After Friday’s pin placements stirred some strong emotions about set-up, Saturday’s course presentation at the PGA Championship seemed to meet the platonic ideal of facilitating fireworks but causing punishment for anything less than right. That doesn’t mean it was universally loved by the field, however. Most notably, Shane Lowry.

The former Open champ has never been shy about his feelings towards courses that don’t meet his standard. Following an even-par 70, Lowry didn’t hold his opinions back to Northern Ireland’s BBC Sport.

“Yeah I think it’s a great golf course, but I think it has been set up pretty poorly,” Lowry said on Saturday. “And I guess that people sitting at home on the couch can say, ‘Well, people are making birdies, some people are shooting good scores.’ That’s always going to happen, they’re the best players in the world.”

'I think it has been set-up pretty poorly'

Shane Lowry was speaking with BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson following his third round at the US PGA Championship#BBCGolf #Golf #USPGA pic.twitter.com/1r0z8mXX2W

— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) May 16, 2026

Lowry said he was happy that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler weren’t thrilled with Friday’s set-up and that it wasn’t just him. “I feel like when you see the best players in the world struggling from 10 feet, you know that there’s something wrong somewhere,” Lowry explained. “So I think they got it wrong the first two days. It looks like they’ve… it was certainly a little bit easier today, and it looks like that’s kind of maybe a reaction to the first two days, which is not right either you know.”

In Lowry’s estimation, players want a similar course set-up ever day, with the course getting harder as the week progresses. “You look at the field so bunched, maybe that’s the reason for the setup the way it is.” A record 22 players are within four shots of the PGA lead with 18 holes to go.

To be fair, not everyone agreed with Lowry’s assessment. Following a 66 to get back into the mix, Lowry’s mate McIlroy felt the set-up wasn’t manipulated. “Look, when you have a set of greens like this, you can start to frustrate people pretty easily, I think. You heard it in me last night. You heard it in Scottie. I saw some of his comments. Shane. I think there was a lot of guys that were frustrated yesterday coming off the course,” McIlroy said. “Again, it’s frustrating to us, but at the same time, it creates a helluva entering championship. If I wasn’t playing this tournament, I’d love what’s going on this week, but watching and playing are two different things.”

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Andrew Redington

The post PGA Championship 2026: Shane Lowry isn’t thrilled with this week’s set-up appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 39-year-old Irishman made Masters history on Saturday by becoming the first player to make two career holes-in-one in the event.

Lowry’s latest ace came on the 180-yard sixth hole, vaulting him into a tie for second place as he and the rest of the field tries to track down his good friend, Rory McIlroy. Have a look:

Needing one stroke on No. 6, Shane Lowry cards an ace. #themasters pic.twitter.com/SAr9uy2KBs

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2026

Lowry made his first Masters ace on No. 16 during the final round in 2016. But it’s not just Augusta National where Lowry does this.

The 2019 Open Championship winner made a hole-in-one in his last PGA Tour start at the Houston Open. And he also has aces at two of the most famous par 3s on the planet, No. 7 at Pebble Beach and No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass.

Just a remarkable list for Lowry. And even more importantly, he’s in the mix to win a second major.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Supplied

The post Masters 2026: Shane Lowry makes history with second hole-in-one at Augusta National appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There was no shortage of heroes for Team Europe at Bethpage Black last weekend. Tommy Fleetwood, who won four points enroute to the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award. Rory McIlroy, who blocked out all the noise and played like the superstar that he is. Luke Donald, a bonafide Ryder Cup legend who is 4-0 all-time as a player and 2-0 as a captain. Then there’s Shane Lowry.

The Irishman’s performance was merely fine through much of the first two days. But on Sunday, he gutted out an incredible singles performance against Russell Henley in a match that came down to the 18th hole. With the U.S. team charging and the crowd raging, Lowry stood over a six-footer for a birdie to halve the match and give Team Europe the crucial half-point they needed to retain the Ryder Cup. With the weight of a continent on his shoulders, he buried it.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy endured torment at Bethpage—and came out the other side a deserving winner

But according to Lowry’s dad, Brendan, it wasn’t quite so simple.

“He said to me ‘Da, I was sure I missed it!’” the Lowry patriarch told The Ray D’Arcy Show on Ireland’s RTE Radio 1. “He was certain it was going to lip out. The pressure was immense. Things weren’t looking too good for Europe.”

RELATED: Watch Rory McIlroy stoke the flames in Bryson DeChambeau rivalry during Bethpage celebration

To the naked eye, Lowry seemed to confidently pour in his putt. Anyone with a pulse could feel the pressure, but the only indication the World No. 24 gave was in clear outpouring of joy and relief that followed. But if we’re to believe his old man—a former All-Ireland Gaelic football champion who knows a thing or two about pressure—Lowry was feeling anything but confident as he struck his putt.

It just goes to show that no matter how good you get—no matter the size of the lead or the stakes—golf is a game that will make you doubt yourself. So next time you’re standing over a big putt to break 80 or clinch your member-guest, take a page out of Lowry’s book and look your fears dead in the eye, give ’em a wink and bury it.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy and Team Europe call out President Donald Trump after Ryder Cup upset, Trump responds

Main Image: Mateo Villalba

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

The post Shane Lowry’s dad shares the surprising thing his son told him about his Ryder Cup-clinching putt appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Despite trailing 2 down late to Russell Henley and despite all the momentum on the American side, Shane Lowry dug about as deep as a human could dig to earn a half point in his match, ultimately retaining the Ryder Cup for Europe.

Here was Lowry’s final putt, and the ensuing celebration that had the Irishman out of breath in his post-match interview:

SHANE LOWRY COMES UP CLUTCH TO RETAIN THE RYDER CUP! #TeamEurope | #OurTimeOurPlace pic.twitter.com/Q6LKpWr0aQ

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 28, 2025

With the match all tied after 12 holes, Henley won the 13th and 14th to take a 2 up lead, putting another red flag up on the board for all to see. Team Europe was beginning to feel the heat, as the U.S. team’s cute little comeback attempt from seven points down to start the day was starting to get a bit real.

That’s when Lowry went on hero mode, hitting his 174-yard approach at the par-4 15th to three feet. That cut Henley’s lead to just 1 up, and Lowry threw another dart at 16. Henley was able to birdie, too, though, halving the hole.

RELATED: A frenetic Sunday delivered more than seemed possible

After halving 17 with pars, Lowry hit the 18th fairway off the tee while Henley found some trouble down the left side in a fairway bunker. His approach was an impressive one, 10 feet left of the hole. But Lowry outdid him by hitting his to six feet.

Henley then inexcusably left his birdie putt short, setting the stage for Lowry to claim a half point that got Europe to 14, which was all they needed to “retain the cup.” They were able to get another full point out of the final few matches for a final score of 15-13.

Lowry could barely speak afterwards.

Speechless, Shane #TeamEurope | #OurTimeOurPlace pic.twitter.com/BJUxjTU4jX

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 28, 2025

“That was the hardest couple of hours of my whole life,” Lowry said. “I just can’t believe that putt went in. I just stood over it going, this is it.

“I said to Darren [Lowry’s caddie Darren Reynolds] coming up 18, I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here, and, like, the Ryder Cup means everything to me. Honestly, I won the Open in Ireland, and it’s amazing and it’s a dream come true, but the Ryder Cup for me is everything.”

RELATED: European fans have flooded Bethpage

Lowry finished the week with a 1-0-2 record on the week and has now helped Europe win the last two Ryder Cups after being a part of a losing team in his debut in 2021. That, paired with a claret jug, is a helluva career, one that’s still far from over.

Main Image: Carl Recine

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

The post Ryder Cup 2025: Watch the putt that retained the Ryder Cup (and the celebration that had Shane Lowry out of breath) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Lowry, who captured the claret jug at Royal Portrush in 2019, was even on the day and one under for the championship when he reached the par-5 12th. Cameras just happened to have a close-up view of Lowry’s ball in the rough as he took a practice swing before playing his second shot, and the ball visibly moved after Lowry’s iron passed through the nearby grass.

R&A officials met with Lowry and playing partners Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa for roughly 20 minutes after the round. Ultimately, they decided that Lowry’s ball movement merited a penalty, one shot for moving the ball and a second shot for not moving it back and thus playing it from a wrong place.

After video review, the R&A gave Shane Lowry a two-stroke penalty for this sequence on the 12th hole. pic.twitter.com/Hk2PgkWsU7

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 18, 2025

Lowry, who signed for a one-over 72 instead of a one-under 70, was told on the 15th hole that the R&A was reviewing the shot.

“I didn’t know anything happened until the 15th. He told me it was a two-shot penalty, so I feel like I’m on the cut line then,” Lowry said afterwards. “I’m disappointed they don’t have more camera angles on it. They say if you don’t see it move, it didn’t move. I didn’t see it, but I had to take a penalty because I can’t have my name tossed around like that.

“It’s obviously very disappointing. It’s hard to take but I have to dust myself off and get out there tomorrow. I’m not going to get called a cheat and have my name [dragged] around social media. I’ve signed for a 72 now. I’m going to have to think about this before I go to bed tonight.”

Shane Lowry's full post-round comments with the media after receiving a two-stroke penalty.

Learn more: https://t.co/MpJJaqhK2W pic.twitter.com/6Qh87ELWof

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 18, 2025

As for being told about the potential penalty on the 15th, Lowry said, “You want to know if you’re going to be on the cut.”

The R&A released a lengthy statement Friday afternoon explaining why Lowry was assessed his two penalty strokes. In the statement, the R&A said that the Rules of Golf required three things to be assessed such situations.

1. Did the ball leave its original position and come to rest on another spot?

2. Was the ball’s movement to another spot discernible to the naked eye?

3. If the ball did come to rest on another spot and the movement was discernible to the naked eye, is it known or virtually certain that the player’s actions caused the ball to move?

The R&A continued by saying “Assessing whether the movement of the ball was visible to the naked eye in such a situation assumes the player being in a normal address position for the stroke.

“In Shane Lowry’s situation, the movement of the ball to another spot, including the movement of the logo, was discernible to the naked eye. The naked eye test is satisfied whether or not the player was looking at the ball when it moved.

“It was clear that the ball moved immediately after the player’s club touched foliage close to the ball during a practice swing and that the player’s actions caused the ball to move.

“In these circumstances there is a one-stroke penalty and the ball must be replaced. However, as the ball was played from the spot where it was moved to, the player played from a wrong place and incurs a total penalty of two strokes.”

Scheffler commended Lowry for how he handled the situation. “Ultimately in golf, it’s up to the player, and I felt like Shane was put in a pretty tough situation there when they were zooming in on his golf ball. In the rough it’s hard to tell.

“He handled it really well. It’s obviously very frustrating. It’s frustrating for me as a competitor of his and a player to watch him after kind of deal with that because the last thing you want to be known in the game of golf is somebody who cheats. I’m not going to state a strong opinion here in the media on whether or not I thought he deserved the penalty, but all I’m going to say is it was a very tough situation for him to be put in, and I thought he handled it really well.”

Lowry’s two-shot penalty moved him from two-under 140 for the championship to even-par 142, which was still good enough to make the weekend (the cut came a one over). He begins the third round now 10 shots back of 36-hole leader Scottie Scheffler.

“I played great on the way in, hit some nice shots,” Lowry said. “Left it on the lip on 16 and 18, missed a good chance on 17, so it could have been different.

“But yeah, look, it’s a disappointing thing to happen to me, but that’s golf. Onwards and upwards and give it a run this weekend.”

It ended an eventual day for Lowry, which also featured a hot-mic incident.

Last month Lowry was assessed a penalty during the second round of the U.S. Open for accidentally picking up his ball without marking it.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Ramsey Cardy

The post The Open 2025: Shane Lowry assessed two-shot penalty after R&A review of practice swing appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The mural dominates the landscape for anyone visiting the Open this week—sprawling across a two-story house that sits squarely between the course and the cramped town square, impossible to ignore. But this isn’t merely a tribute to Lowry’s victory but a monument to something far more enduring. Professional tournaments are fleeting spectacles, but Open golf—links golf, the people’s game—is eternal.

Lowry knows this. He tried to demur his thoughts on it—”I’m happy I have to drive the other way” he joked on Monday”—only to acknowledge the gravity of those paint strokes. “I didn’t know what to make of it at the start, and then when they did it, yeah … then people kept sending me pictures. Everyone keeps sending me pictures. Everyone that comes up here sends me pictures standing beside it.

“Some of them I can’t say what they were doing in it,” he added to laughter, “but it is very special. I’ve done something special in my life.”

If we have any quarrel with the mural, it’s that Lowry stands alone. Portrush proper is home to barely 6,000 souls, yet the R&A expects over a quarter-million pilgrims this week. The mathematics should spell chaos, but when an entire community vibrates at the same frequency—when everyone wants to be here—logistics become footnotes. It just works.

You don’t need a mural to grasp what this championship and game mean here. American golf tournaments have morphed into sanitised social events where actual golf feels incidental, authentic fans priced out by corporate hospitality and curiosity seekers drawn by spectacle rather than sport. Other destinations have forged their own golf identities: Pinehurst trades on resort elegance and USGA partnerships, Carmel caters to the wealthy elite, while Bandon has manufactured itself into a pilgrimage site for the devoted. These places wear golf as one facet of their carefully curated brands.

David Cannon

That’s acceptable enough, but it’s surface-level, for these manufactured golf destinations cannot replicate something so fundamentally woven into the fabric of existence. In the United Kingdom, golf retains its democratic soul—it’s the lifeblood of entire communities, the foundation upon which lives are built. Towns breathe the game, golf dictating daily life not as a commercial enterprise but as an inheritance passed through generations. No murals will celebrate J.J. Spaun in Oakmont or immortalise Scottie Scheffler’s exploits at Quail Hollow. There was artwork erected artwork this spring honouring Augusta National’s black caddies, but it was relegated to the historically segregated Sand Hills neighbourhood—a telling reminder of the racial and economic chasms that still fracture American golf. Here, Lowry’s mural sits in plain sight, belonging to everyone who passes by.

Some of this charm lies with links golf itself. Links golf strips away all pretence, testing not just a player’s technical skill but their emotional and spiritual fortitude. The ground game reigns supreme—shots must be shaped and sculpted rather than simply struck, each approach demanding knowledge of wind and firm turf and supported by the lost art of the bump-and-run.

The courses themselves become co-conspirators, their pot bunkers and rolling terrain punishing the proud while rewarding the humble. This is golf’s ultimate crucible, where pretence dissolves in the salt air and only authentic skill survives. It can be mercilessly unfair, beholden to the weather’s whims and the ground’s unpredictable bounces—a capriciousness that makes some dismiss it as mere chance, failing to recognise that this very volatility is precisely its beauty. Links golf doesn’t coddle, it confronts, forcing players to abandon their comfort zones and embrace that mastery comes not from controlling nature, but from learning to confront and work with and survive it.

But mostly, the charm evoked by the mural is the background of links golf, which is suspended from time. This is just the third time the Open has visited this small seaside village, yet the only difference is a few more visitors. Links and life merge without fanfare: fairways bleed into village squares, first tees emerge from behind bus stops, flagsticks salute passing fishermen. Duck into any pub and you’ll discover half the day’s field has beaten you there, scorecards scattered across tables like campaign maps, pints marking the coordinates where dreams were seized or surrendered. The past pulses in the present, the game perpetually renewed, because transcendent things never age, obstinate in their authenticity. Not flawless—nothing touched by human hands achieves perfection—but links golf offers the purest distillation we possess.

It’s the heart of the mural’s message and has nothing to do with the trophy on the line this week: If golf is your religion, this is your heaven.

A public parking lot hugs the coast in Portrush, separated from the beach by a narrow strip of green. Monday night, after storms surrendered to unexpected sunshine, a handful of kids began pitching 30-yard shots back and forth across the grass. One attendant started toward them with concern, but his colleague raised a hand. “Let ’em be,” came the quiet wisdom.

It’s just a mural. But the finest art doesn’t imitate life—it reveals it.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: ANDY BUCHANAN

The post The Open 2025: The secret message behind Shane Lowry’s house-sized mural outside Royal Portrush appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On Thursday at Oakmont, Lowry claimed his latest victim – a microphone left of the par-4 17th green.

The Irishman began his day with pars at 10 and 11 but then bogeyed the par-5 12th, one of just two par 5s on the property. Four holes later, a missed five-footer for bogey at the par-3 16th led to a disastrous Day 1 double bogey, dropping him to three over. The short par-4 17th provided a perfect opportunity to get one back, especially after Lowry drove it greenside, setting up a 46-yard chip.

Unfortunately, that chip had to come from Oakmont’s impossibly thick rough. Lowry took a huge backswing only to advance the ball 17 feet:

Golf is fun… Right? pic.twitter.com/RMzP2IyKJr

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) June 12, 2025

Then came the microphone throw:

Shane Lowry is not enjoying Oakmont https://t.co/BZ27ErRFrk pic.twitter.com/aCAR9Dt6iO

— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) June 12, 2025

In fairness, that thing was clearly in the way of his next shot, though a simple lifting and placing would have gotten the job done here. Those things are expensive.

Things could have gotten really ugly after Lowry’s third shot, which rolled through the green and, luckily, came to rest in the intermediate rough. The former Open winner proceeded to chip in for an eventful par:

An impressive par save nonetheless for Shane Lowry! pic.twitter.com/5Np6WDezYE

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 12, 2025

Lowry went on to bogey No. 18 for an opening nine-hole score of four-over 39. Certainly not how he envisioned his week getting started, but it’s still very, very early.

Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media

Instagram

X

Facebook

YouTube

Main Image: Andy Lyons

The post Shane Lowry tosses microphone in anger at U.S. Open, is not having fun at Oakmont appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Shane Lowry had to be feeling somewhat good about his game heading into the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. That season he had piled up four top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour heading into what used to be the second major of the year, including a T-6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and a T-16 in the Players Championship. He arrived at Oakmont the Sunday before the U.S. Open for some prep work, having never been on the property before.

Growing up in Ireland, Lowry wasn’t really aware of Oakmont’s reputation, so he didn’t know what to expect. As he told reporters on Thursday at the Memorial Tournament, he went out for one of the shortest practice rounds known to man for exactly the reason you’d expect—the course was simply too hard.

“I’ve got a good story about that,” said Lowry when asked if he recalled his first Oakmont experience. “The first time I played Oakmont was the Sunday before the U.S. Open 2016, and I went out to play with … my coach was with me, and we teed off on 10. We got around to 14, which is up beside the clubhouse, and I walked in. And I sat there in the locker room going, I have no idea how I’m going to play golf around this place.”

For those keeping score, that’s five holes. Lowry played five holes and that was all he needed to see to declare that his 2016 U.S. Open was over. He played the 460-yard par-4 10th (a hole Phil Mickelson four-putted in 2007), the 400-yard par-4 11th, the mammoth 632-yard par-5 12th (which Dustin Johnson made four pars on en route to his 2016 victory), the 182-yard par-3 13th and the 379-yard par-4 14th, the easiest of the holes he played. Lowry had still seen enough, making the short uphill walk to the clubhouse as opposed to playing the iconic final stretch.

One week later, after rounds of 68, 70 and 65, Lowry held a four-shot lead after 54 holes.

“Obviously, we got a bit of rain … that was before the rain,” Lowry said. “It was firm and fast when I played it that Sunday, and it was windy. We got a bit of rain that week. Which helped us. But, yeah, Oakmont, I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s going to play like, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of it.”

It was a deluge of rain that week. Play was suspended three times on Day 1, delaying the proceedings significantly. More heavy rain overnight on Thursday softened up the golf course considerably and made for good scoring conditions over the next two days. By Sunday, however, Oakmont crisped up, so much so that Dustin Johnson’s ball infamously moved on the fifth green and led to a one-stroke penalty after his final round. Fortunately he still won by three. Lowry, meanwhile, stumbled in on Sunday, shooting a six-over 76. He still tied for second with Scott Piercy and Jim Furyk.

Main Image: Robert Beck

The post Shane Lowry ‘walked in’ after five holes in his first round at Oakmont appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Would it be Gautreau’s or Arnaud’s or somewhere else for dinner on the town in New Orleans on Saturday night? With all of the fabulous gastronomical choices for Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry to consider, it kept their minds off of golf during a 90-minute weather delay in the third round of the two-man team Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

It kept McIlroy about thinking of one stroke of his putter, actually. The two Irishman, defending champions of the Zurich, were approaching the 18th green at TPC Louisiana to complete their third round when the horn blew.

RELATED: Here’s the prize money payout for each golfer at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

On a day when the team had torched the course for eight birdies and an eagle through 17 holes of fourball, McIlroy had a 30-foot putt for eagle that, if he made it, would give them a hard-charging 61 and a legitimate chance for a title repeat.

But that’s the last thing they wanted to consider while they ate lunch and watched a replay from their victory from a year ago.

“The last thing on my mind during the delay was the putt, and then once I got back out there, I sort of concentrated on it and made sure I did what I needed to do, and just a bonus for it to go in.”

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1916236438854660388

With the eagle and 61, McIlroy and Lowry moved to 22 under for the week as the field headed to alternate-shot play on Sunday. Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin, each seeking their first PGA Tour title, are the leaders at 27 under after shooting 61 on Saturday. Jake Knapp and Frankie Capan III had the day’s best scorecard with 60, and they were tied in second at 24 under with the Japanese duo of Ryo Hisatsune and Takumi Kanaya (61).

The Irishmen, appearing for the defence of the Zurich despite McIlroy nursing a cold after his extensive post-Masters celebration, started the tournament with a 64 in fourball, but struggled a bit on Friday with a 69 in alternate shot that put them four back of Novak and Griffin, who opened 62-66. On Saturday, they mostly balanced the work, with McIlroy making the eagle and five birdies, while Lowry also made an eagle to go with three birdies. They did give up a stroke on the par-3 17th when both missed the green and could make 10- and 12-foot par putts.

“I feel like we played pretty well today, I think,” Lowry said. “There was a lot of holes where both of us had chances. We went out and we did what we had to do.

“Look, we knew we were going to have to go out and shoot a really low score today. There’s not much wind out there, and the course is fairly gettable, and in fourballs you want to be shooting at least 10 under. I was pretty happy to have Rory go out and eagle the last there. It makes dinner taste nicer and kind of puts us in a great position going into tomorrow.”

As for the evening’s meal, they’d already dined this week at Gautreau’s and Arnaud’s, places they ate at last year. No word on what they decided for Saturday evening, but in New Orleans, it was going to be hard for them to go wrong on or off the golf course.

Main Image: Chris Graythen

The post Rory McIlroy’s delayed eagle completes scoring feast to keep Irish in Zurich hunt appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rory McIlroy has no doubt had a whirlwind week after winning the Masters. The plan he put forth in this champion’s press conference last Sunday was to fly home to Northern Ireland to celebrate securing the career Grand Slam with his parents.

He’s not going to be there for long. Shane Lowry, his good friend and fellow Irishman, says McIlroy will fulfill his commitment next week to play in the two-man team event, Zurich Classic of New Orleans. McIlroy and Lowry are the reigning champions after winning a playoff over Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer.

“We’ll be there. I talked to him [Wednesday] morning. We’re good to go,” Lowry told Golfweek at this week’s RBC Heritage, where he opened with a 68 and finishing the Masters with an 81.

“To be honest, I didn’t want him to feel like he had to play because of me. He’s not letting me down if he wanted to take some time. He feels like he wants to get back out there. He feels like next week is a good week to do it. So, yeah, we’ll be there.”

Lowry was there in the scoring area on Sunday at Augusta National to joyously hug McIlroy after he beat Englishman Justin Rose with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Lowry nervously watched McIlroy play the 18th hole in regulation while sitting in the Grill Room at Augusta, and when McIlroy missed the par putt that would have secured his first green jacket, Lowery buried his head in his hands and walked out of the room.

In the immediate aftermath of the win, Lowry told a group of reporters, “Look, spending time with him and knowing him as well as I do, for him it’s everything. He might not want to say that, but it’s genuinely everything for him the last 10 years since he won the third [of four majors]. Then he wanted to win this to get the career Grand Slam. It’s huge. It’s huge for Irish golf. It’s huge for everyone. I’m delighted for him.”

A year ago in New Orleans after their win, McIlroy and Lowry stopped by a sponsor’s party at the course and produced a viral moment by belting out Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” That song means more than ever now.

Main Image: Augusta National

The post Masters champ Rory McIlroy getting back to business quickly to defend Zurich title with Shane Lowry appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.