AFTER HIS SECOND place finish in the PGA Championships over the weekend, Ireland’s Shane Lowry has earned a spot at next month’s US Open.
The Offaly native was second to Rory McIlroy at Wenworth having led for a period on the final day and travelled to nearby Walton Heath today to compete in the sectional qualifier for the Major, which takes place at Pinehurst in North Carolina 12-15 June.
Lowry carded eight-under-par after two rounds to win the qualifier and claim one of the 14 places on offer for what will be his second US Open appearance.
He tweeted:
Shane Lowry / Twitter
Shane Lowry / Twitter / Twitter
Three-time winner Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, will miss the competition for the first time since 1999 after his rounds of 75 and 71 left him two-over.
“The damage was done in the morning,” Harrington told GolfWeek.com. “I made a few mistakes at times and just didn’t quite know the golf course. I was never comfortable with the pace of the greens, and I had a number of three-putts.
“You do need to play well to get through these things. You’ve got to have things go right for you. You can’t even have an average day. You’ve got to have a good day.”
