Shane Lowry thought he was a goner.
Shane Lowry looked like a total goner with seven holes left to play Satuday in the final round of the HSBC Championship.
It looked like it was time to bury him in the sands of Abu Dhabi.
“I completely thought I was done,” was how Lowry put it after he blew a three-shot lead quickly on the front nine and watched five birdies get playing partner Richard Sterne three in front of him at the turn.
Another bogey on the 11th and Lowry was four behind the cruising Sterne with just seven to play.
Then the Irishman fought back. He made back-to-back birdies at the 12th and 13th then gained new life when Sterne bogeyed the 14th and 16th. Suddenly, with two holes to play, it was all square.
Both players made nice scrambling pars at 17, Lowry had to hole a 14-footer for his and it barely caught a piece of the hole.
It all came down to the par five 18th. With Sterne just a few yards away, the South African sliced his approach and short-sided himself, leaving a near-impossible up-and-down.
Lowry calmly started his approach on the par five on the left side of the green, hit a baby-cut and left himself about 35 feet for eagle.
Lowry’s chances zoomed when Sterne could do no better than 25 feet with his third. Lowry cozied his approach putt to inside three feet then watched Sterne’s birdie attempt miss.
Shane had no problem with the short putt and picked up his biggest victory ever on the European Tour in the fat-purse Rolex Series event. His 71 gave him an 18-under par winning total, one better than Sterne.
“I didn’t think I had that in me today,” said a relieved Lowry afterward. “It means everything. I’m over the moon, it’s been a long, tough couple of years.”
Sterne, who has not won in six years, took the loss in stride.
“I’m just glad that I gave a good performance this week with a strong field. It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent tournament, so I’m pretty happy with the way I performed.”
Joost Luiten posted the day’s low round, 65, and finished solo third. Brooks Koepka’s closing 70 got him to 11-under and a tie for ninth. Dustin Johnson closed with 67 and finished tied for 16;th at nine-under.
LPGA: Another Year, Another South Korean Win:
The LPGA Tour got its season rolling at the Diamond Resort Pro-Am, a winner’s only event in Orlando.
Another year but another South Korean taking the top prize — first round leader Eun-Hee Ji finished at 14-under par to take a two-shot win over fellow South Korean Mirim Lee.
American Nelly Korda grabbed solo third at 11-under par. World’s No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn’s even-par finish left he tied for 18th.
