Shane Lowry laps the field to win a stunning second Irish Open by a record 11 shots

In sport, those with the killer instinct don’t hold back or wait for any favours. Such was the mindset Shane Lowry brought into the final round of the Amgen Irish Open where the 39-year-old Offaly man started with a four-stroke lead and mercilessly stretched his advantage stroke by stroke, hole by hole so that his second win in a tournament so close to his heart came as a ceremonial procession.

This was Lowry at his imperious best, transforming a season of ifs, buts and maybes – which had created their own demons after letting slip tournaments in the Dubai Invitational and the Cognizant – with a display of controlled shot-making and utter calm as he fired a closing 63 for a total of 23-under-par 257 to seal the deal.