"I was just praying, I don't think I had my eyes open” — Jon Rahm on Shane Lowry's epic Ryder Cup putt

Jon Rahm admitted he had his eyes closed as he prayed over Shane Lowry's crucial Ryder Cup putt in New York.

The big Basque was standing at the back of the 18th green at Bethpage Black when Lowry rolled in the slippery six-footer to halve with Russell Henley and ensure that Europe retained the trophy.

Lowry's father, Brendan, revealed on Liveline the following week that his son thought he'd missed the putt on the left.

But Rahm, who didn't see the ball drop, admitted he was just watching the Offaly man's body language and how he broke into a jig of delight as the ball disappeared.

"I wasn't thinking if it was going in or not," the Spaniard told the Spanish golf portal TenGolf.comahead of his bid for a fourth Spanish Open win in Madrid this week. 

"I was just praying. I don't think I had my eyes open, and I didn't see the ball go in. 

"In moments like that, I just concentrate on the player, and you know from his expression if it's going in or not. 

"It was tough. The few seconds that the ball was rolling were a very long few seconds. He told me later that he pulled it a bit to the left, but he didn't tell me he thought he'd missed it.  

"But it went in. If only every putt he hits and he thinks he's missed goes in!"

The man from Bilbao revealed how vice-captain José María Olazábal inspired the team before the start by telling them he was tired of being the last European captain to win away from home and wanted to pass the mantle to Luke Donald.

There were so many inspirational moments,” he revealed. "What Luke Donald did in this Ryder Cup was incredible. 

"He did a spectacular job and could be considered one of the most incredible leaders of either team. 

"The vision he created and the message he wanted to transmit were clear from the start, and he explained it to us all very effectively.

"For me, the most special thing about the week was two-fold: until that week, only 37 players had won a Ryder Cup in the United States, and increasing that number by ten more was very special. 

"Then there was something that Chema [Olazábal] said before Friday's play. 

"He said, 'I have the fortune and the disgrace to be the most recent captain to win a Ryder Cup in the United States. I no longer want that title. On Sunday, I want that to pass to Luke Donald'. 

"The way he said it, it hit us all deep in our hearts and that helped us do what we did."

Like Lowry, Rahm is yet to win this season, but he still gives his year a mark of seven out of ten with the possibility of making it a 7.5 if he matches Seve Ballesteros with a fourth Spanish Open win at the Club de Campo on Sunday.

"Satisfactory or very satisfactory? It's both," he said. 

"It's a year where I've played very well. I was very comfortable for most of the year. I haven't won individual titles, but that doesn't mean I played poorly. 

"It's difficult to give it a grade. Objectively, it's been a good season, and I've achieved great things. 

"I was very consistent on LIV and missed just one top 10. I played better in the majors and wanted to win one of them. 

"It's difficult to put a grade on it because I won the Individual at LIV and then the Ryder Cup, so that pushes the final grade up a lot. 

"As demanding as I am of myself, I can't give it more than a seven (out of ten).

“But if I win this week, then maybe the final mark will be a bit higher, a 7.5. But some things could be improved."