To celebrate Shane Lowry’s 29th birthday, europeantour.com rewinds the clock to 2009, when the then-amateur won his national Open to spark scenes of joyous celebration at Baltray…
Given his talent and temperament, chances are Shane Lowry would have carved out a decent career for himself anyway. But by becoming only the third amateur to win on The European Tour – and the first to do so on his debut – Lowry dramatically hastened his entry into both the professional game and his nation’s affections.
On a wet and wild day in County Louth, the 22 year old produced an astonishingly mature display which may not have yielded any monetary rewards – as an amateur, he was not entitled to claim the €500,000 first prize – but did ensure his place in Irish sporting folklore.
Not many people get a second chance to make a first impression, but after the opportunity to win his national Open had seemingly passed him by when he pulled a putt from three feet on the 72nd hole, Lowry was given another bite of the cherry in the play-off with Robert Rock, who also finished on 17 under par.
The pair could not be separated after two trips down the 18th hole, but Lowry ensured it would be third time lucky after making a par which Rock was unable to match.
“What am I feeling? Mostly shock,” said Lowry. “This is potentially life-changing.”
One of the first to congratulate Lowry was his good friend Rory McIlroy, who doused the ecstatic winner in champagne.
"I told him when he missed that putt in normal play that he had still got this, that he had to continue to believe." McIlroy said.
And so it has proved, as Lowry promptly joined McIlroy and Co. on The European Tour, subsequently adding victories in the 2012 Portugal Masters and last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
And on those occasions, he got to keep the winner’s cheque.
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