ENJOY THE JOURNEY
Mcilroy: It’s easy to have fun alongside Shane and that is great for my game
RORY MCILROY couldn’t have chosen a better song to belt out after teaming up with Shane Lowry to claim their latest PGA Tour titles.
The victorious Mcilroy did a decent job on stage when, backed by a live band, he started into Journey’s 1980s anthem Don’t Stop Believin’.
An overjoyed Lowry let his partner take centre stage, as was the case for most of the week in New Orleans at the Zurich Classic as they came from behind to force a play-off on the 18th hole and then secure victory on the first extra hole.
They were the top seeds at what is a low-key event on tour, given the team aspect.
But make no mistake this triumph – Mcilroy’s landmark 25th on the PGA Tour, Lowry’s third and his first since winning The Open in Portrush – was an important one for both.
For Mcilroy, it was a big confidence booster with the remaining three majors of 2024 coming soon.
For Lowry, it gives him vital exemptions for the summer ahead.
“It’s great because I wasn’t going to be in Quail Hollow,” said Lowry, referring to next week’s Wells Fargo Championship.
“I was hoping to get an invite for Memorial and Travelers, I really didn’t know what was going to happen.
“I knew I needed to make up some Fedexcup points, and this gets me in those, and it means I can plan my schedule now.
“With family stuff and my wife and kids going back to Ireland in the summer, it means I really don’t have to stay over here and grind it out too long.
“Hopefully we can both kick on now. We’ve got three majors left. Hopefully we can get one each, or maybe two and one.”
And crucially for Mcilroy, the world’s number two, his great friendship with Lowry has brought out a welcome fun aspect to the game he excels at.
“The reason that Shane and I both started to play golf is because we thought it was fun at some stage in our life,” he said.
“I think reinjecting a little bit of that fun back into it in a week like this can always help.
“To play the sort of golf we did coming down the stretch when there was a little bit of pressure, I think that’ll stand to us, also.
“But yeah, I’ve always felt like I play my best golf when I’m enjoying myself, and it’s hard to not enjoy yourself when you’re out there walking the fairways with Shane.”