WHO NEEDS Tin Cup? That was fiction, this was real. If you’d come up with a script for the drama that unfolded amid the sand hills here over the four days of the 3 Irish Open, some friend would have phoned for the men in white coats.

But, then, life is stranger than any fiction, and Shane Lowry’s dramatic, spine-tingling – yeah, make that sensational – victory in this latest edition of one of the European Tour’s primary tournaments was the stuff of fantasy.

Everyone loves an underdog in sport, and Lowry – the 22-year-old son of one of Offaly’s most famous sporting sons and 1982 All-Ireland football medal winner, Brendan – went into the tournament rated as a 999 to 1 chance by some bookies.

Not only did Lowry stay the distance, he resolutely outgunned all challengers and eventually defeated England’s Robert Rock at the third play-off hole to capture the title.

So what if Lowry, as an amateur, couldn’t put the cheque for €500,000 into his back pocket; that prize went to the runner-up, Rock.

Thankfully, there are moments in sport that transcend commercialism.

This was sporting romance, the coming of age of a man from the heartland of Ireland who, when he took up pitch-and-putt as a young teenager, discovered he had a skill with a golf club.

That led him to join Esker Hills Golf Club. The course became his classroom. Then, under the tutelage of the Golfing Union of Ireland, he became the country’s top amateur.

Now, this.

Yesterday a final-round 71 for 271, 17 under, left him locked with Rock atop the leaderboard. Lowry then achieved one of the most remarkable victories in the history of the European Tour with a winning par five on the 559-yard 18th hole.

Lowry need only look at the names etched on the trophy to realise the enormity of his accomplishment. Ballesteros. Faldo. Olazabal. Montgomerie. Garcia. Harrington.

In all of the years since George Duncan first won the Irish Open at Portmarnock in 1927, this victory – achieved with four sub-par rounds of 67, 62, 71, 71 – was the most incredible.

And the win opens so many doors. It is, for sure, a life-changing experience for him.

When Lowry gets around to turning professional – whether it is today, or possibly in September after the Walker Cup – he will do so with the comfort of knowing he has a tour card. This victory gives him a two-year exemption on tour, and a place in the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in November.

Rory McIlroy was in no doubt what he would do if in Lowry’s shoes. “If Shane really wants to play Walker Cup, he should (stay amateur). But he has just won on the European Tour . . . . why does he need to stay amateur? He has just beaten a very strong field. There’s no reason why he can’t compete out here week in and week out.”

Lowry, for his part, wasn’t rushing into a decision.

“No, I’m going to have to think about that,” he said. “I’ll have a phone call with Colin Dalgleish (the Walker Cup captain) and I’d like to speak with some other people and see what they think.”

The sports management companies have already made their interest known. Only the timing of his move from the amateur ranks to the professional game remains up in the air . . . but there is the considerable carrot that, should he join the paid ranks immediately, then he would be invited into this week’s BMW PGA championship at Wentworth.

Yesterday was all about Lowry. On a day when the weather again disrupted proceedings, he kept to his routine and, just two years after Pádraig Harrington had ended the famine by producing a home winner, Lowry confirmed the unbelievably good health of the game in this country.

Naturally enough, he confessed to a restless night’s sleep on Saturday as he tried to digest what lay ahead. He could only manage one slice of toast in the house he’d rented for the tournament in nearby Castlebellingham. By the time he got to the course and met up with his coach, Neil Manchip, he started to settle.

“We had a cup of tea and a bit of breakfast, and by the time I got to the first tee I wasn’t that nervous.”

It was to prove to be a long day, with many twists and turns before Lowry finally saw off the dogged challenge of Rock, who was seeking his first win on tour but was destined to finish runner-up for a second straight week.

At one point in the play-off, Lowry, showing an ability to remain calm under pressure, even quipped to his steady caddie, Dave Reynolds, “Would he ever just miss? He already has the half-million.”

Of course, Lowry knew he would have to do things the hard way. And that held no fear for him.

Ultimately, it came down to his ability to see the challenge through. Three times in the play-off they walked down the 18th fairway. In that time, they found rough and sand traps and even pathways between them. They had birdie and eagle putts.

In the end, however, a tap-in par proved to be sufficient for Lowry to claim the prize that down the years eluded so many of Ireland’s great players.

Sporting romance? You betcha.

With this win Shane Lowry becomes . . .

* The second amateur to win on the 2009 European Tour, following Danny Lee at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia in February.

* The third amateur to win a European Tour event, following Pablo Martin (2007 Portuguese Open) and Lee.

* The eighth player to win on his European Tour debut and the first since Ben Curtis (2003 British Open).

* The first amateur to win on the European Tour on his debut.

* Follows Ben Crenshaw (1976), Hubert Green (1977) and Sergio Garcia (1999) as players to win the Irish Open on their debut in the event.

* The third first-time Irish winner on the European Tour this season, following Rory McIlroy (Dubai Desert Classic) and Michael Hoey (Portuguese Open).