Shane Lowry will be one of the stars of the show for Team Europe at this year’s Ryder Cup and he’s been discussing the atmosphere that could greet the Europeans at Bethpage Black.
Lowry is once again expected to play a key role for Europe and given the passion and energy he brings, he should relish what is expected to be a hostile New York crowd.
Tyrrell Hatton recently spoke of the crowd at Whistling Straits being hostile while Justin Rose has shared his plan for making the US fans quieten down.
As we know, every player will react differently to the situation.
But according to Shane Lowry, there’s something playing into the hands of the Europeans that isn’t getting much of a mention.
Shane Lowry says why Team Europe can handle the American fans at the Ryder Cup
We all saw in Rome how a player like Lowry can feed off the crowd and there’ll be certain Americans who will do the same.
However, while people are predicting a tough ride for the Europeans, Lowry is not so sure as he cited a few recent points, including Tommy Fleetwood’s success.
Speaking on the Why Golf show on YouTube, Lowry got onto the subject of the crowds in New York and suggested that in reality, it might not be as bad as people think.
“I talked to the rugby lads and asked them about going to New Zealand or Wales for an away fixture and asked them what it was like for them,” Lowry admitted.
“Obviously their game is a bit different and is more intense and it happens quicker, so you are not walking and in line for whatever you can get off the crowd.
“But I think if you are ready for something, it’s much easier. We will be ready for it. We are aware of what is going on.”
Adding further depth to his comments, Lowry then touched on how many of the Europeans live in America anyway, as well as compete in PGA Tour events in the country regularly.
“Also, I feel like, we all play the PGA Tour and a lot of us live in America. A lot of us have huge support in America all the time. Look at the Tour Championship a few weeks ago, Tommy was going down the stretch against an American player and the American Ryder Cup captain and I’m pretty sure most of the people on the course wanted Tommy to win,” Lowry continued.
“That will show you the support we have over there, so for one week it might be a little bit hostile but I think it’s something that we are all big enough and bold enough to be able to look after ourselves. I think we will be fine.”
Shane Lowry’s Ryder Cup record so far
This will be Ryder Cup number three for Shane Lowry and after Rome, you feel he’s grown into the role and will play a key part.
This will be the third consecutive time Lowry has gone in as a captain’s pick and like most of the picks on each side, he will have a point to prove.
So far, Lowry’s record is very much middle of the road, albeit he has won some crucial points.
In the singles, he is yet to win, but in the foursomes and fourballs, Lowry has indeed won one and lost one in each of the categories.
In terms of players on the USA team who he’s not lost to, Collin Morikawa was on the team that Lowry and Sepp Straka saw off in Rome, while Lowry also beat Harris English alongside Tyrrell Hatton in 2021.
Lowry did, though, lose to Patrick Cantlay comfortably at Whistling Straits.
Still, the Irishman remains key for Europe and if he gets fired up with the crowds getting into things, he could be more dangerous than ever.
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