Shane Lowry will have a fairly good idea of what awaits Rasmus Højgaard at Bethpage Black, having made his own Ryder Cup debut on American soil back in 2021.
Rasmus Højgaard is the one rookie on the European team heading into the 2025 Ryder Cup. The Dane was able to qualify automatically for Luke Donald‘s team having been particularly impressive towards the end of 2024.
Højgaard did not have the most impressive debut year on the PGA Tour. In fact, some have questioned whether Højgaard would have made the team at all had he not qualified automatically.
Clearly, it is going to be difficult for the youngster to prepare for the Ryder Cup stage. But it seems that his teammates are ready to help him as much as they can.
Shane Lowry shares what he would tell Rasmus Højgaard ahead of his Ryder Cup debut
Rory McIlroy has urged Højgaard to see himself as an equal.
And speaking on Why Golf, Shane Lowry offered the advice he would give the 24-year-old.
“Just be himself. Don’t try and be anyone else, just be yourself. No matter how you are feeling, everyone else is feeling like that too. No matter how nervous you feel on the first tee, the guy standing beside you is feeling that too,” he said.
“You have to remember that is the reason you play golf and this is what it is all for.”
What Shane Lowry told Rasmus Højgaard about their battle for an automatic qualification spot for Bethpage
Of course, Højgaard’s performance at the British Masters ensured that he finished inside the top six in the qualification standings ahead of the Ryder Cup.
It was Lowry who was therefore relying on a captain’s pick. Obviously, it was little surprise when Luke Donald did include the 2019 Open Championship winner in his lineup.
Nevertheless, Lowry admitted that he did not feel comfortable waiting for the captain’s call once Højgaard had done his part.
“I really, really wanted to make the team this year. I missed out by four points, which is not much. It’s the second time I have missed out by one spot,” he added.
“I have been fortunate enough to get three captain’s picks now, but I feel like I have deserved them.
I feel like I have earned a place and when I get there I have done my bit for the team.
“I don’t think it will be any different this time and I’m very happy to get the call off Luke, it was a stressful few weeks.
“I actually spoke to Rasmus about it. He passed me out of the Belfry and he said it was a stressful week for him. I said it was stressful for me sitting there every morning watching you on TV almost hoping you were going to make bogeys!”
Højgaard definitely has the talent to make an impact in New York. He hits the ball a long way, and he showed real guts to make sure that he did enough to make the team.
It will be a big boost for the Europeans if Højgaard can produce the kind of performance that fans saw from Lowry on Saturday afternoon four years ago.
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