Shane Lowry offered hope to Rory McIlroy and the rest of the chasing pack praying for an uncharacteristic Scottie Scheffler slip by shooting a final-round 66 at The Open.
The best conditions of the week, sustained sunshine and very little wind, left Royal Portrush vulnerable to some low scoring and the 2019 champion here made the most of it with a 66.
In reality Scheffler's rivals are going to have to shoot lower than that if they are to challenge the world number one, who did not have a bogey on Saturday in extending his lead to four strokes.
Matt Fitzpatrick, five back, and McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton, six behind, represent the biggest threat, albeit a small one.
Lowry recovered from a bogey at the par-five second to dial in his seven-iron with a birdie at the short next and a hole-out from the fairway at the fourth.
Four more birdies followed and he almost finished in style but his attempted chip-in did not drop.
"The course is gettable today - but then that gives Scottie the chance to shoot three or four under and if he shoots three of four under he won't be caught I don't think," said the Offalyman.
Looking back on his week, Lowry admitted the manner of his closing round has been some consolation, having failed to challenge at the top of the leaderboard.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, he explained: "I got off to a nice start and the crowds were amazing. They got behind me the whole day and it was probably one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I've had in a while.
"The putter got hot and it felt like I was going to hole every putt I looked at out there for a while which hasn't been the case for a few weeks. That was nice today.
"I'm happy I finished like that and I'll drive down the road a little bit happier than maybe I would have been.
"It's still a week where I put a lot into it and didn't get much out of it type thing. Onwards and upwards I suppose and a couple of weeks off now before the play-offs."
The Ryder Cup is firmly on Lowry's mind in terms of his overall targets.
"Obviously I would have liked to do better this week, there's no doubt about that," he admittted.
"But it is what it it. I tried my best, I gave it everything I could and it wasn't to be. For me now the next two months, obviously the play-offs are huge, but my focus and my work will be getting out of bed every morning to prepare for hopefully going to Bethpage and winning that Ryder Cup.
"I think it's a big thing for us Europeans and it's a big thing for me. Major season is over now so everything turns towards the Ryder Cup."
