Shane Lowry speaks for the first time as he returns to golf following his crucial putt at the Ryder Cup

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Shane Lowry experienced the greatest moment of his career at the Ryder Cup.

Lowry holed the Ryder Cup retaining putt on the 18th green, securing a pivotal half-point against Russell Henley. “The Ryder Cup means everything to me”, said a tearful Lowry afterwards, amidst the raucous celebrations of the European fans. 

The Irishman overcame abuse from the Ryder Cup crowd, showing remarkable resilience to go undefeated across the tournament. He played a pivotal role in Europe’s first away win since 2012.

But such is the life of a professional golfer, life goes on. Lowry is making his first playing appearance since the Ryder Cup at the Spanish Open in Madrid. 

When asked by reporters in Spain, Lowry revealed what it has been like to return to Europe after winning the Ryder Cup, as well as the challenges it presents.

Shane Lowry on returning to Europe after Ryder Cup win

Lowry returned to Europe a conquering hero and has been soaking up the love in Madrid. However, he expressed some concerns about how challenging it could be to play again after the highs of New York. 

Lowry explained: “It’s been nice. Even sitting in the players’ lounge this morning, having breakfast people coming up want to go talk about it. It’s pretty cool. I always love coming back to play in Europe and get to see all my old friends. It’s nice to feel the love.

“I’ve had an amazing week. Obviously, what happened is pretty cool. It’s what dreams are made of, really. I’m sure there’s going to be a little come down at some stage.

“But it’s nice to be back on the horse this week here in Spain. Nice to get back out, compete, and try to forget a little bit about what happened. But it will be hard. 

“It’s something that I never foresaw myself doing. So you don’t now how you’re going to handle it. Like I said week of the Ryder Cup, just be myself and see how it goes.”

Lowry could have learned lessons from his good friend, Rory McIlroy, who struggled for motivation after winning the Masters and completing the career grand slam this year. After achieving a career-long dream, what next?

Shane Lowry weighs chances of winning the Spanish Open

For Lowry, what’s next is the Spanish Open, where he finished T-13 in 2024. He said he hasn’t had much practice prior to the event having won the Ryder Cup, which will make winning a challenge. 

He explained: “It will take some good golf. You know, I haven’t done much practice over the last few days. So I’m going to do some this afternoon.

“If we can get through Thursday with a decent round, you never know. There’s a great field here, good players. It’s a tricky golf course. You need to be really on your game. You need to have control of your ball. It will take good golf to win around here.”

After the putting contest at Bethpage Black, which Keegan Bradley set up to be easy at the Ryder Cup, Lowry is appreciative of the change of pace in Spain. 

It’s a difficult course, and one that rewards accuracy above all else. Lowry said, “The rough is quite thick this year, and you just need to hit in the fairways and hit the greens.

“It’s an old school golf course. It’s quite refreshing to play, actually. You don’t have to drive it 350 yards. It’s nice, you need to hit it in play and be precise.”

Lowry is one of the most accurate players on the PGA Tour, both off the tee and with his irons. That puts him in good standing for the Spanish Open as he looks to ride the high of the Ryder Cup.