A spectacular 11th hole eagle helped Ireland’s Shane Lowry clinch the Portugal Masters on Sunday by one shot from Ross Fisher.
Lowry, lying four shots off the lead going into the closing day at the Oceanico Victoria golf course, produced his moment of magic when his approach landed a foot short of the hole and hopped in for an eagle two.
He eventually signed for a 66 for a 14-under par total of 270.
This was Lowry’s second win on the European Tour, his first coming as an amateur in the 2009 Irish Open.
The 26-year-old, only the second player after Spain’s Pablo Martin to win on the tour as both an amateur and a professional, said: “I cannot believe this.”
“I can’t explain how I feel really. It’s a dream come true — I’m over the moon,” he said.
“Everyone was referring to me as the fella who won the Irish Open as an amateur, but now I’ve won such a prestigious event I don’t know what to say,” Lowry said.
Lowry was still three behind at the turn, but then his luck changed with a birdie at the 10th and the eagle at the next.
“I thought then this could be my day and thankfully it is,” he said. “We had a long wait on the 12th tee which was good, I had time to compose myself.”
He was one ahead with one to play, but took five on the last after driving into sand.
However, Fisher was unable to force a sudden death play-off, also finishing with a bogey.
The Briton came in with a 70 to take second, with 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell of New Zealand one shot further back in third for his highest finish in four years.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, the overnight leader, came in fourth, another shot behind.
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