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суббота, 20 июля 2019 г.

"Many Photos" - The Open 2019: Shane Lowry opens up a four-shot lead at The Open

Long after the completion of his historic, course-record 63 and a four-shot lead going into the final round, his army of fans were belting out the song that must have echoed the thoughts of every other competitor playing in the 148th edition of the Open.


To the tune of 'Hey Baby (will you be my girl)', they rather wittily demanded: 'Hey, Shane Lowry, I wanna know-ow-ow how you scored so low.' Don't we all?


For a man to shoot such a score at Portrush would have been some performance at the back end of the field, with no pressure.





Shane Lowry opened up a four-shot lead at The Open by setting a course record on Saturday





Ireland's Lowry celebrates a putt on the 15th hole during the third round at Royal Portrush


Ireland's Lowry celebrates a putt on the 15th hole during the third round at Royal Portrush





Roared on by a capacity crowd, Lowry carded a stunning eight-under-par 63


Roared on by a capacity crowd, Lowry carded a stunning eight-under-par 63



For a man to do so in the final group on the penultimate round was truly stunning — and that's before considering the context of Lowry being an Irishman and the Open on Irish soil for the first time in 68 years.


It earned the 32-year-old from Offaly a four-shot lead over England's Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a hardly shabby 66 himself, with American JB Holmes in third place, a distant six shots back. And so, a decade on from winning the Irish Open as an amateur on a rain-soaked afternoon down the coast at Baltray, Lowry will now have the opportunity to claim a greater prize in the teeth of what promises to be another tempest.


The terrible weather didn't stop the locals from supporting him back then and the prospect of another drenching in gathering winds certainly won't today.





This will surely prove an occasion to demonstrate that golf is right up there with rugby when it comes to uniting Ireland.


As birdie followed birdie for Lowry during a marvellous third round, it provoked delirium in the grandstands and among the watching hordes who were standing 15-deep in places over the closing holes. There was even a birdie at the celebrated par-three 16th — certainly no Calamity on this day — to send Portrush into rapture.


As Lowry came up the 18th hole, the sounds of 'Ole, ole' developed into a rousing chorus, a salute to one of the truly great rounds in recent Open history. Standing next to Lowry on Saturday will be Fleetwood and the enticing prospect of a masterclass in links golf, given the frightful weather forecast.


Here are two noted bad-weather exponents who know how to keep the ball low and fend off the elements.


The champion golfer of the year must surely come from this pair, who happen to be two of the nicest men in the sport.


The American domination of majors — with nine victories out of the last 10 and seeking a first clean sweep in a calendar year since 1982 — hangs by a thread.


Under normal circumstances, Fleetwood would have been delighted to post a 66 and particularly when starting out in the penultimate group. He certainly wouldn't have expected to lose significant ground. 


The roars for Fleetwood will hardly compare with those for Lowry on Saturday but he certainly won't be entering a lion's den. The fabulous reception he got at the 18th said everything about the fact that if they can't cheer a Lowry win, a victory for the 28-year-old from Southport might well be the next best thing.




England's Tommy Fleetwood is Lowry's nearest challenger on 12 under par after carding a 6


England's Tommy Fleetwood is Lowry's nearest challenger on 12 under par after carding a 66



'The atmosphere for us golfers is just incredible,' said Fleetwood. 'I loved it. For you or against you, you can't help but appreciate and love what today was and what tomorrow is going to be.


'It's not going to be any quieter and it will be more challenging playing with Shane. But this is what we live for as golfers.'


It is not quite a two horse race. Not with American Brooks Koepka and Englishman Justin Rose tied for fourth place, seven strokes adrift. Not given what happened the last time Lowry went into the final round of a major with the lead.


That was in 2016 at the US Open when he also had a four-stroke advantage, only to lose out to Dustin Johnson. It took Lowry quite a time to come to terms with that loss, but he's already got a win in Abu Dhabi under his belt this season and looks a better-equipped golfer now.


'I know it's going to be a tough 24 hours,' said Lowry. 'But there's no place I'd rather be. A four-shot lead in the Open and it being staged in Ireland. What else could you want?'


As for Rose, he finally lit a spark under a quiet round with an eagle, birdie run from the 12th, but a bogey at Calamity took away the momentum and, with two pars to finish, he signed for a 68.


Koepka, seeking to prolong his wonderful run of 1-2-1-2 in the last four majors, showed a lot of class in the equable manner in which he dealt with a putter that wasn't so much cold as locked in a deep freeze. From tee to green he could hardly have played better.






Time and again he had chances for birdies and time and again the putts slipped by. Typical golf, he finally got one to drop from 20ft at the 18th. It meant a 67, which was good enough but could easily have been a 63. Perhaps that putt at the end will lead to plenty more being holed today. He will need them.


Starting eight shots back will be the two best players who have never won a major — Lee Westwood and Rickie Fowler. Westwood slipped away on the back nine but was all smiles at the end after a 70. At 46, you have to cherish days like this.


As for Fowler, he will have plenty more chances to win majors but, even after a 66, he's surely too far back.


The loudest roars might have belonged to Lowry but it is a commentary on the popularity of Fleetwood and Westwood — two men who have been huge supporters of the Irish Open — that it wasn't by much early on.




'I really enjoyed today, obviously I played great golf and the crowd were incredible,' Lowry said


'I really enjoyed today, obviously I played great golf and the crowd were incredible,' Lowry said



When Fleetwood rolled in a confident 20ft putt at the first, you could have been forgiven for thinking you were on the other side of the Irish Sea at Royal Birkdale.


After a quiet time in the majors this year, this was more like it from one of Europe's elite. Fleetwood came here wanting simply to give himself a chance to win on Sunday afternoon.


He will have that all right but he has it all to do, with Ireland braced for the mother of all golfing celebrations and Lowry 18 holes away from joining the nation's sporting immortals.





link
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/the-open-2019-shane-lowry-opens-up-a-four-shot-lead-at-the-open/
News Photo The Open 2019: Shane Lowry opens up a four-shot lead at The Open
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