Getting off to "a hell of a start" that took even himself by surprise, Richard Sterne spoke glowingly of today's Abu Dhabi Championship winner, Shane Lowry.
Beaten on the 18th by the Irish golfer, the South African Sterne conceded that Lowry had simply taken things to another level in the final holes.
"I don't know, a couple of things didn't go my way and Shane made a couple good putts," a disappointed Sterne noted after today's final round.
"[Shane's] 17th was a great putt and the shot he hit into 18 was world class.
"It was just out of reach with my 5-wood. I was thinking about taking [out] my driver.
"He hit a great shot and all credit to him."
That's huge.
Lowry with a crucial up-and-down at 17. Tied at the top heading to 18.#ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/NCHR0uteHJ— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 19, 2019
Having stood four-shots off the lead on the 12th tee, Lowry rallied wonderfully and it came down to a final shoot-out between he and Sterne.
Beaten in the end, the South African was nevertheless pleased with the display he gave.
"I'm just glad that I gave a good performance this week with a strong field," Sterne noted.
"It's been a while since I've had a decent tournament, so I'm pretty happy with the way I performed."
Conceding that he was a bit "sore," scenes emerging afterward demonstrated the mutual respect between both he and the winner Lowry.
He's done it!🏆🇮🇪 @ShaneLowryGolf wins the @ADGolfChamps! #ADGolfChamps #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/qXG1nWhBVC
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 19, 2019
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