SHANE LOWRY has finished tied for third at the DP World India Championship today.
The Offaly native was in contention going into the final day, as he finished three shots off the lead on Saturday.
A round-four 68 meant Lowry had to settle for a share of third place, along with England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, who all finished on 18 under par.
English star Tommy Fleetwood triumphed with a 65, seeing him finish on 22 under, with Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who had led going into the final day, two shots adrift in second.
Tommy Fleetwood sealed a two-shot win in India. AP Photo / Dharam Diwakar/Alamy Stock Photo
AP Photo / Dharam Diwakar/Alamy Stock Photo / Dharam Diwakar/Alamy Stock Photo
Rory McIlroy registered a 71 that meant he finished tied for 26th on 11-under.
Lowry had a promising start with three birdies in his opening eight holes, but a bogey on the ninth saw his chances of triumphing fade.
Further birdies on the 14th and 18th were enough for a top-three finish.
McIlroy began the day tied for 15th on 10-under, but had mixed fortunes on the front nine, with two birdies and two bogeys.
After tapping in for par at the last, the popular Fleetwood enjoyed a magical moment when his seven-year-old son Frankie charged across the green to hug his father to huge cheers from the packed galleries.
“So we were at home last week and we were playing golf together and (Frankie) just said randomly: ‘Do you know what you’ve never done?’” explained Fleetwood.
“‘You’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to run on to the 18th green’.
“All day today, I had in my mind: ‘Could I put myself in a position where I can actually make that moment happen?’.
“It’s just one of those little things that means a lot to me. That was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day.”
Fleetwood took control with four birdies from the seventh at the devilishly tight Delhi Golf Club, but it was a crucial par putt at the 11th that kept his round going.
- Big putt -
“That one on 11 — I hit a couple of poor iron shots there on 11 and 12 — but that putt was big and I managed to just keep it going through the back nine,” said Fleetwood.
The 34-year-old put the title beyond doubt with a brilliant 25-foot putt for an eighth birdie of the day at the 17th to end Nakajima’s chances, and the Japanese player had to settle for second.
The Englishman’s win followed him lifting the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup order of merit in August.
He sealed that by finishing in the top four of the first two PGA Tour playoff events and then winning the season-ending Tour Championship for his maiden victory on the US-based circuit.
“There’s plenty of times where things haven’t gone my way,” said Fleetwood.
“But the last two tournaments (where) I’ve been in contention I’ve won, so maybe things are starting to even out a little bit.”
Fleetwood adds another title to his stellar season. AP Photo / Dharam Diwakar/Alamy Stock Photo
AP Photo / Dharam Diwakar/Alamy Stock Photo / Dharam Diwakar/Alamy Stock Photo
Fleetwood, the world number five, was also the leading points scorer for the victorious European team at the Ryder Cup last month.
The inaugural $4 million event in India attracted a host of Ryder Cup players and star names to the historic Lodhi course at Delhi Golf Club, a green lung in the heart of the city studded with the ruins of Mughal-era tombs.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland finished with a flourish, sinking a chip for an eagle three at the 18th to get into a three-way tie for sixth at 17-under.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier briefly threatened an upset with seven birdies in his first 10 holes to take the early final-round lead.
But he was derailed by a double-bogey seven at the 14th and slipped back to finish at 16-under par and a share of ninth place.
Kim Sei-young won her first LPGA title in five years. AP Photo / Lee Jin-man/Alamy Stock Photo
AP Photo / Lee Jin-man/Alamy Stock Photo / Lee Jin-man/Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere, Leona Maguire finished on four under and tied for 56th at the BMW Ladies Championship on Sunday.
South Korea’s Kim Sei-young overcame crippling doubts to win her first LPGA title in five years when she triumphed on home soil by four strokes.
Kim led from the first round to the last at Pine Beach Golf Links on the southwestern tip of South Korea, lifting the trophy after finishing ahead of Japan’s Nasa Hataoka.
Additional reporting by AFP
You can view the full leaderboard here for DP World India Championship and here for the BMW Ladies Championship.
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Shane Lowry finishes tied for third at DP World India Championship
Updated at 13.10
SHANE LOWRY has finished tied for third at the DP World India Championship today.
The Offaly native was in contention going into the final day, as he finished three shots off the lead on Saturday.
A round-four 68 meant Lowry had to settle for a share of third place, along with England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, who all finished on 18 under par.
English star Tommy Fleetwood triumphed with a 65, seeing him finish on 22 under, with Japan’s Keita Nakajima, who had led going into the final day, two shots adrift in second.
Rory McIlroy registered a 71 that meant he finished tied for 26th on 11-under.
Lowry had a promising start with three birdies in his opening eight holes, but a bogey on the ninth saw his chances of triumphing fade.
Further birdies on the 14th and 18th were enough for a top-three finish.
McIlroy began the day tied for 15th on 10-under, but had mixed fortunes on the front nine, with two birdies and two bogeys.
The Hollywood native remained somewhat inconsistent thereafter, as birdies on the 11th and 18th were offset by a bogey on the 14th.
Nakajima began the day with a two-shot cushion at 17-under par, but his three-under 69 was not enough to hold off the charge of the Englishman.
After tapping in for par at the last, the popular Fleetwood enjoyed a magical moment when his seven-year-old son Frankie charged across the green to hug his father to huge cheers from the packed galleries.
“So we were at home last week and we were playing golf together and (Frankie) just said randomly: ‘Do you know what you’ve never done?’” explained Fleetwood.
“‘You’ve never won a tournament and I’ve been able to run on to the 18th green’.
“All day today, I had in my mind: ‘Could I put myself in a position where I can actually make that moment happen?’.
“It’s just one of those little things that means a lot to me. That was really cool. That’s what I wanted to do all day.”
Fleetwood took control with four birdies from the seventh at the devilishly tight Delhi Golf Club, but it was a crucial par putt at the 11th that kept his round going.
- Big putt -
“That one on 11 — I hit a couple of poor iron shots there on 11 and 12 — but that putt was big and I managed to just keep it going through the back nine,” said Fleetwood.
The 34-year-old put the title beyond doubt with a brilliant 25-foot putt for an eighth birdie of the day at the 17th to end Nakajima’s chances, and the Japanese player had to settle for second.
The Englishman’s win followed him lifting the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup order of merit in August.
He sealed that by finishing in the top four of the first two PGA Tour playoff events and then winning the season-ending Tour Championship for his maiden victory on the US-based circuit.
“There’s plenty of times where things haven’t gone my way,” said Fleetwood.
“But the last two tournaments (where) I’ve been in contention I’ve won, so maybe things are starting to even out a little bit.”
Fleetwood, the world number five, was also the leading points scorer for the victorious European team at the Ryder Cup last month.
The inaugural $4 million event in India attracted a host of Ryder Cup players and star names to the historic Lodhi course at Delhi Golf Club, a green lung in the heart of the city studded with the ruins of Mughal-era tombs.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland finished with a flourish, sinking a chip for an eagle three at the 18th to get into a three-way tie for sixth at 17-under.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier briefly threatened an upset with seven birdies in his first 10 holes to take the early final-round lead.
But he was derailed by a double-bogey seven at the 14th and slipped back to finish at 16-under par and a share of ninth place.
Elsewhere, Leona Maguire finished on four under and tied for 56th at the BMW Ladies Championship on Sunday.
South Korea’s Kim Sei-young overcame crippling doubts to win her first LPGA title in five years when she triumphed on home soil by four strokes.
Kim led from the first round to the last at Pine Beach Golf Links on the southwestern tip of South Korea, lifting the trophy after finishing ahead of Japan’s Nasa Hataoka.
Additional reporting by AFP
You can view the full leaderboard here for DP World India Championship and here for the BMW Ladies Championship.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
DP World India Championship Golf Review Rory McIllroy Shane Lowry Tommy Fleetwood