On Tiger Woods’ most hallowed turf at Firestone CC, Ohio (eight PGA Tour victories on this course), Irishman Shane Lowry showed temperament befitting the great man with a stunning victory at the Bridgestone Invitational. Given the relatively new territory that Lowry was treading, it was remarkable that the Offalyman managed to pull off a blemish-free 66 – no bogey on his card — to close out the victory for his first PGA Tour win. To put into perspective, this was the first time that Lowry had seriously contended a World Golf Championship event. To win a WGC is a tremendous achievement. The four WGCs, along with the Players Championship, are the most important events in world golf after the majors.

The affable Irishman has come a long way since he caught Irish attention with a win at the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009. Then a fresh-faced Lowry thrilled the Irish golfing public with a free-flowing fearless display. Six years later, Lowry has improved his game to such an extent that another victory seemed on the horizon. A top-10 finish at the US Open suggested that his game was ready for big tournaments. Few would have believed that it would come at an event where 48 of the world’s top 50 players were present, with only his pal Rory McIlroy and injured Chris Kirk absent.

To highlight just how far Lowry has come in bringing his game towards the upper echelons of the game, this week his average driving distance was the same as Dustin Johnson, who is currently leading the PGA Tour in driving distance. On a long course like Firestone, it meant that no one was gaining an advantage on Lowry off the tee. This complemented an excellent short-game. Lowry has always been a great pitcher and chipper of the ball and this week his putter was hot also. He holed several putts, rocking an old school Odyssey 2-ball putter with aplomb. On holes 14 and 17, Lowry holed two key par putts that kept his momentum going. In the end, he defeated Bubba Watson by two strokes. The best shot Lowry hit however was the 2nd shot at the 10^th hole, which will live long in the memory. It was one of the shots of the year so far. Seemingly blocked off entirely by trees, Lowry pulled off a spectacularly high cut shot that side spinned all the way to a couple of feet from the hole. It turned a possible bogey into a certain birdie. With third round leaders Justin Rose and Jim Furyk fading in the final group, it put him in a prime position to win the tournament.

“It’s hard to believe” said a delighted Lowry after the round. “But I played good stuff today. I was quite nervous but made a lot of good decisions and got a bit of luck as well”. Modest as ever in victory, this win will be very popular all over his home country. The Midlander has remained firmly grounded since he burst onto the tour scene. He follows in the footsteps of McIlroy and Darren Clarke in winning this prestigious event. Like Clarke, it is hard to dislike a man who gives off such an everyman underdog vibe. Unlike many ‘fitness freaks’ that dominate the tour, Lowry is far from a physical specimen. Yet he is blessed with terrific hand-eye co-ordination and is blessed with sporting genes from his father, who won an All-Ireland for Offaly in Gaelic football.

While it is not a major win, this is a massive progression in Lowry’s career. Before the event, he had not secured his card in the US for next year. He now has a three-year exemption on the PGA Tour. He is now eligible for the Fed-Ex Cup playoffs, where the final prize is a jackpot of $10m. Let’s just say that he could enjoy quite a few pints of Guinness with that kind of money. Guinness will have to be reserved for small amounts however on this occasion. Lowry must prepare for the final major of the season, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, which starts next week.