Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry experienced vastly different emotions during The Masters over the weekend at Augusta National.
Whilst McIlroy achieved golfing immortality with his win at The Masters, his good friend Lowry caused huge controversy with his comments after day three at Augusta National.
When speaking to the press after his third round 72, Lowry went on a rant about being forced to do an interview immediately after he walked off the 18th green.
“Yeah, a lot of pain, especially those last two holes. I enjoyed every bit of today and then I hit that putt on 17 and I couldn’t believe it. I thought I did great holing one back and then just hit a very poor tee shot on 18.
“I’m going to go and — we talk about Collin Morikawa a few weeks ago. I think we need time. I think I need a half an hour now to sit there and gather my thoughts. I can’t be coming to talk to you guys straightaway. It shouldn’t be happening. I don’t agree with it.
“Tennis players have to talk to the media, but they have a half an hour or hour before they have to do it. I feel like we should have the same thing. That’s how I feel. I’m probably going to say something stupid. I probably already have said something stupid because I’m p—– off right now. I’m just going to leave, okay?“
The 38-year-old also responded in an agitated fashion when asked about McIlroy’s chances of winning The Masters:
“I’m not going to stand here and talk about Rory for 10 minutes,” he said.
“I’m trying to win the tournament, as well. I know that’s what you all want me to talk about, but I’ve just had a s— finish, I’ve got a chance to win The Masters (on Sunday) and I’m going to go hit some balls.“
The Irishman clearly didn’t recover from finishing with two bogies on his final two holes, and went on to record a final round 81.
Now he has cleared up his comments on McIlroy.
Shane Lowry finally clarifies his comments on Rory McIlroy at The Masters
The 2019 British Open champion was clearly very hot under the collar when he was accosted by the media after his third round at The Masters.
However, he was obviously very happy to see his good friend win his fifth major title.
After the 89th edition of The Masters had finished, Lowry took to Instagram to congratulate McIlroy.
And Lowry responded when asked by reporters on Wednesday what he felt about Rory winning the green jacket whilst he had a torrid day on the course:
“Yeah, honestly it was the weirdest day ever for me because obviously I’m going out there, and I get off to a decent start, birdie the 2nd to get to 6-under, and I’m sort of thinking, Masters Sunday — I’m watching Justin Rose do what he did in front of me. He’s the group in front of me. So yeah, very strange day, and then I just had a bad day. Then you get to watch one of your really close friends do what he does.
“But I was out of it for a long time and I was watching the leaderboard going around, then come in, and I have to deal with my own disappointments first. I actually went to the locker room for like 15 minutes just to gather my own thoughts, watched a bit of the golf, watched what he was doing out there. And yeah, then after that, look, I’m just happy for him. I know what he’s been through the last — certainly the last 10 years since the Grand Slam was on, the pressure that’s been put on him by — not so much by himself but by everyone outside has been pretty tough and he’s had to deal with a lot of disappointment, so it was pretty cool to see him do that.
“I think what everyone saw on the 18th green that day was just pure relief. I was very happy for him.
Honestly, it was one of the weirdest days ever for me because you’re out there trying to win the Masters yourself, but then when one of your close friends does it, you have no choice but to be happy for him because it is a great occasion. I think it’s a great occasion for golf, for everybody in golf.
“At the end of the day, it’s history. Sixth person ever to do the Grand Slam is no joke. It’s something that — obviously Jordan has a chance to do it in a couple of weeks. But will it ever be done again? Who knows. It’s a pretty tough thing to do, and Rory has found that out over the last 15 years.
Yeah, I was just happy for him.“
Lowry was obviously delighted for McIlroy. There is a lot to be said for his suggestion about players on tour waiting 20 or 30 minutes before speaking to reporters after their rounds.
What golf ball will Lowry and McIlroy use at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Lowry and McIlroy will team up once again at the Zurich Classic this week.
Both players spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of their title defence in New Orleans.
And McIlroy responded when asked if they have decided what ball they will use:
“Yeah, I’d say we’ll probably just do the same thing as we did last year. If Shane is hitting the approach into the green, I’ll probably hit his golf ball off the tee, and then vice versa, he’ll hit my golf ball off the tee if I’m hitting the approach.“
And then Lowry chipped in with an explanation of the thought process behind deciding what golf ball to use:
“We did some testing yesterday morning back home when we delayed our trip. I went down to the range, and we both practice at the same place so both our golf balls are there, and we did some testing and they’re pretty similar. We could either use either-or’s, but it’s foursomes — like we played a lot of foursomes growing up, obviously Ryder Cups and stuff, so you kind of figure out how to do it. You drive each other’s golf ball and then — because driving is not the issue. Especially when it gets windier, the wind is swirling, you want to have control of your ball.
“I think we figured it out last year, and we’ll do it this year.“
Lowry and McIlroy are very close, and it’s clear to see that the 38-year-old didn’t mean anything by his hot-headed remarks after his third round at The Masters.
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