Shane Lowry wins Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after thrilling final round battle with Richard Sterne Shane Lowry claimed fifth European Tour title and first since back in 2015 Irishman claimed one-shot victory and finished 18 under par for tournament He was tied on 18th with South African Richard Sterne but Lowry birdied hole By Press Association Reporter Published: 14:22 GMT, 19 January 2019 | Updated: 14:27 GMT, 19 January 2019 Viewcomments Ireland's Shane Lowry won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after a see-saw final-round battle with South African Richard Sterne. Lowry claimed his fourth European Tour title - and first since the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational - with a one-shot victory as he finished with an 18 under par score of 270. The pair were tied on the 18th tee, but Sterne's wayward approach to the final green saw Lowry win the first Rolex Series event of 2019 with a birdie. Shane Lowry claimed victory at the HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi The Irishman celebrated his win with wife Wendy Honner and daughter Iris Lowry celebrated with the trophy after backing up his earlier rounds with a strong finish Lowry had an overnight lead of three shots but that was quickly wiped out as the Irishman faltered and Sterne played the first nine holes in 31. Sterne had a four-shot lead after 11 holes, but two bogeys cost him dear as Lowry fought back with birdies on 12 and 13. Holland's Joost Luiten finished third three shots behind Lowry, with Louis Oosthuizen fourth and Soren Kjeldsen fifth. The wire-to-wire victory for Lowry, who tied the course record with a 62 in the first round, will lift him back into the world's top 50 and get him into golf's showpiece events in 2019. He is back playing on the European Tour after losing his US PGA Tour card last year and slipping to No 75 in the rankings. Richard Sterne pushed Lowry close and the pair were tied on the 18th hole Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility