IRISH EYES ARE SMILING
The last hour was a procession. Not quite Caesar returning to Rome in triumph but not far off it as Shane Lowry and his caddie made their calm, considered way towards the merry climax to this 148th Open Championship.
Wrapped in a six-shot lead, the 18th hole, usually a roaring lion of a challenge, was no more than a pussycat obstacle, a tiny hurdle for them to step over and into the old game’s history. Some win, some week, some performance by a golfer few fancied to do anything other than turn up as Royal Portrush revealed its startling beauty to an impressed world.
On TV, Paul McGinley pressed the case for Lowry’s consideration but the rest of us could see little or no reason why this man from south of the border should be a serious contender for this glittering title. For sure, he always has been a golfer capable of terrific stuff but too often he has been found wanting – an occasional, significant force but not a consistent one.
His last four Opens were spent watching the weekend action back home on television and though he arrived in Portrush a revitalised golfer over the last 12 months, it remained a stretch to pick him out when
