Shane Lowry misses Rory McIlroy’s Irish Open celebrations for surprise reason

Shane Lowry swapped partying for swimming as he was absent from Rory McIlroy’s Irish Open celebrations.

Five-time major winner McIlroy secured his first victory since completing the career Grand Slam with a thrilling play-off victory at the K Club in County Kildare.

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The Northern Irishman finally saw off Joakim Lagergren on the third hole of their play-off, after the Swede’s shot bounced off the green and into the water.

McIlroy pounced on this, two-putting for birdie to clinch glory and take home a cool $1.02million (£755,130) in prize money.

This was the 36-year-old’s first win since his Masters triumph in April, which coincidentally, also came after a tense play-off against Justin Rose.

How did Shane Lowry get on at the Irish Open?

While McIlroy enjoyed a return to winning ways, his close friend Lowry didn’t have quite as successful a homecoming.

A final round 71 from the Irishman left him 10 shots behind the leaders, as he finished tied-for-15th on seven-under-par.

Despite missing out on victory himself, many might have expected to see Lowry join McIlroy in celebrating afterwards, with the pair known to be pals away from the course.

They have previously toasted some of their biggest career moments together, with McIlroy revealing they enjoyed a ‘drunken lunch‘ after Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph in 2023.

But there was no repeat of this after McIlroy’s Irish Open heroics, with Lowry instead enjoying a getaway with his wife, Wendy.

The 2019 Open champion took to Instagram to re-share a picture of the couple by the sea, with Wendy captioning it: “Evening swim.”

Posting it on his story, Lowry appeared to joke at his change of routine: “Sunday evenings used to look a bit different.”

Instagram: @shanelowrygolf

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Lowry’s Irish Open aftermath was certainly a world away from any previous partying he might have enjoyed.

In another post on his Instagram story, he revealed he and his wife had also enjoyed a sauna in their post-tournament retreat.

What did Lowry say about his Irish Open campaign?

Despite failing to add to his previous Irish Open triumph, which he won as an amateur in 2009, Lowry insisted there were still plenty of positives to take into a busy next few weeks.

Reflecting on his performance in Kildare, he said: “It was a grind for the most part. I felt like I played nice.

“Yeah, 71, I probably should have done a few better in the end, but that’s the way it’s been all week.

“I feel like seven under for the tournament is probably by far the worst score I could be standing here (with). So a little disappointed, but what can you do? I tried my best, and that’s it.” 

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But with a quick turnaround for Lowry over the next few weeks, he remained upbeat as he looked ahead to a busy period.

Next week, the 38-year-old will compete at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, before heading to New York for his third Ryder Cup campaign a fortnight later.

Lowry continued: “So many positives to take away from this week.

“I’m happy going into Wentworth next week. I’ll figure out my putting in the next few days, and I’ll be all right. I’ll give it a run next week at Wentworth.

“Things are going well. I feel like I’m in a nice place.

“I feel like the next two weeks are important in the build-up to the Ryder Cup, but I feel like I’ll be ready to go at Bethpage.”