Updated 23.00
SHANE LOWRY HAS claimed the biggest win of his career, by taking the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone.
The Offaly man shot a sensational four under par final round of 66, an 8ft birdie on the last wrapping up a two stroke win on 11 under, with Bubba Watson back on nine under.
Lowry got off to a great start, birdieing the second hole for the fourth time this week, before a consistent run of pars kept him in contention with Jim Furyk, Justin Rose and Bubba Watson.
However, this six foot birdie putt at the eighth hole sent him level at the top, with Furyk’s bogey on the same hole shortly after giving Lowry sole ownership of the lead.
A par on nine left him with a front nine of 33, but he appeared in trouble off the tee on 10, landing in thick rough.
But a stunning iron shot around the trees pitched perfectly at the edge of the green, rolling to within a tap-in for birdie and a two shot lead at the top.
Consecutive pars at 11, 12 13 kept him ahead of the pair, and this 17 foot putt at 14 to save par looked like the turning point, showing enormous bottle to carve it into the hole.
Further pars followed at 15, 16 and 17, but his lead was cut to one when Bubba Watson made it to -9 in the clubhouse.
He led by one heading up the last, but found himself in trouble off the tee.
Once again though, a stunning rescue left him around eight feet for birdie and most likely the championship, and he made no mistake.
Furyk and Rose couldn’t perform miracles on the final hole, giving Lowry the biggest win of his career to date.
On top of the trophy and €1.4m cheque, the win also has major implications for Lowry, with a three-year exemption on the PGA tour, a place in the top 20 in the world, and implications on the Ryder Cup, Fed-Ex Cup and Olympic qualification for the 28-year-old
