GOLF WEST OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANE LOWRY'S campaign to defend the Radisson-SAS West of Ireland championship at Rosses Point was ended yesterday, but only after the new champion, David Corsby, fired six birdies and an eagle to beat him at the first extra sudden-death hole of a thrilling final.

Corsby is ranked 1,438th in the world, but belied his status with a supreme display on the silky putting surfaces at County Sligo to end Lowry’s spirited defence of the title he won in impressive fashion here a year ago.

“I’m overwhelmed really. I’m delighted to have won something,” Corsby said. “I’ve been playing a while and haven’t really won anything. It’s a great start to the season – I couldn’t ask for better than that.”

Corsby birdied the 18th to beat Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney in a tight semi-final, but started slowly in the final, losing the first two holes. He eagled the third, only for Lowry to match it to stay two ahead.

“I just thought, ‘here we go’,” Corsby reflected of his thoughts after the fourth. “We’re going to be in for this all day. I just thought about trying my best and hopefully he would make a mistake. But he didn’t actually – my putting was very good.”

Lowry, meanwhile, had ended the challenge of Newlands’ Cian Curley in the semi-final, advancing by 4 and 2 to meet the 21-year-old from Lytham in the final.

However, after his fast start, the 22-year-old from Clara yielded the fourth to a par to reduce his lead to one. The fifth was halved in birdies, but Corsby rolled in a 35-foot putt on the sixth to go level, and then holed another haymaker on the ninth from 40 feet to move ahead for the first time.

Lowry squared the match on the 11th, but Corsby returned the favour with a birdie on the 12th to go ahead once again. Another birdie from the Englishman at the 15th, from 25 feet, put him two ahead, but Lowry dug deep with a majestic up and down from the left of the 16th to keep the match alive.

When Corsby’s third shot rolled back off the front of the green at the 17th, Lowry moved back to one down. Both players gave themselves birdie opportunities on the last, but after Lowry watched Corsby miss his chance, he made no mistake and sent the match into extra-time.

However, Lowry could have no answer to Corsby’s magnificent wedge to within a foot of the cup at the 19th, ending the defending champion’s tilt at retaining the title.

“I’m actually not too disappointed, to be honest,” Lowry said. “I left a couple of putts out there in the middle of the round, and that’s what cost me towards the end. But he holed everything. I was hitting it inside him all day and then he would hole it. It was amazing.”

However, the Irish number one was encouraged by his performances, particularly the way he played himself into contention for the title after a harrowing opening 76 in strokeplay qualifying.

“On Friday afternoon if you’d told me I’d be in the final I would certainly have taken it. I’ve played some of the best golf this week that I’ve ever played, after the first round.

“It was nice to birdie the last to keep the match going as well. The minute I saw the putt I kind of fancied it. It’s great knowing myself that when I have to hole a putt like that I’m able to do it. It’s good for the future as well.”

Corsby becomes the first overseas winner of the West of Ireland title since Finn Mikko Illonen was victorious in Enniscrone in 1999.

New Zealand teenager Danny Lee, the youngest winner on the European Tour, turned professional yesterday a week after making his debut at the US Masters. The 18-year-old who won last years US amateur championship, will make his first appearance in the paid ranks at this months New Orleans Classic.

Lee, who missed the cut at Augusta National last week after shooting 74 and 81, became the youngest player to win a European Tour event with a one-shot victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth in February.

Lee was born in South Korea but moved to New Zealand with his family when he was eight. He took up New Zealand citizenship only last year.

The Details

Semi-finals:

S Lowry (Esker Hills) bt

C Curley (Newlands) 4 and 2

D Corsby (Eng) bt

N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 2 holes

Final:

Corsby bt Lowry 19th