Shane Lowry claims something was different about US Ryder Cup fans when he wasn’t playing with Rory McIlroy

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Shane Lowry was far more than just a player at the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Yes, Shane Lowry sank the Ryder Cup retaining putt at Bethpage Black for Team Europe, but his biggest contribution to the team might not have had anything to do with his play. 

Luke Donald deployed Lowry as a bodyguard for his good friend, Rory McIlroy, who was on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse from the New York crowd. Lowry and McIlroy were paired on Friday and Saturday afternoon at Bethpage Black and were the focus of the fans’ fury.

Lowry escorted McIlroy around the course, firing back at fans and ensuring some were removed from the premises, all while making big shots, especially on Saturday afternoon. He also received more than his fair share of abuse from the galleries.

He then mustered the last of his energy to tie his singles match against Russell Henley to put to rest any hope of a dramatic final day American comeback. And he recently made an interesting observation about the fans on the final day compared to when he was playing with McIlroy. 

What Shane Lowry noticed about Ryder Cup fans without Rory McIlroy

McIlroy and Lowry endured the brunt of the abuse on Saturday afternoon, but luckily, Donald had prepared Europe for the crowd using VR headsets before the event. Even then, Lowry said they could never have been fully prepared for what awaited them at Bethpage. 

And he explained what was “quite nice” about the Ryder Cup fans when he wasn’t playing with McIlroy.

Speaking about the fans, Lowry told The Late Late Toy Show, “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 realize 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.”

It sounds like Lowry had a much-needed break from the crowd on Sunday! And it’s lucky he did, because Europe desperately needed the half-point he secured on the final day. 

Shane Lowry explains how Rory McIlroy helped him become a better golfer

Lowry is an Open Championship winner and has three victories on the PGA Tour, but he’s occasionally underappreciated due to his association with McIlroy. 

He’s become close friends with the career Grand Slam winner, and explained how that has helped improve his golf in recent years.

Lowry said, “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 barbeques 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.”

Lowry was one of the first people to greet McIlroy when he won the Masters, and while he would have liked to win the tournament himself, he clearly couldn’t have been happier. And with the confidence gained at the Ryder Cup, maybe next year is the year for the Irishman!