (9)
-7: Koepka (7), Holmes (7)
G-Mac signs off with bogey. It’s a miserable closing 77, but the crowd care not a jot, and the 2010 US Open champion - the man who kick-started Northern Ireland’s astonishing run of major-championship success - is afforded the reception his career richly deserves. He looks emotional as he stares off into the middle distance. He ends the week at +4. Not ideal, but at least he made it through to the end. What Rory and Darren would give for a moment like this.
Serious bother for Fleetwood at the par-five 7th. He flays his drive into the really thick oomska down the right. “Get a lie!” he shouts impotently. He’ll be happy enough to find his ball. Lowry meanwhile clacks his down the middle. Golf is a lot easier when you’ve got a five-shot lead, rather than trying to close one down, last round of the Open notwithstanding. Fleetwood manages to locate his ball, and does extremely well to bash back out onto the fairway. He needs a spark, and quick. Especially as Lowry is just off the front of the green in two.
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We last saw Portrush-born Graeme McDowell making birdie at 1. It’s been a bit of a miserable traipse around his home course since then. Bogeys at 8, 10, 11, 12 and 16. But now there’s a huge smile on his face as he walks up the last, his people giving their hero a stunning reception as he returns home after a long, arduous 72-hole journey. It’s a lovely moment, to file alongside the bittersweet reception Rory McIlroy received on Friday evening. Darren Clarke also, though is triple bogey slightly took the edge off that one.
Birdies elsewhere to report. Justin Thomas - whose charge had seriously stalled with bogeys at 9 and 12 - picks one back up at 13. Alex Noren birdies 9; he turns in level-par 36 after bogey at 5. He’s -6. Birdie for Tony Finau at 7, who has otherwise parred every hole through 8; he’s -8. And the 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett’s renaissance continues; he follows birdie at 2 with another at 7, and he’s -9, in a tie for fourth with Rickie Fowler.
The rain is beginning to come down hard now. The wind’s whipping around as well. Lowry lags a putt through it all to three feet. He marks, struggles with his umbrella, watches Fleetwood stroke in the right-to-left slider that he simply had to make, then tidies up for his own par. That up-and-down might give Fleetwood a little succour ... because, my goodness, he needs it.
-17: Lowry (6)
-12: Fleetwood (5)
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This is beginning to look more and more like a cakewalk for Lowry. He finds the heart of 6 with yet another beautifully controlled iron. No heroics, just smart course management. Fleetwood, his nearest challenger, could be more than five adrift soon, because his tee shot at the par-three is weak, short and right. He chips up the big bank to eight feet, but he’ll have another testing putt to sink, and his flat stick has been resolutely tepid so far this afternoon.
The young prospect and etiquette firebrand Bob MacIntyre sinks a long putt at 18, and that’s a fine closing round of 68. He’s -5, the new clubhouse leader. Kyle ‘Fore!’ Stanley has ended the week at +2, for the record. A fair chance the 22-year-old Scot will have earned himself an invite for Sandwich next year, because he’s currently tied for 12th. He only needs a couple of players above him to struggle coming home, and he’ll be in the top ten, exempt from qualifying. JB Holmes is certainly doing his best to oblige, dropping his latest shot at 6. He’s got two bogeys and a double to his name already, and has toppled down the standings to -6.
Fleetwood can’t make his eagle putt, but the birdie takes him back to where he started the day. In relation to par, anyway. In relation to the leader, he’s still one shot further behind, because Lowry matches his birdie with a calm chip up to eight feet and another ice-cool putt.
-17: Lowry (5)
-12: Fleetwood (5)
-10: Westwood (6)
-9: Fowler (6)
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We mentioned Sergio earlier, just because. He’s back home now, having shot 78. Oh dear. He ends the week +6, having clearly given up. Though I maintain the provisional he hit into 7, that didn’t count because he then found his first ball, was one of the shots of the week. Justin Thomas runs up a six at 12. He slips back to -6. Bogey for Rose at 7 and he’s -7, heading very much the wrong way.
Fleetwood needs a response of his own. And so he nearly replicates Koepka’s tee shot on 5. He’ll be left with a 15-footer for eagle. Lowry’s tee shot lands soft and doesn’t reach the green. Once they’ve teed off, the players in the group ahead - who stand aside as the ones following play up - take their putts. Par for Holmes, but Koepka rolls in his eagle effort to climb back to -7. He’s started bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-eagle. There’s a fair chance he’s never done that in his life before. What price going on a run like that in the final round of the Open Championship?!
The momentum is back with Lowry now! Fleetwood rolls an excellent putt up to the cup on 4, but it stubbornly refuses to drop. It’s a thin line between success and failure. And Lowry doesn’t pass up his birdie chance. In it goes, up go the gallery, and suddenly the leader has a five-shot cushion!
-16: Lowry (4)
-11: Fleetwood (4)
-10: Westwood (6)
The cream always rises. And just after Brooks Koepka makes it a scarcely believable fourth bogey out of four holes, he whips an iron off the tee at the short par-four 5th. He sends his ball scampering into the green and turning towards the hole off the camber on the left. It’s a stunning shot of textbook links brilliance, and he’ll be left with a six-footer for eagle.
Shane Lowry has definitely relocated his mojo. He sends a gentle draw into 4, sending his ball over the hillock guarding the pin and landing it eight feet short of the flag. That’s glorious. Fleetwood’s second is pin high, but a good 30 feet to the left. Here’s Simon McMahon, apropos nothing: “While we’re reminiscing, my first set of golf clubs had hickory shafts, and included a gold - at least my dad told me it was gold - Julius Boros putter. Like most of us, I used to imagine that the tricky 12-foot right-to-left breaker on the final green of the local nine-hole course was for the Open. And like most of us, I quickly realised that serious golf was best left to the professionals. Which is why I now spend 16 days of the year emailing the HBH.”
Lowry looks to have settled after his shaky sorties up the first two holes. He creams a 3-wood down the middle of 4. The pressure’s suddenly on Fleetwood, who must be ruing those two missed birdie putts on 1 and 2. A chance to really put his shoe on Lowry’s neck. But the hunted escaped the hunter. Fleetwood does very well to follow Lowry down the fairway, avoiding the many bunkers in the road. Meanwhile on 5, birdie for Westwood, who like Fowler behind him has responded well to an opening-hole setback: birdies at 2, 3 and 5. He’s -10, five off Lowry’s lead and just one off Fleetwood in second.
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Two easy putts for Lowry to secure his par on 3. Fleetwood lobs up to six feet, a fine result from where he was, but he’s left with a tester for par. It’s straight, but the wind is whipping across the green. He sends it out left, and it’s never coming back. The gap at the top is four again. “Justin Rose recently pitched up in the promo for the unveiling of Chelsea’s new away strip for the coming season,” reports Ian Burch. “Along with Omid Djalili, Phil Daniels, Trevor Nelson and legendary Chelsea hard-man Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, Justin has a brief cameo strolling along the King’s Rd. Oddly enough Chopper used to own and run a golf course in Swindon. It would be nice to think that Chopper brought his attitude to playing the beautiful game to his role of managing a provincial golf course.”
-15: Lowry (3)
-11: Fleetwood (3)
-9: Westwood (4), Fowler (4)
Fleetwood pushes his tee shot at the par-three 3rd just off the right of the green. Lowry finds the dancefloor, though his ball briefly teases him, rolling dangerously close to the roll-off area that would funnel it down a massive bank. Meanwhile it’s three birdies in a row for Rickie Fowler, who rattles in a magical 15-footer on 4! He’s -9! This is quite something from the Californian, who must wonder what he has to do to win a major title, and will have really felt the blow as his opening tee shot sliced out of bounds. A response that gives him every chance should Lowry and Fleetwood stumble.
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No birdie for Lowry. And for the second hole in a row, Fleetwood spurns the chance of cranking up the pressure on his opponent, as he lets his another birdie effort slip by. Bogey for Rose at 3; he’s back to -8. Thomas’s charge stalls with bogey at 9. He’s still out in 33, but back to -7. And almost unbelievably, Koepka makes it three bogeys in the first three holes, and his chances are severely compromised now. He’s -6.
-15: Lowry (2)
-12: Fleetwood (2)
-9: Westwood (4)
-8: Willett (4), Fowler (3), Rose (3), Holmes (3)
-7: Thomas (10), Finau (4)
-6: Frittelli (7), Spieth (6), Koepka (3)
When Darren Clarke won the Open at Sandwich in 2011, he benefited from a huge stroke of good fortune in the final round. On the 9th, he thinned his second shot from rough down the left towards some fairway bunkers. Real trouble there. But instead of plugging into the sand, his ball hit a small incline just in front, kicked up over the trap, and whistled its way to the green. He parred, and the rest is history. So could this be a sign on 2? His fellow Irishman Shane Lowry doesn’t connect well with his second shot from rough down the left towards a fairway bunker ... and it just clears. That allows him to wedge onto the green, from where he’ll take a look at birdie from 12 feet. His partner Fleetwood will be doing the same after powering out of tall grass and wedging on himself.
Koepka lobs up marvellously and nearly hits the flagstick. But his ball bounds 12 feet on. Big par putt coming back. He can’t make it. Back-to-back bogeys for the major-championship specialist, and he’s -7, his hopes quickly going in the same direction as the wind: south. Par for Holmes, who stays at -8. Belated news of birdie for Danny Willett at 2; he’s -8. And another birdie for Rickie Fowler, the result of a glorious tee shot at 3 to ten feet! He’s repaired all the damage made by his opening drive! He’s -8 and simply refusing to buckle. You have got to love Rickie Fowler. To be fair, the Portrush punters certainly do.
Koepka struggles his way up the par-five 2nd. He drives into sand, chips out, then sends an overly aggressive third through the green, down a bank, and into filth. Par will be a result from there. Back on the tee, neither Lowry nor Fleetwood can find the short grass, both going left, though Fleetwood is wilder. Already a sense that anything could happen this afternoon.
Fleetwood hits a very tentative birdie putt, and it dies off to the right. He’ll be happy with par, though. Especially as Lowry has dropped a shot. The leader still punches the air, though, because that bogey putt was missable. The crowd try their best to boost their man with another guttural roar. Meanwhile Fowler rebounds from his double-bogey start with birdie at 2, so he’s back to -7 and fighting hard.
-15: Lowry (1)
-12: Fleetwood (1)
-9: Westwood (3), Rose (2)
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Another shot goes for Jordan Spieth, this time at 4. He’s going backwards, and at -6 is most likely done. Meanwhile a very nervous Lowry leaves his long par putt eight feet short. You can sense the anxiety in the crowd. And in the player. He’ll be thinking about Oakmont right now, you can be sure of it. “The HBH is the only place we get references to Flann O’Brien (At Swim Two Birds?) and pro-celebrity golf,” writes Ewan Paton. “Also on the Irish theme, this brings back memories of a grumpy and probably hungover Alex Higgins hacking round Turnberry with Alliss, Tarby and Brucie.” Don’t forget Kenny Lynch.
Westwood is in a spot of danger on the par-three 3rd, having shoved his tee shot down a bank to the right. He’ll do well to get up and down ... and so he trundles a blind chip in! That’s sent him back to -9, a huge stroke of luck that keeps him in the mix. Meanwhile back on 1, Lowry’s splash out of sand bites in the middle of the green and spins back a few feet. He’ll have a long putt to save his par.
They’re dropping like flies down the 1st. Brooks Koepka can’t get up and down from the right of the 1st green, and he slips to +8. He’s joined there by his partner JB Holmes, who ends up with double bogey after flying OB. And behind them, Shane Lowry can only lash from the rough into the face of the bunker guarding the front left of the green. His ball topples back in, and he’ll have a tough up and down for par from there. Tommy Fleetwood cranks up the early pressure by fizzing a delightful low iron straight at the flag to ten feet.
It’s bedlam o’clock! Shane Lowry, who in a few hours could become Ireland’s fourth Open champion in the last dozen years, takes to the 1st tee along with Tommy Fleetwood. Both men get a wonderful reception, though you know which one gets the extra treatment. Fleetwood is up first, and has to wait for what will seem an absolute age until the clock ticks round to 1.47pm and he’s announced. Swish swish swish with the iron. Eventually: “This is game number 37. On the tee from England ... Tommy Fleetwood.” And we’re off! Fleetwood clacks a nerveless iron down the middle. “On the tee, from the Republic of Ireland ... Shane Lowry!” A sing-song delivery by the man from the R&A. Lowry’s opening shot isn’t the best, hooked into the thick stuff down the left. Not the best contact. But it’s not OB.
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So it’s a double bogey for Fowler on 1. He clatters down the leaderboard in Rahmian fashion to -6. A poor tee shot at 3 costs Jordan Spieth the shot he’d picked up at 2. He’s where he started at -7. And par for Justin Rose at 1, so he remains at -9. The only man making any inroads at the top of the leaderboard is Justin Thomas, who is flinging the kitchen sink at this today. Birdies at 3, 4, 5 and now 7! He’s zoomed up the standings to -8, which - just before the last group takes to the tee - means it’s time for an update.
-16: Lowry
-12: Fleetwood
-10: Holmes
-9: Rose (1), Koepka
-8: Thomas (7)
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Around with Alliss! Well that’s me gone as well as David. There’s a tear in my eye too. Memories of watching that with Dad on the old 14-inch Hitachi. A futuristic 70s number with touch buttons to change the channel. Love you, mate, see you on the other side. Ach. Ahem. Now then, we won’t be going around with Rahm this afternoon, after he took two to get out of that bunker, and we’ll not be bothering much with Lee Westwood either, who continues the downward momentum of yesterday afternoon by making bogey on the opening hole. Rahm is -5, Westy -7. Also buggered early doors: Rickie Fowler and JB Holmes, who send their opening drives out of bounds to the right and left respectively. It’s all happening pretty much from the get-go!
Scott mentioned the BBC’s classic golf theme music earlier so, just before Shane Lowry completes his final warm-up, I’ll counter with this from Terry Venables/Mike Yarwood hybrid Frank Mills. If this doesn’t make you well up and yearn for a simpler time, you’re better than me.
While I dry my eyes, I’ll hand back to Mr Murray to guide you through what should be a very special afternoon.
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It’s a double bogey for Jon Rahm at 1. Paul Lawrie came from ten shots back to win in 1999 while the Spaniard started nine off the pace today, and perhaps one of the more likely candidates to pull off something ridiculous. That’s surely gone now as he finds a snake rather than a ladder at the very first hole. Back to -5 and tied 14th.
Jon Rahm, winner of two of the last three Irish Opens, is a hugely popular figure in these parts and the decibel levels spike as the Spaniard is announced on to the tee. A muscular swing of the club promotes a right old roar except his ball trickles rather apologetically into a bunker. Meanwhile, the hot man on the course is American Ryder Cup star Justin Thomas, who goes birdie-birdie-birdie at 3, 4 and 5 to jump to 7-under. The 2017 USPGA winner issued a paean to Portrush after seeing it for the first time earlier this week and the love affair continues to blossom as he schmoozes his way into the top ten.
Francesco Molinari completes his reign as Open champion with a beautifully-executed round of 66. The Claret Jug will have to be handed back but the Italian has signed off in style today with three birdies and an eagle. He never threatened to repeat last year’s Carnoustie heroics but a solid week nonetheless and he can now head for a flat white in ‘Caffe Molinari’, a popular spot in the heart of the Royal Portrush.
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Patrick Reed, who has the same unexpectedly dainty movements as Oliver Hardy, makes birdie at 2 to advance his score to 5-under. That makes up for the birdie opportunity the 2018 Masters champion missed at the par-5 2nd when he presumably gave a withering look to camera. But it’s another fine mess for fellow American Andrew Putnam on Royal Portrush’s early holes. Putnam needed six swishes on the 2nd yesterday and he makes double at his opening hole today. Hard boiled eggs and nuts.
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Pictures on Sky just now of a smiling Shane Lowry crossing the temporary bridge to the course. Hands in pockets, he looks like someone heading out for a four-ball with a few mates. Body language experts now discussing whether he looks too casual.
Hello. While Scott pumps out a 5k followed by a series of weights and lunges, I’ll take the baton. I don’t know about you, but I’m watching the Met office’s Royal Portrush weather forecast with the same steely-eyed focus that I used to reserve for taxi meters until Uber came along. Looking at the hourly updates, we have 80% chance of rain at 1pm and 2pm before that percentage drops to 20 for a couple of hours before picking up again. But those wind speeds look locked in at just under 20mph and could gust to 30mph. This is a test, as someone once said.
The rain is beginning to come down. So I’m off to find an umbrella. In the meantime, David Tindall, like a pint of plain, is your only man. See you again soon!
It’s about time Scotland had another golfer mixing it with the very best at the majors. Robert MacIntyre could be the very man! The 22-year-old from Oban is making his Open debut this week, and it’s been a fine performance. Rounds of 68, 72 and 71, and he’s on the right road today as well after birdies at 2 and 7. Throw in his willingness to face down Kyle Stanley over fore!gate - hey, he played shinty in his youth, he’ll be afraid of the square root of bugger all - and this is a very impressive young man. Major championship one day, please, Bob! No pressure, though. No pressure at all. He’s -4.
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Tom Lewis’s signature round at the Open will most likely always be the record-breaking 65 he shot as an amateur at Sandwich in 2011. Unless he goes on to win the Championship one day, of course. That won’t be happening this week, but the 28-year-old from Welwyn Garden City is having a good one nevertheless. Birdies at 4 and 5 today have whisked him up the standings to -4. Good signs for the future. After a shaky start to his pro career, he enjoyed by far his best season on the European Tour last year, and it looks as though he’ll do even better this time round. All that early promise was no mirage. Progress isn’t always linear.
News of some other early starters who, like Kiradech Aphibarnrat, will be pleased with their final day’s work. The 23-year-old Englishman Ashton Turner, making his second appearance at an Open after missing the cut last year at Carnoustie, was out first this morning with a marker. He shot a fine 68 and ends the week at +4. Shubhankar Sharma finishes with a 68 as well, the young Indian’s first sub-70 score at the Open in eight rounds. He’s +3. And the aforementioned Jason Kokrak concludes his week with 68; he’s +1.
Early birdies for Justin Harding, Erik van Rooyen and Tyrrell Hatton. All three have risen to -4. A shot behind, also having picked up an early stroke: Dustin Johnson, Tom Lewis and Bob MacIntyre. Ryan Fox, who played the back nine in a record-breaking 29 strokes on Thursday, birdies 8 and 11 to move to -2. And a bogey for Doc Redman at 11; he slips back to -3. Only four pars for the Doc today. He’s got game.
For what this is worth - and that is not very much at all - the early clubhouse leader is Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand. The ever-entertaining everyman was in the mix on Thursday after a round of 68, but subsequent knocks of 73 and 77 clattered him down the standings. But a crowd-pleasing final round of 67 - five birdies, an eagle and three bogeys - means he finishes the week at +1. He’s so good to watch. “The only thing that could improve on the perfection of that theme tune,” replies Robin Durie, “would be the voice of Henry Longhurst introducing coverage of the day’s play, over panning shots of dreich, windswept, Fife links, punctuated by occasional colourful spots of drookit players’ waterproofs.”
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Here’s Sergio in a nutshell. Having just driven out of bounds on 5, he shanks his second at the par-five 7th into extremely thick nonsense up the bank to the right of the hole. That could be lost. He immediately drops a provisional ... and creams one of the shots of the week into the front of the green, his ball slowly rolling towards the cup in statesmanlike fashion. It stops a couple of rolls short. That’s the most elegant shot of the week! Sadly, it counts for absolutely nothing, as some pesky marshal has found his first ball. So instead of saving par, he’s chipping down the hill from the filth and running up a bogey. He’s +2.
Also now four under for his round: the aforementioned Doc Redman. This impressive young man has an interest in calculus, and perhaps he utilised his mathematical mind to calculate the bounce off the bank to the left of the 10th green. His ball cannons right and rolls gently towards the lip of the hole, where it frustratingly stops. That would have been sensational. No eagle, but birdie will suffice, and he’s -4, suddenly in the top 20 as things stand at this early stage.
The hottest player on the course: the outgoing champion Francesco Molinari. He’s putting together a lovely valedictory round, with birdies at 2 and 7, and now an eagle at 12. He’s -2, and can be proud of his defence this week, even if an opening-day 74 meant he never had a realistic chance of becoming the first player since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to retain the Claret Jug.
There could be some fun and games at the risk-reward short par-four 5th today. Go for the green and a possible eagle? Plenty chasing will need to. But there’s danger, amply illustrated by our old pal Sergio Garcia, who creams such a good drive that it hits a downslope right in front of the green and bounds through, past the out-of-bounds markers just behind. Oh Sergio. The resulting double takes him down to +1. He was never able to build on that opening-day 68. The demons of 2007 and 2014 are still on the loose. “Your post about Joost invites the observation that you regularly perform ekphrastically in your HbH musings,” begins Robin Durie. “Allow me to offer you that observation, cheerfully. In fact, your sole ekphrastic missteps have been taken in the revelation of your inexplicable adoration for American TV broadcasters’ preference for sickly musical schmaltz to accompany their leaderboards/montages/intervals.” Hey, there’s no accounting for taste. The heart wants what it wants. But we can both agree that this one - penned by the drummer from Cliff and the Shadows, no less - is an absolute banger, right?
Until Shane Lowry tees it up high and turns his shoulders in anger, there’s Graeme McDowell to keep the crowds entertained. Portrush’s finest warm-up act rips his opening drive down the fairway, then spins through 360 degrees to wave at his adoring fans. It’s a very graceful twirl, reminiscent of Serena on Centre Court. Anyway, the gallery will have a lot of hooting and hollering to do later, but they exercise their tonsils by roaring as G-Mac knocks his second to 12 feet, and whooping when he rolls in a right-to-left slider for an opening birdie. He’s -3. Wow that’s loud! Goodness knows what it’s going to be like later. Actually, no prizes for guessing.
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Doc Redman is a star in the making. The 21-year-old North Carolinian made it to the Open by snatching a place at the recent inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic with a 62 in qualifying, then coming second in the actual event to earn his ticket to Portrush. After three level-par rounds of 71, he’s looking to make some late in-roads into red figures, and has this morning followed up an opening bogey with birdies at 2, 3, 5 and 7. And now he’s just rattled in a tramliner on 8 to save his par and keep things moving along. He’s -3. And yes, his real name is Doc, it’s not short for anything. His sister’s called Karma.
The 2009 dream-wrecker Stewart Cink is enjoying something of a late-career renaissance. After a decade in the doldrums following his slaying of Bambi’s mum Tom Watson at Turnberry, the 46-year-old Alabaman tied for 24th at Carnoustie last summer, then registered a fine top-five finish at the PGA. He’s going along very nicely this morning too, with birdies at 2, 5 and 7. He’s -3, and suddenly nudging the top 20. Meanwhile as I was writing the previous entry, this request from Beatrice De Hartogh dropped into my in-box. “Please mention my compatriot, Joost Luiten, who is on a roll this morning!” We aim to please, Beatrice, even if we’re not consciously aware of it. Further proof of the telepathic, almost telekinetic, relationship the Guardian has with its readership. The Athletic can’t buy this sort of thing.
Willebrordus Adrianus Maria Luiten - also known as Joost, to the blessed relief of live bloggers around the world - started out as a ski jumper. But he had a bad fall as a ten-year-old, breaking both elbow and nose, and so transferred his talents to the meat golf. Winter sport’s loss is golf’s gain, and the 33-year-old Dutchman has started out today with birdies at 2, 3 and 5. Now, eagle-eyed readers will note that I’ve just cut and pasted, word for word, this entry from yesterday’s HBH, merely adding an extra birdie at 3. He’s pretty much doing exactly the same thing again. So think of today’s entry as an example of ekphrasis, one medium of art rhetorically reflecting another, a bit like Musée des Beaux Arts by WH Auden. I’ll be up front with you, I’m killing time until the real action begins.
Adam Hadwin is the joint holder of the record for number of consecutive birdies at the US Open. He carded six on the bounce at Erin Hills back in 2017. The 31-year-old Canada-born Canadian is fond of a hot streak, being one of only 25 men or women to card a sub-60 round on official Tour business (a 59 at the tournament formerly known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic in 2017). He’s not quite on that form today, but birdies at 1 and 2 plus eagle at 7 isn’t half bad. Admittedly this entry would pack more narrative punch had he not just bogeyed 9, but you work with what you have, and he turns in 34. He’s level par for the tournament.
Some of the early starters have been making scores. Jason Kokrak is only here this weekend thanks to a fine long curling birdie putt made on 18 on Friday evening. Having scraped just inside the cut, he’s taking full advantage today. Birdies at 3, 5, 6, 7 and now 12, with just the one dropped stroke at 8, have sent the Canada-born American up to level par. Whatever happens, he’ll record his best finish at the Open, having failed to make the cut at Carnoustie last year on his only other visit.
Here we go, then, the day of truth for Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, JB Holmes, Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose. Other golfers are available, of course, they’re just more than seven shots back at the moment. But nothing is impossible. Twenty years ago, Jean van de Velde famously gave up a 54-hole five-shot lead, allowing Paul Lawrie to come back from ten behind to win after play-off. So should Lowry stumble today, and, say, Jordan Spieth (-7), fly through the pack, shooting something in the low 60s, we’d witness something pretty strange. And yet stranger things will still have happened. The chasing pack need some help from the weather, though, and a few spots of rain are beginning to come down. According to the forecast, there’ll be outbreaks until 1pm or so, at which point it’ll clear up, before really coming down around 4pm. The wind will be a factor throughout the day, and it’ll get stronger as it goes on. So in theory the early starters have it better. But there’s a lot of ground to make up. So many variables. So much drama in store!
Preamble
Shane Lowry shot a flawless course-record 63 yesterday. As a result he’s four shots clear of second-placed Tommy Fleetwood after 54 holes of the 148th Open Championship. Six clear of third-placed JB Holmes. Seven clear of Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose. He’s in the form of his life, attacking pins with forensic precision, chipping and putting like a dream. He knows Portrush like the back of his hand, and he’ll have the support of pretty much everyone at this famous old links today. Everything suggests he’ll be the one lifting the Claret Jug for Ireland later this afternoon.
It’s never quite as easy as that, though, is it? For a start, Lowry’s trying to win the first major of his career. He may well have had a sleepless night, considering how he’s been in this position before, four clear going into the final round of the 2016 US Open at Oakmont. He stumbled to a 76 that day. The love of the home gallery comes with added pressure. He’ll also want to avoid the stigma of shipping a big lead on the 20th anniversary of Jean van de Velde’s infamous collapse at Carnoustie, the Frenchman having tossed away a five-shot, third-round advantage in 1999. And then there’s the incoming wind and rain, which could wreak unpredictable havoc.
Koepka, in hot pursuit, nearly tossed away a seven-stroke lead of his own at the PGA a couple of months ago, and was more than happy to spell out the dangers that lie ahead for Lowry. “The last time Shane had the lead at Oakmont we saw what happened. In links golf, all of a sudden you get a couple of bad bounces or get in a couple of bunkers. At Bethpage it went very quickly. Bad weather happened. The last 15 holes were very, very windy, especially that back nine.”
If a steely-eyed operator like Koepka can feel the heat, anyone can, so nothing’s certain. But hey. If Lowry keeps his cool like he did yesterday afternoon amid an emotional storm, and draws on his experience playing in a real one - let’s be fair, he’ll have played a fair few rounds in Irish wind and rain before - he’ll take some catching. One way or another, it promises to be one of the most memorable days in the entire history of Irish golf. God speed, everyone, and may the best man drink liberally from the auld jug tonight. It’s on!
-16: Lowry
-12: Fleetwood
-10: Holmes
-9: Koepka, Rose
-8: Fowler, Westwood
-7: Willett, Rahm, Finau, Spieth
-6: Stenson, Noren, Kuchar, Frittelli, Putnam, Smith
-5: Schauffele
The tee times: (all BST, all brought forward in the hope of avoiding most of this afternoon’s wind and rain)
7.32am: Ashton Turner
7.42am: Shubhankar Sharma, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
7.52am: Nino Bertasio, Eddie Pepperell
8.02am: Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Waring
8.12am: Branden Grace, Jason Kokrak
8.22am: Callum Shinkwin, Jim Furyk
8.32am: Bubba Watson, Kevin Streelman
8.42am: Bernd Wiesberger, Kyle Stanley
8.57am: Paul Casey, Benjamin Hebert
9.07am: Matt Wallace, Adam Hadwin
9.17am: Thomas Pieters, Francesco Molinari
9.27am: Louis Oosthuizen, Andrew Wilson
9.37am: Yosuke Asaji, Stewart Cink
9.47am: Joost Luiten, Doc Redman
9.57am: Ryan Fox, Inn-choon Hwang
10.07am: Charley Hoffman, Yuki Inamori
10.17am: Ernie Els, Lucas Bjerregaard
10.32am: Aaron Wise, Lucas Glover
10.42am: Sergio Garcia, Patrick Cantlay
10.52am: Mikko Korhonen, Dustin Johnson
11.02am: Robert Macintyre, Rory Sabbatini
11.12am: Romain Langasque, Kevin Kisner
11.22am: Graeme McDowell, Tom Lewis
11.32am: Erik Van Rooyen, Justin Harding
11.42am: Tyrrell Hatton, Webb Simpson
11.52am: Byeong-Hun An, Matthew Fitzpatrick
12.07pm: Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas
12.17pm: Russell Knox, Sang Hyun Park
12.27pm: Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith
12.37pm: Dylan Frittelli, Andrew Putnam
12.47pm: Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar
12.57pm: Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth
13.07pm: Tony Finau, Jon Rahm
13.17pm: Danny Willett, Lee Westwood
13.27pm: Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler
13.37pm: JB Holmes, Brooks Koepka
13.47pm: Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry
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