‘Grateful he’s in my life’ – Lowry is McIlroy’s hero

In the end, there was a good chance that an Irish player would sink the clinching putt. Eamon Darcy, Christy O’Connor Jnr, Phillip Walton, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell have all savoured that moment where the Ryder Cup was won or retained by Team Europe.

2025.

The USA, trailing by seven points heading into Sunday’s singles session, roared back into contention with a series of tight wins. With four matches left out on the course, Europe needed only a half to retain the trophy.

Shane Lowry was one down heading to the last against Russell Henley. He struck a perfect drive, then nailed the wedge. A putt of over six feet awaited. But would he get his chance? Henley had a little further to travel but his attempt to win the hole fell short.

On Sky Sports, Nick Faldo summed it up perfectly, when saying: “It all comes down to the next three seconds”. Lowry didn’t dwell too long over it. In it went. The jig that followed a perfect accompaniment to a memorable moment in time.

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It’s a team event but Lowry was the man of the moment. Without saying it, a greater achievement than winning the Open Championship? Perhaps.

“I said to Darren (his caddie) going down the last hole that I have the opportunity to have one of the biggest moments of my life”.

The initial thoughts of Lowry, when speaking afterwards to RTÉ Sport’s Greg Allen.

But it was from from easy.

“I’m just so proud of the guys, especially at the back end of the order. Shane in particular, what he did, birdieing three of the last four holes to get a half point – huge, absolutely huge.”

The words of his friend and team-mate Rory McIlroy, who watched from the edge of the green after losing his own match against world number one Scottie Scheffler.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it, but it was the hardest day I’ve ever had on the golf course,” said the Clara native.

“We looked great for a long time but then when I got to the turn, I felt that this doesn’t look great at all. You’re hoping Fitzy (Matt Fitzpatrick) gets his win, then Ludvig (Aberg) got his win, Rosey was going down the last and you were hoping he’d get a half, Tommy (Fleetwood) the same and Rory the same.

“It was hard not to look at the scoreboard, hard to not get involved, but you do have to take care of your own game. I got to the 15th tee and I was two down. I said to Darren ‘I have to do something here, I really do’. The 17th wasn’t great but I had an unbelievable two-putt there. Look, I played some of the best four holes of my life to somehow get a half.”

But back to that putt.

“When you’re in that situation all the doubts come into your head,” Lowry remarked.

“If I missed the putt and we don’t end up retaining it, it would have taken me a long time to get over it. It was a huge moment in my career and thankfully I stood up to the plate and knocked it in.

“Pure relief.”

But, according to McIlroy, Lowry had been leading by example all weekend.

“I’m so proud of Shane. I’m so grateful to have him in my life. Honestly, he put his arm around me [Saturday] afternoon and he was a big reason… the reason that we won that point yesterday and he’s been immense this week,” the reigning Masters champion told Greg Allen.

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“A lot of us that experienced how bad Whistling Straits felt in 2021,” added McIlroy.

“To come here and completely flip the script and to play the way we did over the first two days… America came out fighting today and they played great today, but we had enough in the tank to get the job done.”

Lowry was also full of praise for the Americans. The players at least.

“Fair play to the Americans, they fought very hard and were always going to come back at us. But winning it is the most incredible feeling in the whole world.”

Quite simply, Shane Lowry loves the Ryder Cup. And so soon after the euphoria of Bethpage Black, his thoughts are turning to the next staging in Co Limerick in two years’ time.

“The Ryder Cup everything to me. When I finally get over this in a few weeks, I’ll be turning to Adare Manor and hopefully helping us to win it again. I’m the luckiest man in the world to do the stuff I do, to do my job. I love this team; I love this tournament.

“I think it is the best tournament in the world and I can’t believe I now have to go back to real golf for two years.”