Shane Lowry of Ireland entered the third round of the British Open tied with J.B. Holmes at 8-under par. Several other contenders were within a few strokes, including a pair of Englishman in Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood.
The 32-year-old Lowry rocketed past the competition with a course record 8-under 63, placing him four strokes ahead of Fleetwood for the lead entering the final day at Royal Portrush. This means he is 18 holes away from his first major championship.
“I just felt so comfortable out there and hope I do tomorrow,” he told the Telegraph. “I have a tough 24 hours ahead of me, but there’s nowhere I would rather be. I have a four-shot lead in an Open in Ireland. Tomorrow is going to be incredible no matter what happens.”
He’s seen some success before with four top-10 finishes. He ended up in a 3-way tie for second place at the 2016 U.S. Open, trailing Dustin Johnson by three strokes. His other top-10 performances came at the 2015 U.S. Open, 2014 British Open and 2019 PGA Championship.
His only PGA Tour victory came at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in 2015. Since turning pro in 2009, he has tallied 11 top-10 finishes. However, he also has the following victories on the international circuit:
- 2009 The 3 Irish Open [European Tour]
- 2012 Portugal Masters [European Tour]
- 2019 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA
He expressed to The 42 last December that he feels more comfortable in Europe than in the United States.
“I failed in America,” he said. “I lost my card and didn’t do well over there. I came back to Europe and did okay, but it hasn’t been a good year for me. I’ve had a strange two years, to be honest. I feel every time I go to America, I struggle a little bit and then I come back to Europe I feel like I play okay and contend.”
Shane Lowry Career Earnings
Should Lowry continue to stiffarm the other contenders at the British Open, he would take home $1,935,000, as well as the Claret Jug. This would add to his hefty career earnings of $18,792,308 per Yahoo Sports.
About a third of that has come on the PGA Tour in the form of $5,526,348.
His total career amount would be £446,000 ($557,611) higher if he had won the 2009 Irish Open as a professional. According to The Sun, he was not eligible for the prize money, as he took the title as an amateur.
He also has lucrative endorsement deals with club and ball manufacturers Srixon and the Bank of Ireland.
Lowry knew after his win that he would make millions from sponsors queuing up to sign him anyway.
Asked about missing out on all that dosh at the time, Lowry said: “Obviously it would be great [to have the money], but I’m sure I won’t have to worry about that in the future.
Lowry is also sponsored by Kingspan and Immedis. While some golfers relish in their earnings by purchasing lavish homes and fancy cars, Lowry simply is focused on providing for his family.
“Whether that’s to just go out and provide a life for my family, or whether it’s to go out and win as much as I can,” he told The 42. “It’s somewhere in between those. I want to win as much as I can and I get frustrated as much as anyone when I don’t win or I’m not playing well, but at the end of the day I just feel lucky I can go out and provide a good life for my family.”
He tees off in the final round at 8:47 a.m Eastern time Sunday on NBC.
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Shane Lowry Major Wins, PGA Tour Victories & Career Earnings