Life just keeps getting better for Shane Lowry. On Sunday he finished fifth in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to break into the world's Top-50 for the first time. Now he's set to take another giant step — up the aisle.

The 27-year old Offaly man proposed to his girlfriend Wendy Iris Honner in Dubai during the week but didn't follow the lead of pal Graeme McDowell, who proposed on the helipad of the Burj al Arab. 

We're told Shane got down on one knee on the beach to pop the question to the girl whose name is even stamped on one of his wedges.

"I'm absolutely delighted," Shane said from Dubai. "Wendy's a great girl and we're both looking forward to our future together. It's the icing on the cake at the end of a great year. We can't wait to get home and celebrate with our friends and families over the Christmas!"

Lowry confessed last year that his fiancée is the love of his life adding that the person his most admired was Wendy's sister Melissa.

"My girlfriend Wendy’s sister Melissa had a kidney transplant recently and her other sister, Alison, donated one of her kidneys," he said. "So I admire them immensely."

The year's not quite over for the affable Clara man, who heads off to South Africa with his younger brother Alan tomorrow for the limited field, $6.5m Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City from 4-7 December.

It's the first event of the 2015 European Tour season and Lowry, who will earn $100,000 even if he finishes last in the 30-man field, wants to end the year on a high.

He's made a career best €1.8m already this year but with a win in South Africa worth $1.25m (just over €1m) and a huge number of world ranking points, he'll be gunning for just his third win as a professional and the chance to consolidate his place in the world's Top 50.

"Obviously I feel like I can compete at the highest level but I need to start knocking a few tournaments on the head and I feel like I am playing the golf to do it," Lowry said in Dubai.

US Open champion Martin Kaymer, the world No 12, is the highest ranked player I'm the field which also includes half the victorious European Ryder Cup team as well as three Major winners in the German, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel and three former world number ones.

NEDBANK GOLF CHALLENGE CONFIRMED PLAYERS

• Thomas Bjørn (Denmark)

• Martin Kaymer (Germany)

• Lee Westwood (England)

• Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)

• Victor Dubuisson (France)

• Jamie Donaldson (Wales)

• Stephen Gallacher (Scotland)

• Dawie van der Walt (South Africa)

• Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand)

• Luke Donald (England)

• Miguel Angel Jiminez (Spain)

• Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand)

• Ross Fisher (England)

• Kevin Na (United States)

• Tim Clark (South Africa)

• Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa)

• Marcel Siem (Germany)

• Joost Luiten (Netherlands)

• Brooks Koepka (United States)

• Shane Lowry (Ireland)

• Marc Warren (Scotland)

• George Coetzee (South Africa)

• Tommy Fleetwood (England)

• Danny Willett (England)

• Alexander Lévy (France)

• Danie van Tonder (South Africa)

• Mikko Ilonen (Finland)

• Pablo Larrazabal (Spain)

• Jonas Blixt (Sweden)

• Winner of Cape Town Open.