PLAYER PROFILE · PGA & DP WORLD TOUR
Shane Lowry is one of Ireland’s most beloved sportsmen – the 2019 Open champion, a Ryder Cup hero, and a warm, unaffected competitor whose emotional Portrush triumph is among the great modern Open stories.
| Full name | Shane Lowry |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 April 1987, Mullingar, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Turned pro | 2009 |
| Tours | PGA Tour, DP World Tour |
| Height | 6′ 1″ (1.85 m) |
| Major championships | 1 (2019 Open, Royal Portrush) |
| DP World Tour wins | 6 |
| PGA Tour wins | 3 |
Early Life & the Amateur Miracle
Lowry grew up in Clara, County Offaly, in a sporting family – his father, Brendan, won an All-Ireland Gaelic football medal – and made his name in the most dramatic way imaginable. In 2009, still an amateur, he won the Irish Open at County Louth, beating Robert Rock in a play-off and setting off scenes of celebration that instantly made him a national favourite. He turned professional the very next day, his path in the game decided.
The Open at Portrush
For a decade Lowry was a fine tour professional with a WGC title to his name and the heartbreak of a 2016 U.S. Open, where he led by four entering the final round and did not win. Then came the 2019 Open Championship, the first held in Northern Ireland in 68 years. Lowry seized it, playing imperious golf through a wild, rain-lashed weekend at Royal Portrush and winning by six as the vast home galleries roared him up the last. Few major victories have carried such emotion or such a sense of a nation embracing one of its own. It remains one of the defining images of modern Irish sport.
Ryder Cup Hero
Lowry has become a totemic figure in the European Ryder Cup side – a player whose passion, defiance and clutch putting have made him far more valuable than his world ranking alone would suggest. He featured in the 2021, 2023 and 2025 matches, and at the last of them holed the putt that sealed the trophy for Europe, cementing a reputation as the ultimate team man. His fist-pumping, heart-on-sleeve style has made him one of the competition’s most cherished performers.
Playing Style
Lowry is a gifted shot-maker with soft hands and a game superbly suited to the wind and weather of links golf – as Portrush proved. He is at his best when conditions are hard and imagination is rewarded, a throwback in some ways to an older style of play built on feel rather than force. Add the BMW PGA Championship among his six European wins, and the portrait is of a player whose talent has always been matched by an unusually deep well of competitive character.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many majors has Shane Lowry won?
Shane Lowry has won one major championship – the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where he ran out a six-stroke winner on home Irish soil in front of an ecstatic crowd, one of the most emotional victories in recent Open history.
How old is Shane Lowry and where is he from?
Lowry was born on 2 April 1987 in Mullingar, County Westmeath, and grew up in Clara, County Offaly, in Ireland. He turned professional in 2009.
What did Shane Lowry win as an amateur?
Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur, defeating Robert Rock in a play-off – an extraordinary result that announced his talent and prompted him to turn professional immediately afterwards.
What is Shane Lowry’s Ryder Cup record?
Lowry has played in the 2021, 2023 and 2025 Ryder Cups. At the 2025 event he holed the putt that clinched the trophy for Europe, and he was part of the winning teams in 2023 and 2025 – a passionate and popular figure in the European team room.
Which tours does Shane Lowry play on?
Lowry is a member of both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. He has won six times on the European circuit – including the flagship BMW PGA Championship in 2022 – and three times on the PGA Tour, and reached a career-high World No. 10.