Lowry riding a crest of a wave after US Open qualification

OFFALY golfer Shane Lowry capped a remarkable few days when winning a place at the upcoming US Open with victory in the qualifiers in Surrey, England.

Lowry, from Clara, went into the event on the back of landing his biggest pay-day in golf, after he took home €527,770 for his second place finish, behind Rory McIlroy, at the BMW PGA Championships in Wentworth, a result which also lifted Lowry to 74th in the world rankings.

Lowry, the son of former Offaly football star Brendan Lowry, topped the field in very wet conditions at Walton Heath, Surrey, and has now qualified for the US Open to be held at Pinehurst, North Carolina in June.

Lowry’s previous appearance at the US Open was in 2011  when he missed the cut; the year McIlroy won his first Major by eight shots in Maryland. Lowry will travel to Sweden to compete in the Nordea Masters before the US Open.