British Open: Shane Lowry authors one of the most dominant majors ever
By Bill Felber
Shane Lowry just authored the most dominant victory in British Open history, as well as one of the great major performances of all time.
Shane Lowry’s six-stroke victory at the British Open ranks as one of the most dominant performances in the history of men’s major championship golf.
His final score of 15-under par 269 was 3.74 standard deviations better than the four-round field average of 284.56. That makes it the most dominant performance in the 148-event history of the British Open, and among the most dominant in the history of men’s major championship competition.
Prior to Lowry, the most dominant performance in British Open history was a close call technically going to Henrik Stenson. In 2016, his pulsating victory over Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon came on a score of 264 that was 3.504 standard deviations better than the four-round average. The third digit is important because, in 2010 at St. Andrews, Louis Oosthuizen won with a score that bettered the field average by 3.501 standard deviations.
Oddly, of the eight most dominant performances in British Open history, four have come during the decade now closing. Beyond Lowry (1st), Stenson (2nd) and Oosthuizen (3rd), Jordan Spieth’s 2017 victory, on a score of -3.25 standard deviations, ranks eighth all time.
There is no statistical reason why this recent spate of dominant showings should be so, nor is it replicated at any of the other majors. It appears to be merely a British Open anomaly.
Of the 15 most dominant Masters in history, Spieth’s 2015 victory (-2.79, seventh best), and Bubba Watson’s 2014 win (-2.61, ninth), are the most recent.
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Among dominant U.S. Opens, only Rory Mcilroy’s in 2011 (-3.35, second), and Martin Kaymer’s in 2014 (-3.03, fifth) make the top dozen.
And of the 15 most dominant PGAs of all time, McIlroy’s 2012 win (-3.28, third) and Koepka’s this year (-3.04, seventh) are the only recent ones.
In fact among all tournaments in the approximately 450-event history of men’s professional majors, Lowry’s ranks as the second most dominant. The only one ahead of it – you probably knew this – was the runaway win by Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open. His 15-stroke route on a score of 272 translated to 3.34 standard deviations better than the 295.81 field average.
His win at Royal Portrush capped a season that established Shane Lowry as a legitimate contender going forward. Following yet another missed cut, this time at the Masters, he tied for eighth at the PGA Championship and for 28th at the U.S. Open.
It also disabused any doubters as to the validity of his victory. Lowry’s Saturday 63 was one of the best rounds in major championship history, and on Sunday he never allowed any challenger to get closer than three strokes.
It may also cap one of the most notable career turnarounds. Prior to 2019, Lowry had teed it up in 23 majors as a professional, missing the cut in a dozen of them and landing only a single top five finish. That came at the 2016 U.S. Open when he tied for second behind Dustin Johnson. He had never finished higher than 39th at the Masters, and only once finished better than 32nd at the British Open.
And even his tie for second at the 2016 U.S. Open represented only a compromise achievement. Lowry led the field by four strokes entering the final round of play, but a trio of back nine bogeys undermined his title run.
Next. How Shane Lowry became the hero Ireland needed at the British Open. dark
Shane Lowry put on a magnificent performance from start to finish at the British Open; one which will be properly memorialized with his name etched on the legendary Claret Jug.