Shane Lowry. ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Shane Lowry got 2019 off to a rip-roaring start when he opened with a course record equalling, 10-under par 62 in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in Doha.
The Clara man (31) made ten birdies in a brilliant display of ball-striking to match Henrik Stenson’s 12-year old course record and lead by three strokes in the clubhouse from South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and France’s Mike Lorenzo Vera.
Course record tied ✍🏼🥇
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 16, 2019
And @ShaneLowryGolf leads by three.#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/M2ApMPLNqs
It was a score that equalled the lowest of Lowry’s 11-year professional career — the 62 he shot in the second round of the Irish Open in his first start in a professional event at County Louth in 2009. Scores
On that occasion, Lowry went on to win the event as an amateur, beating Robert Rock in a playoff.
This one could prove equally pivotal for the Clara man, who is 75th in the world and looking to get back into the top 50.
While he will concentrate on the European Tour after failing to keep his US card last year, he knows that he can still challenge for a Ryder Cup spot when qualifying for Pádraig Harrington’s Ryder Cup team begins in the latter half of the year, mixing WGC’s and majors with Rolex Series events and occasional trips across the pond.
World No 2 Brooks Koepka started well, carding a five-under 67 as No 3 Dustin Johnson battled his way to a 69 despite not playing his best.
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, who is bidding for a hat-trick if was, was tied for 13th with Johnson after a 69.
Greystones’ Paul Dunne was one of the later starters.
More to follow….
from News - Irish Golf Desk http://bit.ly/2Hej5gF
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