Lowry and McIlroy herald start of new era as absent LIV legends allow new Ryder Cup stars room to shine
ROME, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 29: Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland of Team Europe celebrate on the 18th hole during the Friday afternoon fourball matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Luke Donald nursed his post-Ryder Cup hangover in the five-star Rome Cavalieri-Waldorf Astoria overlooking the Eternal City and hailed Shane Lowry as "the ultimate team guy".
The Clara maestro showed in Rome he's a man for the big occasion and it's clear now in the wake of Europe's 16.5-11.5 win that missing Ryder Cup legends Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter (now with LIV) were not missed.
Their absence allowed the new big three of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland the space to shine and usher in a new era in European golf ahead of the trips to Bethpage Black in 2025 and Adare Manor in 2027.
"Bethpage next time, but obviously Adare Manor in 2027; I will be at least driving a buggy or something in that one," joked Lowry, who will be 38 for New York and 40 when the centenary matches are staged in Limerick.
"Bethpage will be something I would love to be a part of, but I have to enjoy this one. I said it to the lads during the week: you don't know when it is going to be your last Ryder Cup, so you have to make the most of the one that's there in front of you and that's what I did. Hopefully, it is not my last, but if it is, it will be a very memorable one."
He was at the heart of the raucous European sing-song on the bouncing team bus that took the team from Marco Simone to the hotel high above the city.
"That was probably the best part of the night, to be honest," Lowry beamed. "It was great. It was so much fun. The songs were going. We were like a football team after winning something.
"It was amazing. Bobby Mac was on fire. You get so many tough days that when you get a day in golf when you have a day like that, it is amazing to be around friends and enjoy it with them."
Donald clearly had no regrets about picking Lowry, whose chaperoning of McIlroy during the row with Joe LaCava on Saturday summed up his spirit.
"He's kind of one of our ultimate team guys," said the Englishman, who is the players' choice for 2025. "He's our team hype guy. He's very energetic. He has a lot of passion. And obviously, he'd been there before. We saw that at Whistling Straits.
"When you have six picks, I couldn't just go for six rookies. I needed some experience and Shane is an Open champion. He showed his mettle in big moments.
"He is great for the team environment. He probably would have wanted to play better leading up to the Ryder Cup, but we track all those stats and his stats were pretty solid."
Lowry described Sunday as being "on a par" with winning The Open and he sees a bright future for Europe and hinted the LIV absentees will not be missed in New York.
"It will be incredible," he said of Bethpage. "We have built the bones of an amazing future team here this week. Ludvig, Nicolai, Viktor. Rahmbo isn't old. Rory is not old, Tommy is not old. Everyone is pretty young in the team room.
ROME, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 29: Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton of Team Europe react on the seventh hole during the Friday morning foursomes matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 29, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
"We have an amazing Ryder Cup team going forward and I think if we do things right, we can be successful over there and I want to be a part of that. It has got to be one of my goals next year. "
He couldn't remember the Dad jokes "silent assassin" Donald left on their beds every night, but McIlroy could.
"If you're an American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom?" McIlroy recalled. "European. That's a proper dad joke."
The Holywood star was the event's top scorer and along with Rahm and Viktor Hovland, the big three contributed 11.5 points or as many as the entire US team.
In fact, Lowry believes it was the absence of Westwood, Garcia and Poulter that allowed them room to bloom.
"I think not having those guys there this week gave certain guys the opportunity to be something different in the team room and I think that made a big difference," he said.
"We have had three of the top four players in the team room this week. If those guys were in the team room, they are obviously big Ryder Cup legends and have been amazing. But maybe Jon, Rory and Viktor wouldn't have been what they were this week."
Is it a new era? Lowry thinks it is and talks about Seamus Power and Tom McKibbin as Ryder Cup players in waiting.
"I think so and I am not even talking about the twelve players who are here. I am talking about Rasmus Hojgaard, Vincent Norrman and Adrian Meronk. Look at all the young players in Europe coming up, we have a great foundation now for the future and I think it is a great chance to look forward."
McIlroy was sad to bid his teammates goodbye, but he didn't miss Garcia, Westwood or Poulter, who all sent Donald messages of congratulations.
"They've had unbelievable Ryder Cup careers and they've made their choices, and they've done what they've done and no one can take away the impact they've had for the European team over the years," McIlroy said.
"But I feel like this week, not having those big personalities in the team room let other guys have that chance to flourish and to shine: Viktor, Jon, myself.
"There wasn't a ton of space taken up in that room by some of the other big personalities and I think that just let the rest of the team just sort of flourish.
"It's a young team. We can all grow together. I could potentially be the oldest person on the team next time. It's a new era. And it's a pretty good one.”
