Rory McIlroy was not present to see Shane Lowry lift the Irish Open trophy, ending his four-year wait for a title. Lowry had seized control at the top of the leaderboard following a course-record eight-under-par 62 on Friday, before closing out the win at Donald Trump's Doonbeg resort over the weekend.
Lowry's commanding victory
The Offaly native carded a 63 final round on Sunday to emphatically seal an 11-shot triumph with Joaquin Niemann and Patrick Reid tied second. It marked Lowry's second success in his home open, 17 years on from his maiden title, when he prevailed as an amateur at Co. Louth Golf Club.
He went on to claim his first major in the form of The Open Championship in 2019, though his form had plummeted this season prior to this commanding performance in Ireland.
McIlroy's early departure
The images of Lowry's 2009 triumph in Baltray remain vivid, with McIlroy sprinting onto the green to drench his youthful companion in Champagne. There was no such repeat on this occasion, however, as McIlroy departed after completing his final round, having sent his apologies.
The six-time major winner was out of contention throughout the week, finishing well adrift after struggling on the greens, and had already left before Lowry began his final round. McIlroy, now the world No.2, departed to return to England and be reunited with his wife, Erica, and daughter, Poppy.
Looking ahead to Wentworth
They have a house on the Wentworth estate, where he will feature in next week's BMW PGA Championship. "I'm going to see my girls in London," McIlroy said. "I'm going to get out of here quickly. They just got into London this morning, so I'll head over there, get back and get ready for next week."
McIlroy did insist he was fully backing his pal before departing. "It would be absolutely incredible [if Lowry won]," he said. "He's had a couple of chances. He had a big chance earlier this year at the Cognizant. I felt like he never got going with his season after that. Knocked him back a little bit.
"To see him in contention out there, obviously the whole country would love to see him get it done, me included. It would be a great way to cap off [the week]. It would be an amazing thing for Shane after - he would tell you himself - struggling for most of the year after he didn't win at the Cognizant. We're all cheering him on, and hopefully he gets it done."
