logo
Shane Lowry shakes off frustrating few days to finish with a flourish at Royal Portrush

Shane Lowry shakes off frustrating few days to finish with a flourish at Royal Portrush

Irish Timesa day ago
His final act was pure theatre. Well, almost.
Shane Lowry
's chip from the swale to the left of the 18th green rose upwards and onwards and this Srixon ball – with the number 15, the same shirt number as his dad Brendan had worn for the Offaly footballers back in the day – smacked into the flagstick to settle a couple of feet away.
'I'll give you that Shane,' came a roar from the packed galleries. There are no gimmes in this championship where every strokes counts, and Lowry –
recovered from the virus that had stricken him on Saturday
– rolled in the putt, the 66th stroke of a final round which saw him finish on two-under-par 282.
The real final acts came with his departure, a high-five and hug with his caddie Darren Reynolds and, then, tellingly, pointing to the horseshoe of a grandstand and blowing kisses their way. All around, he had felt the love. Now, it was his time to reciprocate.
Six years ago, Lowry had walked from the same green with the
Claret Jug
in his possession for a party that went on much longer than the two minutes
Scottie Scheffler
had time-lined his celebrations.
READ MORE
This time, a two-stroke penalty for the slightest movement of a ball in the second round which he hadn't seen and had been picked up on television – 'You were robbed,' came shouts from the galleries on a number of occasions over the weekend – and an illness on Saturday which had seen him seeking out the many Portakabin toilets around the links for players.
Shane Lowry walks to the 18th during the final round of the Open at Royal Portrush. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
For the final round, it was more reminiscent of his glory in the 148th Open. A dropped shot on the Par 5 second seemed to kick him into life, as there followed some beautiful golf. The ball was as if on a string, his swing rhythmic, each stroke performed so that the crowds' roars lifted from sandhills and stands to flit around the links as he birdied five of the next seven holes.
One of them was a hole-out from 183 yards – a 7-iron – on the fourth and there was too a hat-trick from the seventh to turn in 32. His only birdie on the homeward run came on the 12th but there were horseshoes and burnt edges before clattering the flagstick on the 18th with his penultimate stroke.
'It's funny what you think about when you're out there, but I thought of Justin Rose while I was over that chip shot and what he did at Birkdale. I thought that would have been pretty cool to finish like that, and I almost did,' said Lowry, who has two weeks off before getting back to the US for the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour.
A good final round can put a pep back in the step and Lowry, for sure, is looking forward to those playoffs but especially at the
Ryder Cup
at Bethpage in September.
'Obviously, I would have liked to do better this week, there's no doubt about that, but it is what it is. I tried my best. I gave it everything I could, and it wasn't to be.
'For me now the next two months, obviously the playoffs are huge, but my focus and my work will be getting out of bed every morning to prepare for hopefully going to Bethpage and winning that Ryder Cup. It's a big thing for us Europeans, and it's a big thing for me. Major season is over now, so everything turns towards the Ryder Cup.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

RTÉ GAA Podcast: Tipperary the kings of Ireland, Cork stunned as day doesn't go to plan
RTÉ GAA Podcast: Tipperary the kings of Ireland, Cork stunned as day doesn't go to plan

RTÉ News​

time20 minutes ago

  • RTÉ News​

RTÉ GAA Podcast: Tipperary the kings of Ireland, Cork stunned as day doesn't go to plan

Shane McGrath joins Jacqui Hurley and Rory O'Neill to look back on a surprise All-Ireland title for Tipperary. Where did Tipp get things right and what do Cork - players and management - get wrong. A third different winner in as many years, is the hurling championship becoming truly open or is there still an elite cohort? Listen to the RTÉ GAA Podcast on the RTÉ Radio Player, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the All-Ireland Camogie Championship semi-finals, Galway v Tipperary and Cork v Waterford, on Saturday from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Watch the All-Ireland Football Championship final, Donegal v Kerry, on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app. Listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player

Paul Casey hails Hannah Tyrrell's nerve as Dublin book All-Ireland final clash with Meath
Paul Casey hails Hannah Tyrrell's nerve as Dublin book All-Ireland final clash with Meath

The Irish Sun

time20 minutes ago

  • The Irish Sun

Paul Casey hails Hannah Tyrrell's nerve as Dublin book All-Ireland final clash with Meath

DUBLIN'S Paul Casey hailed Hannah Tyrrell after they booked their TG4 All-Ireland final slot. Tyrrell ensured it finished level in normal time on Saturday in Tullamore before the Dubs took down Galway. 2 Dublin joint manager Paul Casey hailed Hannah Tyrrell for her impact during the win 2 Tyrrell starred for Dublin as they sealed a final place with the win over Galway The joint-manager said: 'When you get a score at the end to equalise it and bring it to extra-time, you get a little bit of a boost and you get the energy going into it. 'It's fabulous. All-Ireland semi-finals are all about winning and they're awful to lose. The girls managed to find that extra gear in extra-time, particularly that first half of extra-time, and then got crucial goals at crucial times. It was fantastic. 'There is a lot of work we need to do and lots of areas of improvement that we know won't be good enough in two weeks' time. 'We'll recover and we'll dust ourselves down. See how we are in the next couple of days and we've an All-Ireland final to look forward to.' READ MORE ON GAA The Jackies now face Meath in the final on August 3 at Croke Park and Casey knows this is another contest set to go down to the wire. He said: 'We are very familiar with each other. 'Over the last number of years we've probably played no other team as many times. 'Meath are excellent. I think they've improved massively as the Championship has gone on. We've a little bit of extra homework to do on them now, but it's great for Leinster to have two Leinster teams in the final and I'm sure there will be a massive crowd there.' Most read in GAA Football There was little between the sides throughout a fine contest but Dublin hit the front when Tyrrell slotted home a 17th-minute penalty. The sides were back on level terms when the Tribe's Kate Slevin and Roisin Leonard found their the range. RTE GAA pundit embrace Tipperary captain Ronan Maher after his epic display toppled Cork in All-Ireland final But Tyrrell replied with a pointed free on 23 minutes. Eva Noone, Olivia Divilly and Leonard all raised white flags for Daniel Moynihan's side but with Sinead Goldrick and Niamh Hetherton getting their names on the Dublin scoresheet, the teams were level at 1-6 to 0-9 at the break. It took 14 minutes after the restart before the next score arrived through the boot of Dublin corner-forward Kate Sullivan. Slevin levelled matters with a close-in free but Tyrrell responded with a similar effort to re-establish Dublin's slender lead. Galway hit back and two points from Noone edged them in front. And they looked set to prevail when sub Andrea Trill kicked over in response to a Sophie McIntyre effort. But there was enough time left for Tyrrell to force extra-time with a pointed free. The Na Fianna forward seized the initiative for Dublin in extra-time with a brace of points. Divilly registered her third of the game, before sub Orlagh Nolan found the target to put Casey's side two clear at 1-13 to 0-14 at the break in extra-time. The Dubs found themselves on course to set up a repeat of their 2021 decider against Meath when Rowe — with a soccer-style back heel — and Sullivan bagged goals in the second half of extra-time. They survived a nervous finish after Trill and Olivia Divilly rattled the net for Galway in a thrilling finale. Tribe boss Monyihan said: 'With the clock, another two minutes would have been key for us. We put them under the cosh, they couldn't get kickouts out. 'We possibly could have snuck another goal if we had another few minutes but this is sport. It can be extremely cruel at times. 'Dublin will look back on last year and say, 'Well, we've got our turn now' — but this isn't going to go away for a while for us. 'It's difficult to surmise. We went on a great run, we got back to Division 1. 'We backed up our Connacht title as well, which was great, and then had a good run leading into this. 'We felt possibly we could go all the way this year. 'It's just so disappointing that we just didn't finish that off. We'll regret that but we have to move on and think of the positives. 'We may see a few players step away after this season, which is never easy to see, but a lot of those ladies have really battled for Galway.' SCORERS – Dublin: H Tyrrell 1-6, 1-0 pen, 5f, C Rowe 1-2, K Sullivan 1-1, N Hetherton 0-2, S Goldrick 0-1, S McIntyre 0-1, O Nolan 0-1. Galway: O Divilly 1-3, R Leonard 0-5, 4f, A Trill 1-1, E Noone 0-3, 1f, K Slevin 0-2, 1f.

Karl Weschke: Postwar modernist painter who remains criminally under-recognised
Karl Weschke: Postwar modernist painter who remains criminally under-recognised

Irish Times

time20 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

Karl Weschke: Postwar modernist painter who remains criminally under-recognised

Karl Weschke: Painting order out of chaos Hillsboro Fine Art Gallery ★★★★☆ Karl Weschke was a German-British painter, born in 1925, who became a notable figure in postwar British modernism. Though his acclaim never reached the same heights as contemporaries such as Francis Bacon and Peter Lanyon, his talent and influence are undeniable. Karl Weschke in 1962. Photograph: Andrew Lanyon This retrospective at Hillsboro Fine Art on Dublin's Parnell Square is a labour of love by the director John Daly. Personally acquainted with the painter, and now the author of a book on the subject, Daly is a champion of Weschke, persuasively campaigning for a wider recognition of his role in the history of contemporary British art. Born in Gera, a city in the German state of Thuringia, Weschke's childhood was marked by abandonment and Nazi rule. After a period in and out of orphanages, he joined the Luftwaffe at 16, and was captured in 1945 by the British army. He became a prisoner of war and was shipped to the UK. As the war was in its last stage, a surprisingly progressive British military system emphasised rehabilitation and education for German POWs, with the goal of denazification. Weschke attended lectures and talks on many subjects, and was allowed to take courses in art history in St John's College in Cambridge. READ MORE This was a pivotal moment for the otherwise alienated, impoverished teenager. Although he resented his loss of freedom, he later remarked that this period was the first time he had genuinely positive experiences, remembered fondly, and was grateful for the opportunity to study 'the other life' of art and beauty. After his release in 1948, Weschke made the UK his home. He studied sculpture at St Martin's School of Art for one semester, but left, preferring to go to museums on his own to replicate the work of European masters, or sitting quietly in a neighbour's ballet class to sketch the students. His personal life was always tumultuous, and he spent brief periods in other countries. In 1955, however, Weschke moved to Cornwall, and found a landscape that would profoundly shape his work. Karl Weschke: Painting order out of chaos gives its audience a concise summary of the artist's style and thematic focuses over the course of his lifetime. Included in the show, for instance, are the pair Apocalypse and Blue Horse & Black Form, which Weschke showed in 1957, and which were lauded by John Berger. 'A young painter worth going to see and worth remembering for a long time,' the influential critic wrote. Karl Weschke, Girl In Bath There are several of Weschke's abstract works from the 1960s, which evoke the tempestuous, windswept coastline of his environs. There are also two powerful portraits featuring a female nude, facing one another in the last room of the gallery. The first is a reverential yet sensual depiction of a young woman bathing. The other is a study in menacing despondency: a woman in darkness, exposed on a bare mattress, rendered in such a fashion that the tones of her flesh recall a butcher shop display – you are struck, uncomfortably, by the thought that she is about to be eviscerated. Karl Weschke, Exposed Figure, 1979 A fascinating exhibition that gives insight into an under-recognised, though historically significant, 20th-century painter of prodigious talent. Karl Weschke: Painting order out of chaos continues at Hillsboro Fine Art until August 29th

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store