Shane Lowry (born 2 April 1987) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. His notable achievements include winning the 2019 Open Championship, the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009, and the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Early life Born in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Lowry grew up in Clara, County Offaly. He is the son of Brendan Lowry, who won the 1982 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final with Offaly. Shane Lowry maintained his links with Offaly as his golfing career advanced, saying in 2021: "But any time I get the chance to go to O'Connor Park and watch Offaly play, I do and I am the first to give out if they lose and I am sitting in the stand." Lowry learned his early golf at Esker Hills Golf Club, where he began his amateur career. He attended Athlone Institute of Technology as a scholarship student on the Higher Certificate in Sport and Recreation. Amateur career Lowry was the 2007 Irish Amateur Close Champion, defeating Niall Turner 4 and 3 in the final. Lowry was part of the Irish teams, combined from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, winning the European Amateur Team Championship in 2007 and 2008, on the first occasion in the same team as Rory McIlroy. While still an amateur in May 2009, he won The Irish Open at County Louth Golf Club on the European Tour, defeating Robert Rock on the third hole of a sudden death playoff. The win, on his tour debut, made him just the third amateur to win on the European Tour, following Danny Lee earlier in the 2009 season, and Pablo Martín in 2007. Lowry shot a 62 to equal the lowest ever by an amateur on the circuit and led from the second round onwards. With this win, he entered the Official World Golf Ranking as an amateur at No. 168 and reached a career high of sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Walker Cup captain Colin Dagleish described the win as "fairytale stuff", adding: "You'd have to say that Shane's victory was the biggest (of the three amateur wins). To win your own national Open is quite something. It was unbelievable, it really was." The win was only the second home victory since 1982 and the first since Pádraig Harrington in 2007. Harrington himself