Rory McIlroy And Shane Lowry Celebrate Win in Surprising Way

It's been a fairly frustrating year for both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. The former has struggled to find comfort with his game since his victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in January, while the latter's battles with inconsistency have been a dominant factor since he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2022.

However, an impulsive decision made over a boozy lunch after the Ryder Cup to partner each other in the Zurich Classic paid dividends when the pair triumphed in the PGA Tour's unique team event on Sunday. 

It could prove to the perfect tonic for both golfers as we enter the peak of the season.

Playing foursomes on the final day, the two men from the Emerald Isle birdied the 72nd hole to secure a playoff against Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer, who had completed their round hours earlier. 

Returning to the par five 18th tee, the lesser-experienced pair struggled with the occasion, making bogey, meaning that a par was enough for McIlroy and Lowry to triumph in front of huge crowds in New Orleans.

"The reason that Shane and I both started to play golf is because we thought it was fun at some stage in our life," McIlroy said. "Reinjecting a little bit of that fun back into it in a week like this week, it can always help."

2019 Champion Golfer of the Year, Lowry was in agreement: "It's great. It felt much needed. Coming into the week we felt we could do with a big jump for the FedEx Cup, let's get 400 points each and that's what we've done.

"I feel a little bit bad taking them because Rory carried me, but I'm taking them."

McIlroy, who made his debut in the event, thoroughly enjoyed his stay in The Big Easy, saying to CBS, "It's absolutely amazing. We've had an awesome week here in New Orleans. The crowds have been absolutely amazing, to get the support we've had out there. We've had so much fun while doing it and it's just a bonus to win at the end.

"It couldn't be better than to do it with this man alongside me."

Their history together dates back to when they represented Ireland in the European Amateur Team Championships, making this success just the latest chapter in a connection that includes the Ryder Cup and the fact that both of their names are forever indelibly etched on the Claret Jug.

But how would the two men celebrate their win? Consuming a few beers were a given, naturally, but partaking in some karaoke was a little more unexpected.

Local cover band Bag of Donuts was performing to the crowd at TPC Louisiana, when McIlroy and Lowry surprisingly took to the stage before Rory serenaded the fans with a rendition of Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin.'

JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL pic.twitter.com/NefSbCQjAk

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 29, 2024

They both had a fun week - and it was equally enjoyable to follow whether you were there or watching on TV. More of this kind of thing, please.