Gone are the days when golfing authorities can act with impunity

For three rounds, he had played the tournament of his life, so much so one would have been forgiven for believing Shane Lowry’s four-shot lead going into the final of the US Open may just have been enough to see him past the winning post. Couldn’t he count on the fact he had already beaten this field last year when winning the World Golf Championship in Ohio?

No one doubted Lowry’s pedigree, but this was no ordinary Sunday on no ordinary golf course. It was Shane’s first legitimate opportunity to win a major championship but from the off on Sunday, it was evident the enormity of the occasion had taken him out of his comfort zone. It didn’t help playing partner Andrew Landry was playing so poorly, nor did it help that the golf course was unfair - even if they were pretty much the same conditions Lowry had thrived on over the first three days.

This chastening experience will stand to Lowry if he can reflect on it positively. Didn’t his good friend Rory McIlroy, face something similar in the 2011 Masters? It happens, but if Lowry wants true inspiration right now, then he should look no further than the heroic performance of the eventual winner, Dustin Johnson.