Today, at 2.34pm (Irish time), the final of the unofficial Irish Professional Golf Match Play Champion begins. In the first round, as part of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, Shane Lowry shocked World Number One Rory McIlroy while Graeme McDowell beat 3-time major winner Padraig Harrington.
After Lowry and McDowell beat a pair of Swedish golfers yesterday in a warm up for the Irish Match Play, disguising itself as the last 32 of the WGC event, they'll face each other today for the first time in the match play format. Lowry beat Carl Pettersson 6&5 while McDowell recovered from this shock to beat Alex Noren on the 20th hole.
Losing semifinalists McIlroy and Harrington picked up $46,000 for their troubles. Today's loser will earn $144,000 while the winner is guaranteed $275,000 (rising to $1.5million if he can win the WGC event). Lowry has already created his own bit of history;
Shane Lowry is the first No. 64 seed to advance past 2d round in AMPC history.Only three of the previous 14 made it out of round one.
— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) February 22, 2013
We wish them both well.
