Lowry loses the run of himself; Johnson reveals illness in U.S. camp
RYDER CUP EFFECT: Shane Lowry was unable to keep his emotions in check as the excitement of the Ryder Cup got the better of him. Pic: ©INPHO/Matteo Ciambelli
There were many lessons from Whistling Straits. Rory McIlroy said everything he has achieved since came from the disappointment of his last day. Shane Lowry wanted to keep his emotions in check next time. He said it again and again.
Then he walked out in front a jampacked grandstand and forget entirely about it.
“I stood on the first tee trying to stay calm. I was watching Viktor on the big screen and he chipped in and I lost it,” he said with a chuckle. “That is what the Ryder Cup does to me. It is a very special tournament. I really enjoyed it today.”
Lowry and rookie Sepp Straka defeated Rickie Fowler & Collin Morikawa 2&1 in Friday morning’s foursomes.
“Luke spoke to me during the week about keeping… Sepp is a very easy-going, laid-back type of fella, keeping him the way he is. I am not sure I did a great job of that but I feel like we brought each other around the golf course well today. And look, like I said, that is the stuff that the Ryder Cup does to you.”
His joyous celebrations throughout the afternoon only reinforced that fact. Evidently, he loves this week. Why?
“I'm European. I play professional golf for a living. This is where you want to be.
“I mean we are very fortunate to have José María Olazábal with us this week. He has been very successful individually on the golf course, but people know him for the Ryder Cup. Same with Seve. What do people know him for? Ryder Cup.
“When I finish my career, I think obviously I'm very fortunate to have a Claret Jug in my house, but I really want one, if not multiple, of these under my belt as well. I just love it. This is, honestly, the most special week in golf. There is a reason it is the greatest tournament in golf.”
For captain Luke Donald it was the perfect start. Vindication for his pairing selections and his decision to start with foursomes rather than fourballs.
“Ryder Cups are always full of amazing roller coasters and swings throughout the day,” Donald said.
“Obviously, this morning felt a lot more comfortable than this afternoon. We got off to a fast start this morning. We held it; to win 4-0 was very special.
“But this afternoon the U.S. for a while there were holing putts. They were turning around matches. Again, we got off to a pretty good start, but they fought back. And we knew they would. They are a strong team. There is a lot of talent on that team.
“But what we did going down 18 just shows the determination, the grit, the perseverance, kind of the unity of our team. They never gave up and they kept pushing till the very end. And to hole putts like Viktor did, like Jon did, and of course Rosey right at the end, that is huge.”
Meanwhile, U.S. captain Zach Johnson suggested they had to reconsider some afternoon pairings due to an illness in their camp this week.
“We have contingencies and things of that nature based on a lot of things. You know, I would say that we'd love to have everything drawn out way, way ahead of time, but there are certain things you cannot control and we are trying to control the controllables in our team room. I'll leave it at that.”
When asked did he not want to answer, Johnson elaborated that it was issues around congestion and energy.
It's one of those where sometimes the energy is probably a little low, but the ability and desire to go out and play is still there,” he explained.
“The bottom line is there's been some unforeseen things that we've had to navigate around, which is really unfortunate, in the sense of health. It is not an excuse because we have depth, but I'll just say, I'm grateful we have a team doctor.”
After the whitewash America responded to tie three of the afternoon matches. Johnson saw enough to believe they are still capable of retaining the Ryder Cup.
“I am extremely proud of their fight and their character. I think when you have adversity and when you have challenge, you can kind of go one of two ways, and they decided to do it with class and character.
“I think it can breed momentum. I think it is just a matter of time. I believe in these guys. This is just the start. I am proud of the way they have gone about their business. Tip my cap to the European Team for playing great golf. Our time is coming.”
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