Shane Lowry breaks down in tears as Ryder Cup hero takes thinly-veiled bite out of the Big Apple gobs
The emotional Irishman holed a putt on the last to win the final hole and retain the trophy
Wet-eyed Shane Lowry broke down in tears after retaining The Ryder Cup for Europe.
And the emotional Irish took a thinly-veiled bite out of the Big Apple gobs as he says the next one on home soil will be a "lot nicer" than the gruelling New York experience.
Europe suffered a horrendous Sunday stress at Bethpage as, going into the day with a commanding seven-point lead, they faced a frantic American fightback.
Keegan Bradley’s hosts dragged themselves back from nowhere and as one-by-one their big stars outgunned a visitor, the lead whittled down.
At one stage, it looked as though, remarkably, Donald’s team were going to be guilty of a nightmare loss of the cup in the searing heat of Long Island.
But Lowry holed a putt on the last to win the final hole against Russell Henley to halve his match and ensure Donald’s team kept the trophy.
It was a stunning moment for the Irishman who lives for the competition and his dance on the green and massive celebration brought tears.
Lowry said: “I’ve been so lucky to experience amazing things in this game. That was the hardest couple hours of my whole life, I said to Darren [caddie] walking down 18 I have the chance to do the coolest thing in my life here. I can’t believe that putt went in. I stood over it and went: This is it.
“To do that on the 18th in front of everyone. It was so hard. Fair play to the US lads. We knew they would come out fighting.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me. I have won an Open in Ireland, but The Ryder Cup for me is everything.”
Donald was confirmed as guiding the visitors to just a fifth success on US soil after Tyrrell Hatton subsequently secured another half point and Lowry added: “Luke is the greatest captain that has ever lived. He’s the most amazing man in the world. He’s done the best job. I don’t know what to say.”
It was a magic moment for Lowry who had been through the mill during his experience at the 45th staging of the event.
Lowry had to endure some horrendous abuse during his weekend at Bethpage and had to act as a minder at times for his team-mate Rory McIlroy, who was again subjected to more grief throughout the Sunday in his Singles Match against Scottie Scheffler.
The 2019 Open champion lost his cool at times and had a fan ejected during Saturday's play as the bitter behavior spilled over.
Lowry will hope to make the next Ryder Cup which will be staged in his home country in 2027 at Adare Manor and, in a swipe, he said: “It will be a little bit nicer than playing here, I know that!”