Shane Lowry: Ryder Cup Memories | The Late Late Show
[Applause] But I’m so looking forward to this. Before all that, my first guest tonight is Offley’s favorite son, who just happens to be an Olympian, a major champion, and the man who in September became a Rder Cup legend forever when he did this. He did it. The 2019 Open champion stands tall and delivers for the European team who have retained the right from Clara to the Clar and beyond from the house together Larry. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Welcome to the show, fella. Thank you. Uh, two weeks in a row. Last week, you weren’t here, but you were here. You were surprising little Declan, our golf buddy on the toy show. You’re going to bring him. What a what a great prize. Inside the ropes at the Irish Open next year. That was so good. and a flag from the RDER Cup, which you I’m assuming you stole this from the Green Keepers, did you? The Yeah, we got H we each got 10 each. So there’s there’s only I only have 10, so I’m very particular about who I give them to. So Declan’s one of the lucky few that got that. Do do you have any any none for you actually? None of those left. Okay, just on the naughty list. That’s the end of that. Now look, Declan loved that pot of yours on the 18th at Beth Page Black as we all did. What what was going through your head as you were walking up that fairway and you knew you had a chance? Yeah. Um it’s funny. I It’s funny when you’re in situations like that, you actually become quite aware of what’s going on and obviously I was very nervous. Um but I said to my caddy walking down the fairway, I said, “I have the opportunity to do something very, very cool here, very special.” And um you know, basically, let’s go and do it. And uh you know thankfully I went up and hit a great shot in and then I managed to roll the put in somehow somehow managed to roll the put in because it was like honestly is the most pressure I’ve ever felt. It was uh yeah I I was trying to explain to somebody was asking me about it today earlier on today and it’s it’s hard to really explain because well have another go. We’ll play it again. Here we go. So So tell tell us tell us what’s going Yeah. So I was shaking at this stage and then yeah properly shaking. Yeah. Yeah. And then I uh and then that is just to be fair you were shaking afterwards with a few I actually think I think if I had have known I was going to hold it I would have done something cooler than that. Yeah. So no it was but it was uh No, it was a memory that I’ll have forever. It was very special. Yeah. Uh what were the celebrations like? Uh I I saw you going through the tunnel at one point and you had the felt tip pen and you you tidied up the scoreboard for how many Europe had won. Yeah, they had 15 down so I changed that to 16. that we’ve won. And um yeah, we had a good night that night. The bus journey back was probably the highlight of the whole thing. You know, took us 40 minutes to get back to hotel and it was uh honestly, if you can picture like an under 12 or under 14 bus of the GI football young lads um after winning a county final or something. Uh that’s what it was like. It was um yeah, the best weeks of our lives, those those rider cups. Well, look, I mean, you’ve been celebrating ever since. The whole of Ireland’s been celebrating ever since as well. Look, this is the type of stuff that was going on here. Uh, this is you. This is This is an ad for Limic Racecourse. Uh, I’m not even sure that was photoshopped. I mean, I’m just trying to work out when I definitely can’t get that high. Uh, now the Rider Cup, of course, it made it made a lot of headlines for all the wrong reasons as well. Yeah. Uh, how bad was that abuse for yourself and and Rory out there? because there when you’re watching it on TV, you kind of hear you guys talking about it afterwards, but you don’t really hear a lot of it. So So how bad was that? Yeah, it it was it was pretty bad. It was um like I think we were very ready for what was going to happen. I think we as ready as we could be, but on you’re in the situation, you don’t actually realize what it’s going to be like. and um being out there. Uh and yeah, some of the stuff that was said was not very nice, but I think it um Rory and I definitely used that as fuel and um it motivated us to to go ahead and win. And I I said it like after that week, I said I don’t think it helped the Americans much at all. I think it actually it was harder for them to play in that environment than it probably was for us at times. So, um yeah, tried to use as much to our advantage as we could, but yeah, like it was uh it was quite difficult. Like I played the first two days with Rory and I noticed uh on Sunday when I was playing my match I didn’t get as much abuse which was quite nice. Uh but yeah he had to deal with a lot of stuff over the couple of days. I mean you guys are are pretty tight aren’t you? You’ve been tight for a wee while now. Yeah we’ve become very close over the last number of years and you know our wives are really good friends. Our kids are similar ages. They hang out together. We live very close to each other in in Florida and um like we yeah we do hang out together. We play a lot of golf together and we, you know, sit around in the evenings, go to each other houses for barbecues and stuff. It’s it’s just nice. It’s a nice nice relationship to have. I’m I count myself fortunate to be, you know, good friends of one of the greatest players that’s ever played the game and I get to watch him do his thing and I think it really drives me on to be, you know, a better golfer, says the open winner. I mean, come on. Let’s come on here. No, you know what I mean. I mean, you’re you’re hardly playing off double figures yourself. The um you know, so you guys, you know, you hang out together, you play together. You’ve actually won together. You played in was it the Zurich? Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Yeah. Yeah. And uh and they celebrated together as well. Uh this is uh Talk us through what’s going on here. This is when the lads won. Uh I think I was coming here. Here it is. Yeah. There you go. Yeah. I wasn’t singing. You noticed that. Um um yeah, I I think uh I was as surprised as everyone else he was doing what he was doing there. I think um that was uh don’t stop believing or uh in Rory’s case, don’t start him singing. I think that was a Yeah, he’s not a great singer. He’s a better golfer than he is singer. What I love about that clip I love about that clip is is that you’re in the background and there’s there’s a chance you could have took the mic and you can just see the face going I’m just going to leave. Yeah, I’m just going to leave. Yeah. I couldn’t believe it was happening to be honest. We just won and obviously we were very happy and um we get up on stage and there was just like we had to toast all the sponsors and there was like a lot of people there actually in the tent and then the band just asked Rory what his favorite song was or what his karaoke song was and he told them and then he started singing and I just was yeah I was um yeah it was it was interesting but yeah but what was lovely about that I think was that that you know the fans actually you know they loved that they loved the the fact to see you guys out there you wearing your heart in your sleeve and you know at the RDER Cup when things aren’t when you’re getting the abuse we bit of bite back when things are going well it’s it’s showing you’re human. Yeah. like and I always say that like we like every professional, you know, go golfer, sports person, you know, we just happen to be good, you know, pretty good at what we do, but we’re, you know, we’re just human beings at the end of the day and we’re normal people and, you know, I try and live a as normal life as I can outside of the sport. And, um, yeah, I think stuff like that shows that. You’re a proud offly man. I think Rory could probably have done with a few singing lessons from your granny whenever you managed to bring the clar jug back to Offley. This is uh this is Shane’s granny doing her stuff. [Music] Come on. That was uh that was one of the best days ever. like bringing the Clara jug down to Clara and have my granny uh there who’s is still flying fit like she’s she’s 88 now and she’s going strong and um she’s just been on a week week away with all her friends so she’s delighted that she’d be delighted that she got a mention here um I’m surprised she’s not sitting here beside me actually but um please welcome she’s granny um but yeah no she’d be delighted she’s sitting at home with Clara so hey granny talk to me talk to me about that week uh up in Port Russian and and winning it on on Irish soil. I mean, compared to the RER Cup, is that’s that still the the top memory? Yeah, it it’s hard to it’s hard to separate them, you know, they’re they’re two totally different things. Um, and the Ryder Cup is like so enjoyable. Um, because you get to do with all your friends and it’s like more of a kind of, you know, you know, you have one goal in mind and that’s to win. whereas you’re you’re going up to the open in Port Rush and you’re sort of thinking I’d like to win a good performance there and I’d like to give myself a chance to win. You know, do I think I’m going to win? I probably probably not, but I’m going to do as best I can. Like, you know, there’s 155 other great golfers there and to go to Port Rush um and win by six shots and do it how I did it. You know, the first time the Open have been in Ireland however many years and and for me to go and win that like individually, I definitely won’t top that for the rest of my career. Um, but the writer cup still holds like something in my inside of me that I love and like a dare manner in two years time is something that like even now I I think about a lot. Um, it’s going to be bouncing, isn’t it? It’s going to be it’s going to be amazing and uh yeah, we’re going to I’m sure we’re going to show them some proper good Irish hospitality and uh yeah, and try and uh try and retain the trophy. Yeah. Yeah. Good lad. Um, you know, one of the things at the open, you know, was seeing your dad, you know, just just on that green and I know he’s going to be inducted, Brennan is going to be inducted into the Offley GA Hall of Fame. I mean, how cool is it to now be, you know, as proud as your dad’s, you know, sporting achievements as as he is of yours? Yeah, it’s great. Look, he he lives for GA. Like, he really does. Like, um, you know, and even up like this year, he was selector for our local club. So, he’s, you know, he’s still going strong on the sidelines. um probably you know saying too much to referees and giving out and doing all of the above but um yeah and they they we got back promoted back to senior this year as well so he played a part in that so yeah he’s but it’s his love for GA is number one he obviously loves traveling the world and watching me play golf but you know he will he will actually not come to a tournament because there will be a match on so yeah he’s got his priorities right has priorities in in a certain place I’m not sure they’re right they’re there okay if you had to make a choice uh RDER Cup win or offley winning another all Ireland. Uh I’d say there’s probably a better chance of me us winning the next RER Cup, but um I’d give anything to see awfully walk the steps to crawl park again, honestly. Yeah, there you go. We were chatting there before the show about your two girls and you know uh how much do they spur you on whenever you’re out there? Yeah, look it’s what I do it for now really to be honest. Um and uh like the like I’ve got a great life. I love what I do. I’m very very fortunate to have the life I have. But being away from them makes it harder. So you know when I am away I work as hard as I can and trying as as hard as I can to make them proud. And um it’s funny the over the last few weeks like my my 8-year-old Iris, she she’s played a decent amount of golf over the last year or so. And then Ivy, our uh four-year-old, just asked me to go out last week. So, she came out for the first time last week. So, so good. Um yeah, just having them out in the golf course and and seeing them grow is is cool. And I actually we uni came back from Florida yesterday, so they hadn’t seen the toy show. So, I left them there at home. We left home this evening and they were watching the toy show as we were leaving. So, um, yeah. Well, I mean, that means they’ll still be up at 1:00 tonight, whenever you’re getting home. Uh, you mentioned Iris there. I think she’s coming up pretty hard on the rails. Here we’ve got a we’ve got a clip. This is the par three competition. Oh, yeah. At the masters. You know, this is just what it’s all about. She tells everyone in her class that she’s going to play the Masters. So, she’s like, well, I mean, she could play the Masters. Check this out. Here we go. She was so excited when this went in. Full house here at the Augusta. Look at that. better putting salt to me. She’s coming for you. I really really hope she’s watching at home. Like she’ll be so happy if she’s watching at home. So, um yeah. Well, look uh it is so so good. I know you’re a really really busy man. Uh what you did last week for Declan, I mean just completely blew him away and we were so so grateful and for you to come here this week and have a chat with me. I know you have a lot of other things to be doing. Uh, and it means the world to me and Larry. Okay. Thank you.
Shane Lowry looks back at his year, which included sinking the winning put for Europe at the Ryder Cup.
Watch The Late Late Show live and on-demand from anywhere in the world at http://www.rte.ie/player
The Late Late Show | Fridays | RTÉ One, 9:35pm Irish Time
