SHANE LOWRY FINISHED just outside the top 10 on the leaderboard at the Saudi International on the Asian Tour, after a strong final round.
The Offaly man carded a 66 to finish on six-under for the tournament, seven shots off the American winner Harold Varner III to leave him in a tie for 14th at the finish.
Lowry picked up an impressive seven birdies throughout his final round but suffered a double bogey on the 13th and a bogey on the 18th.
Needing to birdie the par-five 18th to force a play-off with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Varner holed from around 90 feet for an improbable eagle to seal a dramatic triumph at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
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Watson had earlier finished birdie, eagle to set the clubhouse target on 12 under par thanks to a closing 64 in testing conditions due to strong winds.
Varner, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, looked to have blown his chance when he double bogeyed the 14th and dropped another shot on the 16th, but matched Watson’s finish to shoot 69 and win for the first time since 2016.
Meanwhile at the Ras al Khaimah Championship in the United Arab Emirates, Pádraig Harrington finished in a tie for 27th after a final round of 67, which included six birdies and an eagle on the 14th to leave him on 10-under overall.
He also bogeyed the second and picked up a double bogey on the fourth on the way to securing a top-30 finish with his lowest round of the week.
Nicolai Hojgaard recovered from a mid-round stumble to fight off the challenge of Jordan Smith and claim a four-shot victory.
The 20-year-old Dane began the day with a three-shot lead and extended his advantage to five with an early eagle. But a double-bogey six on the ninth allowed charging Englishman Smith to close the gap to just one stroke as Hojgaard reached the turn.
And with Hojgaard dropping another shot at the 12th and Smith completing a hat-trick of birdies from the 12th to 14th, the lead changed hands as Smith led by two.
However, Hojgaard bounced back with a birdie at the 13th before producing the shot of the day on his way to an outstanding eagle on the next, and he suddenly found himself with a two-shot advantage after Smith, three groups ahead of the Dane, had bogeyed the 15th.
And from there Hojgaard was able to cruise to victory, making further birdies at the 17th and 18th to sign for a closing 68 and finish the week on 24 under par.
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Lowry finishes just outside top 10 in Saudi Arabia while Harrington has strong final round
SHANE LOWRY FINISHED just outside the top 10 on the leaderboard at the Saudi International on the Asian Tour, after a strong final round.
The Offaly man carded a 66 to finish on six-under for the tournament, seven shots off the American winner Harold Varner III to leave him in a tie for 14th at the finish.
Lowry picked up an impressive seven birdies throughout his final round but suffered a double bogey on the 13th and a bogey on the 18th.
Needing to birdie the par-five 18th to force a play-off with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Varner holed from around 90 feet for an improbable eagle to seal a dramatic triumph at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
Watson had earlier finished birdie, eagle to set the clubhouse target on 12 under par thanks to a closing 64 in testing conditions due to strong winds.
Varner, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, looked to have blown his chance when he double bogeyed the 14th and dropped another shot on the 16th, but matched Watson’s finish to shoot 69 and win for the first time since 2016.
Meanwhile at the Ras al Khaimah Championship in the United Arab Emirates, Pádraig Harrington finished in a tie for 27th after a final round of 67, which included six birdies and an eagle on the 14th to leave him on 10-under overall.
He also bogeyed the second and picked up a double bogey on the fourth on the way to securing a top-30 finish with his lowest round of the week.
Nicolai Hojgaard recovered from a mid-round stumble to fight off the challenge of Jordan Smith and claim a four-shot victory.
The 20-year-old Dane began the day with a three-shot lead and extended his advantage to five with an early eagle. But a double-bogey six on the ninth allowed charging Englishman Smith to close the gap to just one stroke as Hojgaard reached the turn.
And with Hojgaard dropping another shot at the 12th and Smith completing a hat-trick of birdies from the 12th to 14th, the lead changed hands as Smith led by two.
However, Hojgaard bounced back with a birdie at the 13th before producing the shot of the day on his way to an outstanding eagle on the next, and he suddenly found himself with a two-shot advantage after Smith, three groups ahead of the Dane, had bogeyed the 15th.
And from there Hojgaard was able to cruise to victory, making further birdies at the 17th and 18th to sign for a closing 68 and finish the week on 24 under par.
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Asian Tour Padraig Harrington Ras al Khaimah Championship Round-Up saudi international Shane Lowry