Irishman Shane Lowry won the British Open on Sunday by six strokes in his first major title.

Lowry, who brought out loud cheers from the sellout crowd on every shot, began the day with a four-stroke lead. He shot one-over 72 and finished with a 15-under 269 total.

He marked the moment he became a major champion with a wide smile and an embrace of his caddie.

The 32-year-old took the title at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, just a few hours from where he grew up.

Despite rainfall and gusty winds, Lowry beat Tommy Fleetwood of England, who applied pressure to Lowry but ended in second place, having shot 74.

Lowry's win signaled the first Open played in Northern Ireland since 1951, and he became the second player from south of the border to lift the Claret Jug. </s> Lowry was coming off the best day of his career when he shot 8-under 63 Saturday before a raucous gallery at Royal Portrush.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The long-awaited return of the British Open to Northern Ireland ended with Shane Lowry keeping the silver claret jug on the Emerald Isle.

Even as the rain stopped, the tears began flowing.

Lowry, the 32-year-old Irishman with stout nerves and a soft touch around the greens, endured the worst weather of the week and the Sunday pressure of a sellout crowd cheering him along to win the British Open by six shots.

He closed with a 1-over 72, the first time since 1996 that winner was over par in the final round, and it was no less impressive. More difficult than the rain was wind strong enough to break an umbrella. Lowry began making bogeys on the back nine of Royal Portrush without losing ground.

Ultimately, the outcome was never in doubt. No one got closer than three shots all day.

And thousands who filled these links off the North Atlantic could sense it when Lowry, after his fourth bogey in seven holes, rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to stretch his lead to six shots over Tommy Fleetwood.

When his approach to the 18th was just on the fringe, he smiled broadly and stretched out his arms, hugging caddie Bo Martin. The loudest cheer of a noisy week was for a tap-in par that made Lowry a major champion.

Fleetwood had to settle for his second runner-up finish in a major. He closed with a 74. Conditions were so rugged that no one from the last 12 groups that teed off in the final round broke par.

Brooks Koepka, who started seven shots behind, began with four straight bogeys and shot 74 to tie for fourth.

Royal Portrush had to wait 68 years for another shot at hosting golf’s oldest championship. Lowry made it worth the wait. So strong is support of the Irish golf community that Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Graeme McDowell waited for Lowry when he finished. </s> Shane Lowry of Ireland entered the third round of the British Open tied with J.B. Holmes at 8-under par. Several other contenders were within a few strokes, including a pair of Englishman in Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood.

The 32-year-old Lowry rocketed past the competition with a course record 8-under 63, placing him four strokes ahead of Fleetwood for the lead entering the final day at Royal Portrush. This means he is 18 holes away from his first major championship.

“I just felt so comfortable out there and hope I do tomorrow,” he told the Telegraph. “I have a tough 24 hours ahead of me, but there’s nowhere I would rather be. I have a four-shot lead in an Open in Ireland. Tomorrow is going to be incredible no matter what happens.”

If he holds onto the lead on Sunday, Lowry would be the second golfer from the Republic of Ireland to win the Open Championship. Padraig Harrington won two in a row in 2007 and 2008.

In addition, three Northern Irish golfers have claimed the Claret Jug. Rory McIlroy won in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, as did Darren Clarke in 2011 at Royal St. George’s. Fred Daly also won at Liverpool in 1947.

Lowry’s Irish heritage is a very visible part of his brand. He sports Bank of Ireland apparel, and his reddish-brown beard is one of his more distinguishable features.

Lowry was born in Clara, County Offaly, Ireland. Clara is located in central Ireland along the Brosna River.

Lowry honed his skills at the Esker Hills Golf Club, where he began his amateur career. He won the 2007 Irish Amateur Close Champion, then took the 2009 Irish Open while still an amateur.

He attended University College Dublin and eventually turned pro in 2009.

If he can win at Royal Portrush, which is located about a half-hour southeast of Belfast in Northern Ireland, it would hold special significance for the local audience.

As Michael Bamberger at Golf.com states, the reason it took 68 years for the British Open to return to Portrush was due to the civil strife between the Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants.

The real importance has everything to do with The Troubles, the euphemistic name for the war that divided Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, Irish citizens in the north and Irish citizens in the south. The resounding cheering that greeted Lowry, a son of greater Dublin, received on Saturday for every birdie he made meant several things: II. To the fans gathered here, a golfer from Ireland is to be celebrated, without reservation, no matter what part of the island nation he comes from.

This weekend has seen several examples of Irish golfers earning praise. Clarke was the first to tee off on Thursday, which led to an emotional reaction from Northern Irishman, as well as the crowd.

In addition, McIlroy earned several big cheers for his excellent second round, which still managed to fall short of the cut due to a dreadful start.

Point being, many of the local at Royal Portrush are pulling for Lowry, even if he’s Irish rather than Northern Irish. </s> England’s Tommy Fleetwood reacts after he missed a putt on the 2nd green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 21, 2019.(AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The rain was verging on torrential, the putts weren’t dropping, and Tommy Fleetwood was looking thoroughly miserable on the most remote part of the soggy Dunluce Links.

“Oh, Tommy,” he said, his shoulders slumping as his third shot from the middle of the fairway at the par-4 seventh hole fell short and into the greenside bunker on the right.

A Sunday charge never materialized at the British Open for Fleetwood, the Englishman with the long locks only once getting within three strokes of playing partner and eventual champion Shane Lowry after starting four shots back.

That first major title will have to wait at least another year.

“I’m trending in the right way,” said Fleetwood, who now has two runner-up finishes at the majors on his resume. “I just hope my time will come eventually.”

It ended up being a slog for Fleetwood on a wet and wild day at Royal Portrush, when there was barely a smile from one of the most easy-going guys in golf as he shot a 3-over 74 to finish six strokes behind Lowry.

The pro-Lowry crowd was fair to the man who came to spoil the party — there were regular roars of “Come on, Tommy!” and polite applause for his best of his shots — and there must have been concerns across the Emerald Isle when Lowry bogeyed the first hole after hitting his opening drive left and then finding the greenside bunker.

But Fleetwood needed to make the most of every opportunity to pressure Lowry, and he didn’t.

He missed to the right a birdie putt from 6 feet at No. 1 that would have halved the deficit. He sent a 12-foot putt for birdie too far right at No. 2, after Lowry had made par. Then he slid left a 5-foot par putt at No. 3, to some whispers of “Yes!” by fans huddled round the green.

Fleetwood’s putter stayed cold. He left a 10-foot putt for birdie centimeters short at No. 4, meaning he dropped a shot to Lowry. After reaching the fifth green with a 3-wood off the tee, he pushed an eagle putt from 12 feet and could only match Lowry’s birdie.

Indeed, Fleetwood’s first putt that wasn’t from tap-in range was at No. 6, and that was to save par.

By then, Lowry had moved six shots clear and was on his way to what Fleetwood described as a “bit of a procession” in the final holes.

“Those first few holes, when you start four back, are pretty crucial,” Fleetwood said, “and I didn’t do a good enough job pressing at that point.”

Fleetwood knew the game was up when he drove into a bunker at the par-4 14th hole.

“You never want to think like that, and you obviously carry on, but that was pretty much it,” he said.

Playing in the final group at a major for the first time, Fleetwood at least had a front-row seat for a clinic on how to seal victory at one of the biggest events in golf.

He praised Lowry’s shot selection, his composure, and his putting under pressure. Lowry’s short game was better, too.

The two players embraced on the 18th green, seconds after Lowry was confirmed as the champion golfer of the year, before Fleetwood left the stage for the Irishman.

“He literally controlled the tournament from the start of today until the end,” Fleetwood said, “and that’s a very, very impressive thing to do.”

Fleetwood’s other second-place finish at a major was at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills last year. That felt different, though, because he shot a scarcely believable final round of 63 as one of the early starters in the best conditions of the day, and finished one stroke behind Brooks Koepka.

Here, Fleetwood was in the thick of contention, the claret jug in his sights.

Given his age — 28 — and his talent, there will surely be more chances for the 20th-ranked Fleetwood to win a major.

It didn’t stop this one from hurting.

“I’m not putting down the U.S. Open, but if I could pick one event it would be the (British) Open,” he said. “It’s my dream, and it always will be. And you’re teeing off in the last group on Sunday with a very, very good chance.

“So it feels a lot rougher finishing when you feel like you’ve come so close to what you’ve dreamt as a kid.” </s> Ireland's Shane Lowry has won his first major golfing title at the British Open.

The 32-year-old held on through a wet and windy day at Royal Portrush to beat England's Tommy Fleetwood by six strokes.

The heavy rain and blustery conditions had prompted tee times to be brought forward.

Lowry, who looked understandably nervous at times, took a four-shot lead into the final round and overcame a shaky start to extend his advantage.

Following his emphatic triumph on the 18th hole, Lowry hugged his caddie Brian "Bo" Martin before being embraced by wife Wendy and two-year-old daughter Iris.

In emotional scenes during the 158th championship, a sellout crowd cheered Lowry on after every shot.

He has become the fifth Irish player to lift the Claret Jug - following in the footsteps of Fred Daly, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

Lowry finished 15 under par - while Fleetwood, the only player who managed to apply any semblance of pressure on him, wrapped up the tournament nine under par. America's Tony Finau was third.

It was a disappointing result for world number one Brooks Koepka, who was attempting to become the first player in the modern era to finish in the top two in all four majors of a calendar year.

In the end, he had to share fourth place with Lee Westwood.

This is the first time that a British Open has been held in Northern Ireland since 1951.

Sky News correspondent Ian Woods, who is at Royal Portrush, said: "Fantastic for him - and fantastic for everyone who was here as well.

"It was going to be very difficult for anyone to catch him." </s> Ireland's Shane Lowry overcame a bogey on the first hole of his final round to claim his first ever major championship 17 holes later.

In difficult conditions, Lowry overcame a few small wobbles to seal a victory that delighted the crowd at the Royal Portrush golf course in Northern Ireland, who were hosting The British Open for the first time in 68 years. In a battle with England's Tommy Fleetwood that eventually became about who could drop fewer shots, Lowry came out on top.

Tee times had been moved up an hour to avoid the worst of the conditions, although a brief spell of torrid weather by the time the final pair made the seventh hole did make life harder for all the golfers on the course.

The winner of the 148th Open picked up three more birdies in the front nine and despite finishing the front nine with back to back bogeys, he was still ahead by five going into the final nine.

The Irishman bogeyed the 11th and when Fleetwood birdied the 12th to cut the Irishman's lead to four with six holes left suddenly Lowry's lead felt less comfortable.

In the last 20 years, only four players have not won a major after having a third-round lead of four shots of more. Lowry is one of them, having thrown away his chance to win the 2016 U.S. Open. His tee shot on the 13th landed straight in the bunker, suggesting finishing nerves had arrived again. But Lowry, who came off a career best day having shot an 8-under 63 for a British Open record after three rounds, held his nerve. He chipped beautifully out of the sand to land the ball within a few feet of the hole.

Fleetwood, who started the final round just four shots behind Lowry, struggled to put enough pressure on Lowry and was ultimately undone on the 14th. Lowry bogeyed, but Fleetwood double-bogeyed and with that his chance was gone. Lowry led by five with four to play, and when he birdied the 15th even the 32-year-old must have started to believe.

Nine of the last 10 men's golf majors have been won by Americans, but Lowry broke the U.S. streak with victory on the links course to the delight of the crowd. Walking up the 18th, Lowry raised his arms in the air, his face full of emotion. Supporters roared and chanted his name. Lowry knew the Claret Jug was his.

Lee Westwood, Rickie Fowler and former Masters champion Danny Willett all had highs and lows on their final day, but couldn't stay consistent for long enough to truly challenge.

Defending champion Francesco Molinari finished with a fine 5-under-par 66 to be 3-under for the tournament. World number one and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka struggled to recover after bogeying the first four holes and finished the day 2-over-par, and the tournament 7-under. </s> PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland, July 21 (Reuters) - Irishman Shane Lowry staved off the biggest nerves of his golfing life, handling the wind and the rain to win the British Open by six strokes amid emotional scenes at Royal Portrush on Sunday.

Fervently cheered on every shot by the sellout crowd, the 32-year-old from Clara, who began the day with a four stroke lead, was never seriously troubled in the final round with England’s Tommy Fleetwood unable to take his chances to put him under pressure.

Lowry carded one-over-par 72 in strong winds and at times driving rain, but he was rewarded with wild celebrations as the fans charged on to the fairway behind him as he approached the 18th green.

“It’s like an out of body experience. I was so calm coming down the last, I cannot believe it. The weather was awful but I had a look around, and everyone was struggling,” said Lowry who was greeted by his family on the green.

“It became a two horse race with Tommy, and I just tried to focus on staying ahead.”

Lowry finished at 15-under 269, while Fleetwood, shot 74 for second place.

“To lead by four at the start of the day and to keep that and to just control, he literally controlled the tournament from the start of today until the end, that’s a very, very impressive thing to do,” said Fleetwood, who was left to rue the early birdie opportunities he failed to convert.

With the weather making it hard for anyone to make a run from down the leaderboard it quickly turned into a head-to-head duel between Lowry and Fleetwood.

“I got off to a very shaky start,” said Lowry, who had to sink a six-foot putt to salvage bogey at the first.

“I didn’t feel great out there. It’s probably the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt on a golf course. You’re trying to win an Open in your home country, it’s incredibly difficult.”

But once he settled down and looked at a leaderboard he noticed that nobody was making a run at him.

He needed to avoid any big numbers on his card and duly did so, making nothing worse than bogey.

Even three straight bogeys around the turn hardly dented his lead, and a six-foot birdie at the 15th hole that extended his margin to six strokes allowed him to almost enjoy a processional victory march up the final three holes.

“It was just so difficult,” he said. “I kept telling myself bogeys are not going to hurt you, let’s just keep the ball in play and if I make the odd par it will be pretty good.

Lowry savoured the walk up the 18th, greeted with delight by the singing gallery who packed the stands, with some Irish tricolours in the crowd.

After hitting his final approach shot he held his arms aloft in celebration and hugged his caddie, assured finally that there would be no late disaster.

He became the second player from the Republic of Ireland, after Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008, to lift the Claret Jug, a fitting end to the first Open played in Northern Ireland since 1951.

Players from Ireland and Northern Ireland have won five of the past 13 Opens, with Darren Clarke (2011) and Rory McIlroy (2014) also hoisting the Claret Jug.

Harrington and 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell were among those who greeted Lowry next to the 18th green, while McIlroy, the local favourite who missed the cut, was no doubt cheering from afar, Irish eyes smiling all over.

“We’re all one country when it comes to golf,” Lowry said.

“I said to my caddie walking down the last, ‘I can’t believe this is me, this is mine’.

“I’ve watched the Open since I was a little kid and to be named champion golfer of the year is just incredible.”

The win ended American hopes of a clean sweep of the year’s majors — Tony Finau was the best finishing American with his even-par 71 securing third place, eight strokes behind Lowry.

It was a strong showing from British golfers, who secured five of the top ten spots. Scotsman Robert MacIntyre finished sixth in his maiden major after shooting an impressive final round 68.

Lee Westwood finished tied for fourth with Brooks Koepka, a result which means the 46-year-old Englishman will return to the Masters after missing out on Augusta in the past two years. (Reporting by Simon Evans; Writing by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina Editing by Christian Radnedge)

July 18 marks Nelson Mandela day. All over the country, South African citizens devote 67 minutes to charitable causes in memory of Madiba. It's a great initiative and one of those few occasions in South Africa where we come together as a nation in pursuit of a common cause. An annual 67 minutes isn't going to cut it though.

In the words of Madiba: "A critical, independent and investigative free press is the lifeblood of any democracy."

Every day Daily Maverick investigates and exposes the deep rot of state capture and corruption but we need your help. Without our readers' support we simply won't survive. We created Maverick Insider as a membership platform where our readers can become part of our community while ensuring that we can keep doing the investigations that we do and, crucially, that our articles remain free to everyone that reads them. Sign up to Maverick Insider this Mandela Month and make that meaningful contribution last longer than 67 minutes.For whatever amount you choose, you can support Daily Maverick and it only takes a minute. </s> Shane Lowry of Mullingar, Ireland has won the 2019 British Open from the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland. On Sunday, Lowry shot a fourth round score of one over par 72, but was still strong enough to beat his nearest competitor, Tommy Fleetwood of England, by six strokes.

Lowry had a 72 hole score of -15. He was in second place after round one when he shot a four under par 67. Lowry then tied first round leader J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville, KY at -8 on Friday when he shot a score of four under par 67 again. Then on Saturday, Lowry took a four stroke lead on Fleetwood after delivering a sizzling third round score of -8.

Lowry’s eight-under par 63 broke the Portrush Golf Club course record since the golf course was remodelled in 2016. He also set the record for the best score after the third round in the history of the British Open. The previous record belonged to Tom Lehman of Austin, MN, who was at -15 after the first three rounds of the 1996 British Open from the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. Like Lowry, Lehman was over par for his final round (shot a score of two over par), but was able to hang on and win the tournament as he beat Ernie Els of South Africa and Mark McCumber of Jacksonville, FL by two strokes.

On Sunday, Lowry was able to beat Fleetwood in the rain and wind. It was the kind of conditions that helped make the Royal Portrush Golf Club a difficult test for all the players involved.

Lowry becomes the second Irishman to win the British Open. He follows in the footsteps of Padraig Harrington, who won the British Open title in back to back years in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Harrington beat Sergio Garcia of Spain in a playoff in Carnoustie and in 2008, Harrington beat Ian Poulter of England by four strokes at Royal Birkdale. </s> Ireland's Shane Lowry was happy to share the joy of clinching the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush with his family and his friend Padraig Harrington. (1:56)

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Shane Lowry made the 68 years between Open Championships in Northern Ireland worth the wait.

The silver claret jug is staying on the Emerald Isle.

Lowry, the 32-year-old Irishman with stout nerves and a soft touch around the greens, endured the worst weather of the week and the Sunday pressure of a sellout crowd cheering him along to win The Open by six shots at Royal Portrush.

Even as the rain stopped, the tears began flowing.

"I can't believe this is me standing here," Lowry said as he cradled golf's oldest trophy. "I can't believe this is mine."

It was never really in doubt.

Lowry closed with a 1-over 72, the first time since 1996 the Open champion was over par in the final round, and it was no less impressive. More difficult than the rain was wind strong enough to break an umbrella. Lowry began making bogeys in the middle of the round without losing ground. No one from the last 12 groups broke par.

And no one got closer than three shots all day of Lowry, who finished at 15-under 269.

Thousands of fans who filled these links off the North Atlantic began to celebrate when Lowry, after his fourth bogey in seven holes, rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to stretch his lead to six with three holes to play.

Lowry's smile got wider with every hole coming in.

When his approach to the 18th was just on the fringe, he stretched out his arms, hugging caddie Bo Martin. The loudest cheer of a raucous week was for a tap-in par that made Lowry a major champion.

"He's done brilliantly," Lee Westwood said after grinding out a 73 to tie for fourth. "All the chasers would have wanted tough conditions and he's clearly played brilliantly to be on the score he has, under the pressure he's under."

Tommy Fleetwood had to settle for his second runner-up finish in a major. He missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the opening hole that would have cut the deficit to two, and he missed a 5-footer for par on the third hole. His hopes ended with a double bogey from the bunker and the rough, and he closed with a 74.

Tony Finau shot 71 to finish alone in third, though he was never closer than seven shots. Brooks Koepka, going for his fourth major in the last seven, began the final round seven shots behind and opened with four straight bogeys. He shot 74 and tied for fourth.

A man of the people, Ireland's own Shane Lowry wins the first Open Championship played on the island since 1951. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Royal Portrush last hosted The Open in 1951, the only time it had been outside Scotland and England. It pinned hopes at the start of the week on Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut by one shot. It celebrated Darren Clarke hitting the first tee shot Thursday. The other Ulstersman, Portrush native Graeme McDowell, basked in the loudest cheers he has heard this side of the Ryder Cup when he walked up the 18th green on Sunday.

And then along came Lowry, who teamed with McIlroy to bring Irish golf a European Amateur title in 2007, and who won the Irish Open as an amateur 10 years ago. He joins Padraig Harrington as Irishmen to win majors, while McIlroy, McDowell, Clarke and Fred Daly are major champions from Northern Ireland.

"Everyone knows we're all one country when it comes to golf," Lowry said.

It was one big group hug when it ended, starting with his wife and daughter, and his parents. Harrington and McDowell were among those waiting behind the 18th green to share in the celebration, along with Koepka and his caddie, Ricky Elliott, once a promising amateur who grew up at Royal Portrush.

"I didn't feel great out there. It was probably the most uncomfortable I've ever felt on a golf course," Lowry said. "You're out there trying to win an Open in your home country, and it's just incredibly difficult."

It showed early when Lowry pulled his tee shot into the rough, hit into a deep bunker well short of the green and had to make an 8-foot putt just to escape with bogey. The wind was picking up and it was relentless for so much of the day. Lowry made his move on the more forgiving start, with three birdies in a four-hole stretch through the par-5 seventh that boosted his lead to six.

Everyone except Fleetwood fell back.

Island of Champions With Sunday's win at Royal Portrush, Shane Lowry is now the sixth Irishman to win a golf major. Major Titles Shane Lowry 1 Rory McIlroy* 4 Darren Clarke* 1 Graeme McDowell* 1 Padraig Harrington 3 Fred Daly* 1 Listed in order of most recent major win * From Northern Ireland

J.B. Holmes, who shared the 36-hole lead with Lowry until falling back Saturday, really went the wrong direction. He hit his first tee shot out-of-bounds. And it only got worse. He made one birdie and shot 87, the highest final-round score at The Open since Lew Taylor also shot 87 at Muirfield in 1966, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Holmes finished tied for 67th.

Lowry's lead was four shots when he saved par from a bunker left of the par-3 13th. Even on his bogey at the hole, he added to his lead when Fleetwood hit a poor shot from the fairway bunker into the rough, couldn't get to the green and three-putted for a double bogey.

"I never really got close enough, and Shane played great," Fleetwood said. "The conditions were horrendous. It was Shane's time, Shane's tournament."

Lowry shared it with his family who paved the way, the players who inspired him. And after he was introduced as "champion golfer of the year," he shared it with thousands of people he didn't even know, all of them crammed along the hillocks and swales, along the edge of the ocean, and who sat in the horseshoe-shaped grandstands under umbrellas waiting for the Irishman to arrive.

Holding up the claret jug, Lowry said to them, "This one's for you."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
In golf, Shane Lowry of Ireland wins the year's final men's major at Portrush, Northern Ireland by 6 shots over England's Tommy Fleetwood.