Shane Lowry finishes second in first tournament of his season
A closing round of 64 has seen Shane Lowry finish second in his season-opening tournament at the Hong Kong Open.
The Offaly man finished up on 13 under par, four shots off the winner Australian Wade Ormsby.
Open champion Lowry hit five birdies and an eagle in his final round, dropping just one shot in what was the best round of day four.
Ormsby lead throughout the final round, having been co-leader after the opening round, to win the tournament for the second time. His first triumph here was in November 2017.
Ormsby's final round of 66 was the third day in a row the Aussie had hit that score on the course, and the third victory for him on the Asian Tour.
Lowry had rounds of 69, 68, 66 and 64 across the tournament for s solid showing overall at Fanling.
With this eagle on the par-five 13th hole @ShaneLowryGolf goes to six-under-par for the day. He's now the closest pursuer on -13, but still four shots behind Ormsby.#TheHKOpen #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/bQI8FzWtAg
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) January 12, 2020
He and US Ryder Cup player Tony Finau had teed off together on the final day six shots off Ormsby, and although Lowry improved his showing with a dazzling final round, it wasn't enough to close the significant gap.
Finau carded a 67 in his fourth round to finish seven shots off the pace. The 30-year-old found water for a double bogey on the 18th hole.
The Hong Kong Open had been delayed by political protests and pro-democracy demonstrations, having originally been scheduled to take place back in November.
Lowry will compete in next week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
