Shane Lowry Now Nineteen

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Shane Lowry heads into this week’s US PGA Championship at a career-high 19th in the world after claiming the biggest victory of his career in brilliant fashion in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Lowry carded a flawless final round of 66 at Firestone Country Club to finish 11 under par, two shots ahead of double Masters champion Bubba Watson, with former US Open champions Justin Rose and Jim Furyk another two shots back.

“It’s hard to believe but I played good today,” Lowry told Sky Sports 4. “I was quite nervous out there towards the end but made a lot of good decisions, hit the ball well and got a bit of luck as well which was nice.

“It’s great to be able to pull something off. I was kind of doubting myself a little this year, things haven’t been going my way but when you come out the other end it’s always nice.”

Lowry began the final round two shots off the lead but wiped out the deficit with birdies on the second and eighth before a spectacular recovery over the trees on the 10th set up another from two feet.

That gave the 28-year-old a two-shot lead and although Watson twice closed within a shot, Lowry found himself needing to par the last two holes for victory.

After his approach to the 17th ran up against the collar of rough Lowry produced an excellent chip and held his nerve to hole from five feet, but looked to be in trouble when he pulled his tee shot on the last into the trees.

However, the former Irish Open champion – he was still an amateur when he won the title in 2009 – found a good lie in the rough and powered a wedge over the trees to 11 feet, from where he holed for a birdie to make certain of the first prize of 1,570,000 US dollars.

“I was trying to get it on the front right of the green but pulled it a little bit, it went through the tree and rest is history,” added Lowry, who missed the cut on his US PGA debut at Whistling Straits in 2010.

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Lowry Wins WGC-Bridgestone

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Shane Lowry shot a flawless final round of 66 to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron and claim his third European Tour title.

The Irishman fired four birdies on Sunday to finish the tournament on 11 under par, two shots ahead of two time Major Champion Bubba Watson.

Lowry began the final round at Firestone Country Club two shots off the lead held by overnight co-leaders Justin Rose and Jim Furyk, but he wiped out the deficit with birdies on the second and eighth holes.

The 28 year old began his back nine with a birdie on the tenth to take a two shot lead over the chasing pack on ten under par.

Furyk went within a shot of Lowry when he sank his five foot birdie putt on the 11th, only to bogey the next and drop back to eight under.

Lowry maintained his two shot advantage with a superb par save from 20 feet on the 14th after finding a fairway bunker off the tee.

Lowry's lead was cut to one shot when Watson fired his sixth birdie of the day at the 17th to go to nine under par.

But he held his nerve and went 11 under par when he sank his six foot putt at the last to win his first WGC title.

Rose and Furyk finished in a share of third place on seven under, with Robert Streb one shot further back.

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McIlroy Whistling on Saturday

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Rory McIlroy has scheduled a practice round for Saturday at Whistling Straits, site of next week’s US PGA, a reliable source told Reuters on Monday.

The world No1 has not played since rupturing the anterior ligament in his left ankle early last month, an injury that prevented him from defending his Open title at St Andrews.

McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

News that the four-times major champion plans to play on the Wisconsin course this weekend is the first indication that he may defend his title at the US PGA, which starts on Thursday week.

McIlroy, 26, won last year’s event by one stroke at Valhalla in Kentucky. He has ruled himself out of this week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio.

An employee at Whistling Straits told Reuters he was not allowed to comment on scheduled practice rounds by players before the championship.

Some medical experts said the injury suffered by McIlroy normally takes about 12 weeks to heal.

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Lowry Firestone Putts Costly

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Shane Lowry let slip valuable strokes in the closing two holes on the opening day of the WGC–Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

Lowry was just a shot from the lead heading to his 17th before ending three shots behind clubhouse leader Rickie Fowler who carded a three-under-par 67 and less than a week after grabbing second place in last week’s Quicken Loans Open.

The Claraman was on the practice putting green despite recording a respectable 29 putts in his ninth round of the Firestone Country Club layout.

“I actually made the course look easy today and apart from the last hole, I hit the ball the best I’ve hit it for a long while,” said Lowry.

“So I am actually quite disappointed with that score as I also putted poorly and I will work on that aspect of my game this afternoon.

“I know that if I can get my putting sorted out I can do something really well these next two weeks.

“I haven’t dabbled in changing putters, so I am just sticking with the same one but in saying that it’s always about seeing the ball going in the hole.

“The sad thing out there today was that I was sand wedges into several of the holes, a lob-wedge into 11, a 9-iron into 13, a sand iron into 14, 16 and 17, and also the last so I am giving myself so many chances.”

“So while level I guess it’s a good score, if someone was to go out there and shoot five under then that would be a great score.”

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McIlroy in Major Miss Two

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Rory McIlroy will not be fit for next week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio.

The reigning champion has told organisers he will not be defending his title at the Firestone Country Club as he continues his recovery from a ruptured ankle ligament.

McIlroy's short statement made no mention of when he might return from the injury, suffered during a kickabout with friends earlier this month.

The damage has already prevented him defending his Open Championship title, and the latest withdrawal will raise further question marks about the likelihood of the world No 1 playing the season's final major - the USPGA at Whistling Straits next month.

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At the time of his Open withdrawal McIlroy said only that he was taking a "long-term view" and hoped to return "as soon as I can".

In a short statement he said: "Unfortunately I will not be defending my title. Best of luck to the rest of the competitors and I look forward to returning to Firestone in 2016."

And tournament officials have announced that four-time PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk will not compete in Akron after failing to recover from the broken hand he suffered while playing with his children before the Open Championship.

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Rory Ready to Show Firestone

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Rory McIlroy is determined to start turning his season around at this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron.

The world No 3 described himself as "brain dead" at the Open Championship after erratic rounds of 75 and 79 left him on 12 over par, four shots outside the cut.

McIlroy has yet to win since making his controversial switch to Nike at the turn of the year, but he hopes spending time with friends at home and advice on his demeanour from putting coach Dave Stockton will lift his game in Ohio.

"I was sitting up here this time last year not feeling as if my game was in great shape," said McIlroy, who brushed aside a run of poor form to finish in a tie for fifth at Firestone last season.

"I'm sitting up here this year a lot more positive and that's a great sign. It's a course I feel I can do well on and if something similar can happen to last year, that would set up for the last major of the season and a great end of the year.

"It's been up and down (since the same time last year). I've had some great weeks and wins and had some very average ones as well. It's like everything, you are going to have ups and downs.

"My highs have been incredibly high and my lows have been pretty low so it's about trying to make it more on an even keel."

Stockton has reiterated his advice to McIlroy that he needs to smile more and have better body language on the course, even when things are not going well.

"I've always said it's easier to smile when you are making birdies," added McIlroy, who has been paired with Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker for the first two rounds.

"But the thing he said last year that I am trying to do again is that if someone is watching you from the outside, don't let them know whether you have made a birdie or a bogey.

"I've become a little too emotionally involved with my golf over the past few months and let it either get me excited or down where I should not get too high or too low."

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