Resilience in practice! Learning it live from Doonbeg!

🏌‍♂️ Yesterday, I stood behind the first tee at the Irish Open and watched Shane Lowry hit a superb opening drive. It was the beginning of an extraordinary final round and a record-breaking victory.

📢 Winning by 11 shots, 17 years after his first Irish Open title, was an incredible sporting achievement. Yet it was what sat behind the performance that stayed with me.

Earlier this year, victory had been painfully close. At the Dubai Invitational, Shane stood on the 18th tee tied for the lead before a double bogey dropped him to third. At the Cognizant Classic, he led late on Sunday before consecutive double bogeys on the 16th and 17th cost him another opportunity.

I watched his reaction to that loss, he was gutted, so close and yet he could not get there. However, he showed that there is learning in everything, he reflected, learned, and brought his full team together in Florida to plan the way forward.

Standing on the first tee in Doonbeg, I could see he was ready, he had had 3 great days and was comfortable. What followed was a final-round 63 and an emphatic 11-shot victory.

That is . It does not mean avoiding setbacks. It means facing them honestly, learning from them and being prepared when the next opportunity arrives.

A very special day in West Clare, the atmosphere was electric, the fans were willing him on, and he was playing every shot as it came. What a great example of having a plan and staying focused.

Congratulations, Shane Lowry. A remarkable and thoroughly deserved victory.