Shane Lowry’s role at the 2025 Ryder Cup stretched well beyond his play on the course.
While he did knock in the putt that retained the Ryder Cup for Europe, it is everything else he contributed that stands out even more.
Luke Donald used Lowry as a shield for Rory McIlroy, who was targeted heavily by the New York crowd throughout. Paired together on both Friday and Saturday afternoons, they faced most of that abuse head-on.
Lowry did not shy away from it. He stood up to fans, made sure some were removed when things crossed a line, and still found time to deliver important shots – especially late on Saturday. He took plenty of heat himself but kept his focus throughout.
He then dug deep to halve his singles match with Russell Henley, which effectively ended any hopes of an American comeback. And after all that, he noticed something different about the crowd’s behaviour on Sunday compared to earlier in the week.
What Shane Lowry noticed about Ryder Cup fans without Rory McIlroy
Despite Europe’s prior preparation – thanks to captain Donald having players use VR headsets – nothing could fully ready them for the abuse they endured at Bethpage, according to Lowry. He and McIlroy experienced the majority of the heckling on Saturday.
Lowry also mentioned one positive thing he noticed about the fans when he was not paired with the Northern Irishman.
Speaking to The Late Late Toy Show about the atmosphere, the 38-year-old said: “It was pretty bad. I think we were very ready for what was going to happen. I think we were as ready as we could be. But until you’re in the situation, you don’t actually realise what it’s going to be like.
“Being out there, some of the stuff that was said was not very nice, but Rory and I definitely used it as fuel. It motivated us to go out and win. I said it after that week, I don’t think it helped the Americans much at all. It was actually harder for them to play in that environment than it probably was for us at times.
“We tried to use it as much to our advantage as we could, but it was quite difficult. I played the first two days with Rory, and I noticed on Sunday when I played my match, I didn’t get as much abuse, which was quite nice. But he had to deal with a lot of stuff over the couple of days.”
The change in atmosphere seemed a welcome relief for Lowry on Sunday – and Europe needed him fresh for his crucial half-point later that day.
Shane Lowry shares how Rory McIlroy helped him grow as a golfer
Despite his impressive CV, including an Open Championship and three PGA Tour wins, Lowry often finds himself in the shadow of his friend McIlroy.
But their friendship has been a positive influence, and Lowry recently spoke about how being close to the world number two has helped him develop as a player.
“We’ve become very close over the last number of years. Our wives are really good friends, our kids are similar ages, and they hang out together.
“We live very close to each other in Florida. We do hang out together, we play a lot of golf together, and we sit around in the evenings, go round each other’s houses for barbecues and stuff.”
“It’s just nice. It’s a nice relationship to have. I count myself fortunate to be good friends with one of the greatest players to ever play the game. I get to watch him do his thing, and I think it really drives me on to be a better golfer,” he said.
Lowry was one of the first people to congratulate McIlroy after his Masters win. And while he would love to don the green jacket himself one day, there was nothing but pride for his friend’s achievement. Perhaps next year will be his turn.
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