Shane Lowry gets massive world rankings boost ahead of US Open

This is the highest the Offaly native has been in the rankings since 2015.

Back when he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, in August 2015, Shane Lowry climbed to No.19 in the world. He could surpass that yet, this summer. He started off at 168 in the world when he went professional, the week after his 2009 Irish Open triumph. Lowry has been in and around the top 100 golfers on the planet for the past seven years but finished 2018 down in 75th and bemoaning his game. 2019 has seen Lowry refreshed, refocused and renewed. In January, he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and has scarcely looked back. There were missed cuts at The Masters and The Players, but Lowry is on a hot streak these past three months - third at the RBC Heritage, eighth at the US PGA and second at the Canadian Open. [caption id="attachment_199005" align="aligncenter" width="640"] (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)[/caption] The 32-year-old closed out with a 67 to finish tied for second alongside US Ryder Cup star, and former Major winner, Webb Simpson. Rory McIlroy was the clear winner - all seven strokes clear - but Lowry can be proud with his efforts in Hamilton. His latest high finish sees Lowry climb a massive 10 spots in the world rankings. He shoots up from 42nd to 32nd and overtakes the likes of Ian Poulter, Keegan Bradley and Rafa Cabrera Bello. Speaking to reporters in the media tent at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, he commented:

"I've been happy the way my season has been going even before this week. Just coming in here trying to get in the U.S. Open; I've got that, so it's been a good week and I'm pretty happy. "Tough golf course [at Pebble Beach] next week. It's U.S. Open. I'm excited to be going there, and, yeah, I'm playing okay, so I'm happy."

Elsewhere in the rankings, McIlroy is up to third in the world - behind Dustin Johnson and No.1 Brooks Koepka. Graeme McDowell, who qualified fir The Open at Portrush with a 30-foot par putt on the 18th, is now 101st after ending 2018 way down at 238th.