WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 2015: Final Leaderboard Scores, Prize Money Payouts

Slow and steady wins the race, and it also won Shane Lowry the 2015 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

With a four-under 66 in the final round, Lowry finished at 11 under for the tournament, two shots ahead of Bubba Watson.

You can view the full leaderboard below:

Consistency was the key to Lowry's victory. After an opening-round 70 had him just on the outside of contention, the 28-year-old shot a 66, 67 and 66 to close out the tournament. According to the tournament's official site, Lowry finished tied for fifth in greens in regulation (47-of-72) and sixth in strokes gained putting (4.877).     

These numbers from Golf Channel's Justin Ray are more than impressive:

Combining steady approach play with steady putting is a recipe for success.

Lowry's second shot on No. 10, which helped him earn a birdie, was evidence he could find a bit of magic when necessary as well:

A 17-foot putt on No. 14 helped him save par, which was critical at a juncture of the tournament when he still didn't have sole possession of the lead:

At that point, ESPN.com's Jason Sobel believed Lowry was on his way to a title:

Lowry only needed a par on No. 18 to put one hand on the title, but he went ahead and birdied the final hole for good measure. As the ball hit the bottom of the cup, the viewing party at Esker Hills Golf Club in Tullamore, Ireland, got a bit excited:

This is by far the biggest accomplishment of Lowry's professional career. He had just four top-10 finishes to his name on the PGA Tour, while he has two European Tour wins in 161 events. World football commentator John Bradley was beyond thrilled with the final result:

Lowry will also earn his biggest-ever payday: $1.57 million. You can view the payouts for the top-10 finishers below, courtesy of ESPN.com:

Pos.	Golfer	Final Score	Payout
1	Shane Lowry	-11	$1,570,000
2	Bubba Watson	-9	$930,000
T3	Jim Furyk	-7	$470,000
T3	Justin Rose	-7	$470,000
5	Robert Streb	-6	$330,000
T6	Danny Lee	-5	$219,000
T6	Brooks Koepka	-5	$219,000
T6	Henrik Stenson	-5	$219,000
T6	David Lingmerth	-5	$219,000
T10	Jordan Spieth	-4	$149,500
T10	Rickie Fowler	-4	$149,500

Bubba Watson looked like he might make a run at the title after he carried a two-under score over to the back nine. Birdies on Nos. 10 and 13 put him in within one shot of Lowry, but a bogey on No. 15 torpedoed his chances of overtaking the leader.

A birdie on the penultimate hole was too little, too late for Watson.

Jim Furyk was the co-leader with Justin Rose at nine under through 54 holes. While Furyk had been one of the most consistent golfers at Firestone through the first three days, owning any share of first place after three rounds was essentially the kiss of death.

Golf on CBS noted Saturday the 45-year-old entered Sunday 0-of-10 since 2011 when carrying the lead into the final round:

Sobel figured his luck was bound to turn around at some point:

Instead, Furyk lost ground on the front nine after bogeying Nos. 5 and 8. The back nine wasn't much different for the 2003 U.S. Open champion.

Furyk will have to wait another year to triumph in Akron.

Coincidentally enough, Rose began and finished the final round with the same score as Furyk, both of whom carded a two-over 72 to tie for third place overall.

Much like Furyk, Rose never found his groove Sunday with bogeys on Nos. 4 and 7 putting him in trouble on the front nine. He never recovered over the last nine holes. A birdie on No. 18 helped him at least wrap up the tournament on a high note.

Now, the eyes of the golf world will shift to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, for the 2015 PGA Championship, which tees off Thursday.

Rory McIlroy enters as the defending champion, but he hasn't played competitively since rupturing a ligament in his ankle. With major question marks around McIlroy, the last major of the season is completely wide-open.