Europe retained the Ryder Cup after Shane Lowry holed a six-foot putt for birdie on his final hole at Bethpage Black last month during his match against Russell Henley.
Lowry has been a leading talisman for the European team at the Ryder Cup since his debut in 2021 at Whistling Straits.
The 38-year-old stepped up when Luke Donald and Team Europe needed him most at Bethpage Black.
Russell Henley missed his putt as Lowry poured his in at the Ryder Cup, as the US charge on Sunday was thwarted in an instant by the Irishman.
Lowry received some ‘nasty’ abuse at the Ryder Cup, alongside his European teammate Rory McIlroy.
And to perform like he did during the Sunday singles matches was evidence of just how strong he is mentally.
Shane Lowry made Ryder Cup statement which no US player ever would
After holing his putt on the final green at Bethpage, Lowry made a stunning admission.
He said: “I mean, I’ve been so lucky to experience amazing things in this game. That was the hardest couple of hours of my whole life, honestly. I just can’t believe that putt went in.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me. Honestly, I’ve won The Open in Ireland; it’s amazing, it’s a dream come true. But the Ryder Cup for me is everything.
“To do that there today on the 18th green in front of everyone…it was so hard out there.“
Trey Wingo has been speaking on his Straight Facts Homie Podcast about the United States’ failure to win the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
And he explained how something that Lowry said after he holed the putt which retained the Ryder Cup for Team Europe proves just what the Americans are up against.
Wingo said: “It does mean more to them, I don’t care what anybody says, it does mean more to them.
“You’re not going to hear a US player say I would give up a major championship to secure the winning putt for the Ryder Cup, which is basically an exhibition. It’s the coolest, most hostile and competitive exhibition there is, maybe in all of sport.
“But would any American player say what Shane Lowry said? ‘I have won The Open in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and this means more to me, this means more to me’. I don’t think there is an American player who would say that.“
Brandel Chamblee explained why the Ryder Cup means more to Europe
Brandel Chamblee recently explained his theory as to why the Europeans were so dominant at Bethpage Black.
Chamblee actually claimed that the US team lost the Ryder Cup before a shot had even been struck.
After the Europeans secured the win at Bethpage, Chamblee highlighted exactly why they had an edge over the Americans.
He said: “The US gave us all a helluva show today and took what was inconceivable and made it look possible. But the reason I think they were so far behind after two days is that they were distracted by the negative response to them pushing to get paid to play in the Ryder Cup and I think that rallied Europe around the common bond of playing for pride and not profit.“
The fact that the US players were paid to play at the Ryder Cup quite obviously tells its own story.
Perhaps that’s something they really need to address moving forward.
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