Shane Lowry has won his first tournament in three and a half years with victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Lowry sealed victory with a birdie on the par-five 18th to beat South African Richard Sterne by a single shot, finishing on -18 at the end of the four days.
The victory came at the end of a rollercoaster day in which Lowry initially appeared to have blown his chances with his South African opponent leading by four strokes at one point.
"I completely thought I was gone. I didn't think I had that in me today. How hard I fought for that. It has been a tough couple of years on the course," said Lowry, speaking to Sky Sports following the victory.
The Offaly golfer began the final round with a three-shot lead over Sterne but this flipped dramatically on the front nine with the South African tearing into the lead with a superb 31.
Sterne shot out of the blocks, birdieing four of the opening five holes and solidified his advantage by rolling in a couple more on the eighth and ninth. Lowry, by contrast, stumbled badly and by the time he bogeyed the 11th, he found himself four strokes adrift with seven holes to play.
However, Lowry was to rally brilliantly on the back nine as his opponent faltered with the finishing line in sight.
The Clara golfer whittled the lead down gradually with birdies on 12 and 13. The pressure now ratcheted up on his opponent and this told on the 14th hole when Sterne missed a short putt for par, reducing his lead to a single stroke.
The pair were level after the 16th with Sterne paying the penalty for a poor third shot from the greenside bunker which left him on the fringe of the green. Lowry, for his part, showcased his growing confidence and mental strength with an excellent two-putt from 60 feet.
Lowry's putter was coming good at the right time and he punched the air in defiance after rolling in a superb par-putt from 12 foot to remain level after the 71st hole, after his second shot had been pushed to the right.
The pair were tied on -17 as they arrived at the par-5 72nd hole. Both smashed perfect drives down the fairway but the South African wilted on his approach, slicing it miles right into the gallery and requiring a free drop off the footpath.
Lowry held his cool and knocked a beautiful 2nd shot to the heart of the 18th green. From there, his two-putt was enough to seal a first victory since August 2015.
